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Founded in 2011, Everything Theatre started life as a pokey blog run by two theatre enthusiasts and – thanks to the Entry Pass Scheme for 16-25 year olds – regular National Theatre goers. Today, we are run by part-time volunteers from a wide array of backgrounds. Among our various contributors are people who work in […] More
Paper Mug Theatre’s Seb Gardner on Steve and Tobias Verses Death
We first come across Seb Gardner and Paper Mug Theatre last summer with I Lost My Virginity To Chopin’s Nocturne In B-Flat Minor. Since then they have clearly been busy, as they already have two new shows ready for the stage. The first of which is Steve and Tobias Versus Death.
Originally planned for the now cancelled Vault Festival, this zombie apocalypse horror is now heading to The Pleasance in March. And of course, with ET being big fans of horror (well, some of us are, others are just scaredy cats), it seemed a great time to chat with Seb about the show, and ask, will there be plenty of fake blood flying around? We also discuss I Lost My Viriginity and what they have planned for the rest of 2022.
Steve and Tobias Versus Death plays at The Pleasance between 15 and 19 March. You can book tickets here. More
Playwright Pravin Wilkins on his play Moreno
Theatre503’s International Playwright Award really is an incredible thing; how this tiny pub theatre manages to attract entries to its bi-annual award from all around the world really demonstrates just what a reputation it has.
And of course, it’s always great to see many of the shortlisted plays finding their way onto the stage in the coming year or two. Which brings us nicely to Moreno, 2020’s winning entry, which will be making its stage premiere in March.
This debut play by Pravin Wilkins brings the world of American football to 503’s stage, although it isn’t so much about the sport (the stage just isn’t big enough for a game of American football after all), but about the fallout caused by the actions of one player: Colin Kaepernick is the man who first took the knee and started a movement, but at great personal cost.
With such a heated topic at its core, we jumped at the opportunity to chat with Pravin, to find out more about the play and what brought him all the way to this little pub theatre in Battersea.
How did you even hear about Theatre503’s International Playwright Award in the first place? And is it something you will be telling everyone to get involved in for its next edition?
I came across Theatre503’s International Playwriting Award on Playwrights’ Center, a resource that many playwrights use to keep up on submission opportunities. Of the numerous open submissions I have sent my work to, Theatre503 far and away offers the most complete package, from the perspective of a playwright. It’s already something I’m telling my playwright friends to send in work for, especially as submissions for the 2023 award have recently opened.
Has winning the award helped with your work back at home in Pittsburgh?
To put it simply and honestly, not yet. I expect the boost to my playwriting career will really start when the play does go up at Theatre503 and people have a chance to see my work fully realised on the 503 stage. Since I won the award in 2020, some exciting opportunities have arisen – yet, with COVID-19 pushing theatre into relative dormancy in the US until quite recently, I’ve mostly been on my grind as an educator and organiser, preparing for this moment.
Moreno is your debut play: is 503 getting the world premiere? And will you be here to see it happen?
I’m thrilled to say that Theatre503’s production will be the world premiere and I will be travelling to London for some rehearsals as well as previews and performances.
The play is set in the world of American football: were you ever worried that doing this would alienate audiences from outside of the US?
Not at all. I recall when I was younger, the film Invictus, which centered around rugby, was quite popular in America, although the sport is not widely viewed there. I feel this is because that film, much like Moreno, is not solely about the sport, but about the people who play the game and the politics they must deal with as national (and sometimes international) figures. The personal drama between the characters in Moreno is universal, and the broader conversation about racism in sports and societal structures at large extends far beyond the borders of America, as these issues affect every nation in the world.
Oscar Russell is credited as “football coach” for the play, which seems an intriguing addition; does that mean we might get to see a quarterback getting sacked on stage (have you seen how small 503’s stage actually is!)?
I won’t speak to exactly what you will see (although, as a former defensive player, who doesn’t love to see a quarterback getting punished??), but some elements of the game will be represented onstage and Oscar’s professional support was instrumental. He helped our actors immensely with the task of embodying each character’s particular role and position. Additionally, Nancy Medina (Director) and Ingrid Mackinnon (Movement Director) have done a masterful job in making these moments work on the small stage at the 503.
Colin Kaepernick’s career seems to have been seriously curtailed by his taking the knee: is this something you wanted to address in your play – that politics and sport are not always easy bedfellows?
Yes, Colin Kaepernick’s career was cut short because of backlash from NFL owners and management along with many fans, media personalities, and indeed the former President himself. But politics, especially the politics of race and class, cannot be separated from sports, or, frankly, any part of society. These issues are universal: Kaepernick taking a knee during the national anthem in protest of police brutality did not bring politics to sports, it brought up the fact that it’s already there. Being the messenger of necessary but unwelcome truths is indeed a tall task, and a dramatically charged situation that Moreno explores.
From our viewpoint on this side of the world, it felt like American football showed a very racist core with its spectators. Would that be a fair assertion, or was it just a microcosm of what was happening across the country?
I don’t like to paint with a broad brush, but I will say that the hate and vitriol coming from NFL fans certainly drowned out the support and love for Kaepernick amidst his protest. If you were to go to an NFL or a Sportcenter comments section on a social media article about Kaep from around that time and just check out the hateful things people were saying… it was despicable. People were demanding he never be allowed to play again, some even posted videos of themselves burning his jersey. Yet, with the election of Trump, a famously vile torch-carrier of racism, I think we saw clearly illustrated that there is indeed a deep and enduring white supremacist element all across the country. So yes, the response of NFL fans to Kaepernick’s protest reflects a broader attitude across America.
Taking the knee became very political both in America and the UK, with various politicians coming out for and against it, most famously Trump himself. Is it still talked about much in America, and is it still causing such division?
The symbol of taking the knee not only continues to be widely discussed, but it has come up again in a tangible way with Eminem’s kneel during the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show receiving both praise and criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. Moreover, athletes across the world – from soccer players on the US Women’s National Team, to Olympic fencers, to European footballers – have taken a knee during performances of songs celebrating national pride at major global sporting events: this has become a universally understood symbol of protest against injustice, particularly racial injustice. The Monday after the Super Bowl this year, MSNBC commentator Joy Reid wore a Kaepernick jersey as she and a co-host spoke about the halftime show and the ongoing lawsuit by former NFL coach Brian Flores alleging hiring discrimination. So yes, both the symbolic statement of taking the knee and the substance behind it remain highly relevant and continue to reveal divisions in American society.
Do you feel that the racism around the booing is the same in America as in the UK? Do you feel it has made a difference at all, and is it something that will ever change?
I don’t know enough about sports in the UK to comment on whether the reaction of fans to players’ races or their stances on racial issues are the same as they are in the US, but I believe it is fair to say racially-charged jeers come from the same root, regardless of the accent in which they are shouted. And while you can’t really get a booing crowd to stop booing, you can influence who makes up that crowd and how they view the players who make their entertainment possible. This change will occur if the NFL and other large sports organisations focus more on diversity in hiring at the uppermost levels, along with more outreach to fans from Black and brown communities. Because of people like Brian Flores, a former NFL head coach who is fighting right now to hold the league to account for likely subverting rules designed to bring more people of colour on as coaches, there is the possibility that things will improve. But with Colin Kaepernick’s NFL career effectively snuffed out by almost-certain collusion among NFL owners (who paid an untold sum to Kaepernick to keep the details of the court case under wraps), it is clear that progress will be slow and often hindered by reactionary forces.
What’s next for you? Is sport something you would like to centre future plays around, or will you be stepping into new fields for your next work?
I love sports, but for me it moreso is social movements that are at the centre of my work. The setting of American football is simply one arena in which these conflicts play out. Most recently, I have been interested in labour movements and the history of American unions. I am working on two projects in this vein: first, a play centring on a group of fictional university campus workers in San Diego, California who must consider bucking their union representation when it appears their leaders are colluding with administrators; second, a TV drama set in late 1800s Chicago, covering the events that culminated in the Haymarket Riots and the unjust execution of four anarchist labour organisers. The aim of the former is to spotlight and investigate the burgeoning modern revival of unions; the latter, to pay homage to the workers and organisers of generations past, whose struggles are inextricably linked with ours. Someday, however, I am sure I will return to sports – maybe I’ll write something about basketball.
Our thanks to Pravin for his time to chat to us. Moreno opens at Theatre503 on 1 March, and then plays until 26 March. Further information and booking via the below link. More
Director Paul Collins on bringing Consent to the stage at Questors Theatre
Until recently, we weren’t aware of Questors Theatre (we apologise for that oversight on our part) but now it’s on our radar we are more than happy to see what amazing shows they are presenting us with. This community based theatre in Ealing are clearly not afraid to tackle the difficult subjects, as their next show, Consent, clearly proves. Nina Raine‘s play, first performed at the National Theatre, follows the two barristers on either side of the case and the turmoil of their lives away from the courtroom.
We sat down with director, and former barrister himself, Paul Collins, to ask why this play appealed to him and whether being a former barrister is a help or hinderance to directing the play ahead of its opening night on 19 February.
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What was it about Consent that made you want to bring it to Questor Theatre?
This is a tautly written play raising issues about trust in personal relations and the contrasting demands of empathy and detachment, for lawyers and for us all. And it manages to be viciously funny from time to time, as well.
The play focuses on the two opposing barristers in a rape trial; as a former barrister were you able to bring personal experience to the play, and how realistic are the two based on your real-life experiences?
The playwright, Nina Raine, acknowledged legal input and the legal side has an authentic ring. Some of the barristers’ chat is deliberately extreme for dramatic effect, but it’s not far off! But the real focus of the play is on the relationships between the characters.
Did you ever need to stop yourself being too forensic and detailed in your approach to the legal moments of the play?
No! There’s only one courtroom scene and we don’t attempt to set it realistically. I’ve used my personal experience to a limited extent, to help the actors, but the author has provided what’s really needed. The detailed work has been much more directed towards the ebb and flow of the characters’ emotional and sexual relationships.
The play is only five years old, but in that time we’ve seen a lot of change, especially with the #MeToo movement and (hopefully) a changing attitude towards how we deal with sexual assaults. Has this affected your approach to the play at all?
If the play were being written today I’m sure the author would think carefully about the implications of the binary approach to sexuality which it presents. But the central portrait of the law and its practitioners having a detached and sometimes callous attitude wouldn’t change. How can lawyers do their job without being detached? How can empathetic lawyers do their job objectively? These questions remain. And the audience may wish to think about fidelity, betrayal, disillusionment, revenge, and consolation.
In 2021, only 1.6% of reported rapes lead to a suspect being charged. Does Consent try to give any reasons for such statistics.
One word against another – in the absence of other evidence, prosecution is a lottery. The play demonstrates this clearly. Ways in which an alleged rape victim should be supported are highlighted in this play, but there’s no easy answer.
What made you step away from the bar into directing? Was the attention to detail required as a barrister good training for directing?
It was retirement from the circuit bench after 19 years (25 years at the bar previously) that gave me the time to direct. It’s stimulating, draws upon many different aspects of one’s abilities and highlights where they may be lacking! I love working in the the theatre with talented and dedicated people of all ages and backgrounds. You should ask the cast and stage team whether my background is a help, or a hindrance!
What brought you to Questors Theatre, and what is it about the venue that should make people come and check it out?
I’ve been an acting member of the Questors for over 40 years although for many years the demands of work prevented me from taking an active part in the life of the theatre. It’s a splendid place to have in a thriving, cosmopolitan community like Ealing. There’s much we can do to improve but we try to be a focus for young and old, wealthy and not, and for those of every race, colour, sexuality and for those with a disability. The Questors takes large numbers of young people under its wing for a wide range of classes. Anyone in West London who becomes involved, even just as an audience member, feels how important it is. Consent is the kind of play which can be raw, challenging and, to some, perhaps offensive in its language, but which doesn’t shrink from tackling real questions about human behaviour head on.
Our thanks to Paul for giving up his time to chat to us about the play.
Consent plays at Questors Theatre in Ealing between 19 and 26 February. Standard tickets are just £14, with concessions for members, under 16s and full time students. More information and bookings via the below link. More
Author: Everything Theatre
in Features and Interviews, Podcasts, Runn Radio interview
12 February 2022
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Tommy, aka The Queer Historian, talks about his show, How DIsabled Are you?
How Disabled Are You? explores the difficulties and prejudices faced by benefit claimants. It’s a topic rife for horror stories of what people have had to go through, so we thought a perfect subject for us to chat about with Tommy.
Another show originally planned for Vault Festival, this interview was recorded prior to the festival cancellation. But that shouldn’t make it any less of a must-listen as we talk about the show, the difficulties Tommy has faced, and just why it probably isn’t a show for Daily Mail readers.
The show currently doesn”t have any confirmed new dates, but we suggest following Tommy on Twitter here to keep up to date with new announcements. More
Author Eileen Browne on bringing Handa’s Surprise to Little Angel Theatre
Handa’s Surprise is a modern classic children’s book, named one of the best culturally diverse picture books in the UK. The story takes us to Kenya, following in Handa’s footsteps as she journeys to see her best friend Akeyo, in the next village. Handa is taking seven delicious fruits as a surprise – but seven different animals have seven very different ideas… could you resist the sweet-smelling guava? How about a ripe red mango or a tangy purple passion fruit?
The story is now being transferred to the stage, so it was our delight to spend time with the book’s author, Eillen Browne, to find out why this story is still one children love, and just what to expect when it gits the stage.
This stage production of Handa’s Surprise is based on a book that’s still a best seller nearly 30 years after its first publication. What is it about the tale that children love?
Well, the book is visually vibrant. The cover shows a girl carrying a luscious bowl of fruit and there’s a hint that something’s about to happen – an ostrich in the background is keenly looking on. But most of all, the words tell one story and the pictures tell another. Children can see what’s happening when Handa can’t.
After all this time in the pandemic with its travel restrictions it’s fabulous to be immersed in the incredible colours and imagery of another country! Can you tell us a bit about Handa, and her life in Africa?
Yes, it is lovely to be taken to other places during these restrictive times. The story is set somewhere very different to the places that most readers will be living. Handa is a made-up but well researched character. Two women from London’s Kenya Tourist office gave invaluable advice about hairstyles and lifestyles of girls living in the countryside of South-West Kenya.
The original picture book is beautifully illustrated. What are you looking forward to most about seeing them brought to life from page to stage?
It’s good to hear that you like the illustrations. The Little Angel’s production has captured the warmth and vibrancy of the pictures and given it extra dimensions with music and movement and an exciting variety of puppetry.
What are the main themes raised in the story, and are they likely to open up conversations for the audience?
This is a story about friendship, a journey and the unexpected. It shows that when bad things happen, really good things can happen too and the characters, readers and audience all get a lovely surprise. As with the book, the onlookers will have lots to talk about.
What other fun things are included in the production?
The interaction of the actors with their very young audience is wonderful.
What do you hope your audiences will take from the show?
As well as ‘travelling’ to another place, hopefully the audience will leave feeling more cheerful than they did when they arrived.
Is this production going to be touring elsewhere?
Yes, Handa’s Surprise will be on at Little Angel Studios from 9 February – 16 April before heading out on tour in the Spring.
Thanks to Eileen for taking the time to chat with us. Handa’s Surprise is on now at Little Angel Theatre, playing until 16 April. Further information and booking via the below link. More
Deli Segal and Tanya Truman on new play Pickle
Pickle is a play about being a young Jewish woman, balancing the two sides of your life; that of being from a Jewish family and the other of just being a young woman. We struggled to think of many other examples of theatre exploring the young female Jewish experience, so we thought we’d like to find out more from the show’s writer/ actor and producer. It was a lot of fun chatting to Deli and Tanya, as well as a wonderful chance to learn a little more.
The show itself was scheduled to play at Vault Festival, so became yet another casualty when the festival was cancelled. This interview was recorded at the end of 2021, prior to cancellation and so there are a couple of Vault mentions.
However we’ve been assured the show will see life on stage soon in 2022, so we thought it still more than worthwhile to share this interview with you.
If you want to keep an eye out for when this show will be on stage, we recommend you follow both Deli Segal and Tanya Truman on Twitter. More
Tom Foreman on new play Swell
It doesn’t feel that long ago we sat down with Tom Foreman to chat about his play Big Boys. So we were rather surpsied to realise that he was now heading to Lion and Unicorn next week with new show show Swell. Set in the fictional town of Swell, the play takes its inspiration from the real town of Fairbourne which, in 2014, was announced would be depopulated by 2054 due to being unsustainable to defend from the effects of global warning and rising tides.
So befor we all go under with the rising tides, it seemed a good time to catch up with Tom to find out how he has been since we last spoke.
What was it that first attracted you to write a show around Fairbourne?
I came across the story of Fairbourne during the first lockdown, and despite all the chaos of current affairs in that period, it still had this incredibly powerful reach on me. Like most people, combating climate change is a cause I’m deeply committed to, but living in the UK where we’re nowhere near the worst of the impacts, it’s all too easy sometimes to feel that it’s something abstract, in the future.
And then Fairbourne: a town in Wales that has ‘decommissioned’ due to inadequate defences against rising sea levels, with the whole population set to be removed and infrastructure deconstructed by 2054. I don’t think I ever find it less shocking, really. It’s climate change being felt right here, right now on our shores, and those residents are unfortunately the nation’s first climate refugees. What I think cut through to me the most however was the human stories. These people who have found out overnight that the place they called home was just being abandoned. Hearing stories of how that’s affected the community and individuals within it… That’s where Swell was born. Swell is not a play about climate change: it’s a play about community and grief, about how we come together and fall apart in times of crisis.
Did you visit the area for the play at all, or did you do what the rest of us do, and get onto Google Earth?
I wrote the play during the first lockdown, so unfortunately I never did. I’ve always meant to visit, but it’s one of those things that always evaded me being so far away. On the other hand however because it was that first lockdown, I had so much time on my hands, and I spent it learning every little detail I could about Fairbourne. My paternal family are also from Whitstable in Kent, so I also really got my teeth into researching there, and suddenly I was an encyclopedia for small British coastal towns! That was invaluable in constructing the town of Swell when developing the show. I actually have a complete and detailed map of the town, which hasn’t made it into the show yet, but we’re hoping to transfer to Edinburgh for the Fringe after, so maybe people will get to see it one day!
You focus on two siblings to tell your story, how much is Swell about family told against a backdrop of climate change?
It’s absolutely that. In my press releases I use the phrase “backdrop of environmental crisis” because that’s really where the climate change comes in. The decommissioning of the town is what triggers the plot, but the plot is certainly not focused on the climate change itself. It’s absolutely a play about family and community, about grief and perseverance. I think that siblinghood is one of the most complex relationships in our lives. We all have such different experiences of it, but the one common theme for all of us with siblings is that they are never ever simple. I wanted to explore that dynamic and push it to its limits.
Did you always want to write a climate change story, or were you inspired from hearing about Fairbourne.
The one thing I never try to do when writing is go looking for a story or issue to write about. I think that if you try to force it, you’ll end up in so many dead ends trying to make it work that the whole experience will just be unenjoyable, and if it’s unenjoyable writing you can bet your bottom dollar it’ll be unenjoyable viewing.
I also try to steer clear of ‘problem plays.’ That may sound weird given that my most recent two shows have focused on male mental health and climate change, but what I mean by that is a story should never come out of a problem: a problem should always come out of a story. So, in this case, the story of Swell is triggered by climate change, but it doesn’t come out of climate change – it comes out of two siblings finding themselves in a community being torn apart. I couldn’t stop thinking about Fairbourne after I came across it in the news, and it really was the draw of the story, rather than the fact it was related to climate change, that spurred me to write about it.
You are playing at Lion and Unicorn; last year they had Lately, about youngsters growing up in a dead seaside resort. Did you see this and do you think that there is a lot of ground to be explored in this theme of “dying” seaside towns?
I know! I actually was lucky enough to see this, what an excellent production. I didn’t know a lot about it going in and I remember when it started thinking “Oh! Coastal community!” Yeah, I’m not sure to be honest! It’s certainly a strange coincidence. I do think that as an island nation, we all have some innate connection to the coast, whether consciously or not. And particularly in the wake of things like Brexit and climate change, those communities on the coast do seem to be struggling the most, when really they should be some of our most valuable towns and cities.
I mentioned that my paternal side were from Whitstable – we looked into it and found that for hundreds of years, the Foreman’s had been oyster fisherman, passing down the trade from father to son, right up until my grandfather, who broke the chain because he got seasick. It’s a story that makes me chuckle, but I also can’t tell it without considering how different my life would have been growing up there and not around London. It’s a connection with seaside towns that has developed in the making of Swell, and I do think others find their connections in similar ways.
Your last show, Big Boys, was well received, what did you learn from making that show that you have brought to Swell?
‘Big Boys’ was such an amazing piece to be at the helm of. It was delayed for years due to Covid, and when it finally premiered after countless redrafts and rip-ups, it was such an incredible release. I think what it really taught me was my style of writing and how I translate it to the stage. I have come out of the spotlight and focused more on the directing alongside my very talented co-director Connor Rowlett for this one, and that’s helped me really refine the type of show I want to present and how I want it to be delivered. It’s also encouraged me to draw out certain aspects even more. I love Fringe theatre because it allows for such an intimacy with the audience, and we’ve pushed that even further in Swell (although not quite to audience interaction yet!) Looking ahead to the Fringe etc, there’s more lessons still that I’ve learnt from this production that I want to take and push Swell with even further, and I can’t wait to do that. But first, I’m absolutely ecstatic to be back at the Lion & Unicorn, and working with the wonderful team there.
Swell and Big Boys seem miles apart in their themes, was it deliberate to do something so far removed from your last one?
As I mentioned, I never go looking for a script to write, so it definitely wasn’t a conscious choice. In fact, there are a lot of themes in Swell that resonate strongly with themes from Big Boys, although I don’t want to give too much away! They’re certainly two entirely different beasts however, and I’ve been conscious of treating them accordingly.
And after Swell, what have you got lined up next then?
Well the next step is hopefully taking Swell to the Edinburgh Fringe, where I’m hoping 2022 will be a triumphant return to near-normality. I did visit in 2021 and it was great to be back watching the shows that were on, but it was certainly at a hugely reduced scale. Other than Swell, I don’t actually have anything written at the moment, but I’ve always got projects on the go. I’m trying to write a musical currently with an old friend of mine who is a very talented composer, and longer term I really want to sink my teeth into TV writing. For now though, I’m firmly fixed on seeing how far we can take Swell, and share the desperately important story of Fairbourne to as many people as will listen.
As always, our thanks to Tom for taking time out from getting the show ready for opening soon. You can catch Swell at Lion and Unicorn Theatre from 8 – 12 February. Further information and bookings via the below link. More
