nabokov and The Marlowe
BOX CLEVER
By Monsay Whitney
“Ever get the feeling you’re going round in one big circle? Ten years. Back and forth between a trio of arseholes and nothing to show for it except a baby, an Argos ring and a busted nose. At the refuge they call that a pattern.”
Time: 4.40pm (60 mins) Dates: 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 August.
What was the inspiration for this performance?
I thought I'd be proactive and write a play that I could perform myself. That was pretty much the starting point. A lot of people say they feel there is a lack of roles for women and I tend to agree. I struggled for years to find a place in the industry where I could fit in (I'm not alone here) and I always came to the same conclusion: that I should probably give up.
That it was pointless me trying. That to get the breaks and the experience in our industry, to even get a shot at meaty roles, it is entirely necessary to be exceptionally beautiful, exceptionally confident, and/or exceptionally well spoken. Which I was not. Which Marnie is not. Marnie is pretty average and I think that's great.
Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas?
Yes it is. But whose ideas are being presented? We understand our own narrative by experiencing someone else's narrative but what narratives are being told on our stages?
performance is still one of the most effective stimulus for thought and discussion. The audience respond to the characters and their actions triggered by their own moral compass and experiences whether we are comparing or relating to the narrative it acts as a provocation that should be an experience shared by all. But who watches performance?
The people who can afford it or the people who feel like it is part of their culture.
How did you become interested in making performance?
I was compelled to tell stories that I could relate to, show worlds that I understood as I rarely saw them on our stages
Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?
We are exploring the role of clowning and how the protagonists (Marnie) clown is supporting Marnie to achieve her objective of keeping her daughter safe in a system that has failed them. The clown will have many ideas through musical devices and play conjuring memories that will help Marnie to make a choice.
Does the show fit with your usual productions?
In regards to supporting a voice that is urgent and telling a a story needs to be told yes this production follows suit. Monsay Whitney is an incredible playwright that has been writing plays over the last five years but they have rarely made our way onto our stages with Nabokov and The Marlowes support BOX CLEVER will have the life it deserves.
The role of music has been at the heart of the most recent productions I have directed including
SLUG by Sabrina Mahfouz and music composed by Bellatrix
Paines Ploughs UK garage musical WITH A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK by Sabrina Mahfouz and HOPELESSLY DEVOTED by Kate Tempest X
And it is something I am keen to explore the with the role of the clown in BOX CLEVER with the singer songwriter clown Avi Simmons but i will be moving away from the form of gig theatre on this one as the narrative does not lend its self to that environment.
What do you hope that the audience will experience?
I hope they hear the story. That they are forced to put themselves in Marnies position and ask themselves what would they do?
What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?
It's really important to set up the framing of the play and do everything you an to guide the audience as to how you want them to engage with the narrative. For us it is about showing them we are actors and we are about to tell you a story, gather round and come with us.
This helps them to engage their imagination and gives us more freedom to take them out of the realms of naturalistic reality and they will come with us.
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