Safe Dramaturgy: Clara Glynn @ Edfringe 2017

SAFE PLACE at the Attic, Rose Theatre, Gilded Balloon

Hopscotch Films presents

Safe Placeby Clara Glynn


A timely drama exploring the tricky relationship between trans rights and feminism.

Martine is a well-known feminist. She’s written a newspaper article about how she feels she should offer shelter to a homeless person. At four in the morning Rowan bangs on her door and Martine gives her a bed for the night. But Rowan is not what she seems, the political becomes the personal and Martine is in for a bumpy ride.

Feminist writers Germaine Greer and Julie Bindel have been non-platformed, criticised and derided for their attitudes to Trans. Novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie came under fire for questioning if the experiences of transgender women, who are born with the privileges the world accords to men, are distinct from those of women born female. Women’s Hour presenter Jenni Murray was censured by her employer, the BBC, for bias when she expressed disquiet over, among other things, demands that breast cancer and breastfeeding be renamed “chest cancer” and “chestfeeding” in an article headlined “be trans, be proud but don’t call yourself a real woman”.



LISTINGS INFORMATION

Venue: Studio (Gilded Balloon Rose Theatre)
Time: 12:00 (13:00)
Dates: 13-28 August
Tickets: £10 (£8)
Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000 / www.edfringe.com

What was the inspiration for this performance?

Reading and thinking about the conflict between feminism and trans rights.  I became fascinated by this whole debate. The battle lines seem so firmly drawn.  Both sides are talking at each other but not to each other.  Many women I know are quietly conflicted about this, and don’t know what to think.  So its a really rich area to write about

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas? 

I think it’s one of the best.  You can articulate and explore an issue in a nuanced way. My favourite plays are the ones where you go into the bar afterwards and people are arguing about it.  SAFE PLACE is definitely one of those.

How did you become interested in making performance?

I’ve always been interested 

Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?

It’s a scripted play.  My background is TV documentary so I research subjects in depth before I start writing - reading stuff, books and online, interviewing people.  Then once you get a cast into a rehearsal room it takes on a life of it’s own and starts moving in surprising directions

Does the show fit with your usual productions?

No!  I started my professional life doing student theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe but I’ve spent most of my career as a TV director and a writer.  This is my first theatre production for 20 years

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

I hope the people in the audience who are already engaged with this issue will find it stimulating, and those who’ve never thought much about it will think on.  I’d like people to laugh too.

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?

I put two people in the room who have radically different ideas about the world and let the sparks fly.  I hope the audience tilts between agreeing with one of them then the other.  

Trans activists like Laverne Cox and Paris Lees aren’t taking any of it: “None of trans people’s enemies impress me,” Paris says, “Anybody who’s really good and achieving anything, who’s smashing it at the moment, are for trans people and anyone against us, as far as I can see, are these miserable has-beens or never-weres”

Writer Clara Glynn says: “I became fascinated by this whole debate. The battle lines seem so firmly drawn. Both sides are talking at each other but not to each other. Many women I know are quietly conflicted about this, and don’t know what to think. So it’s a really rich area to write about. I thought what if I put an older feminist and a young trans woman in a room together and they just had to talk to each other? And that was how the play began.”

Woke Dramaturgy: Apphia Campbell

As part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2017, Play the Spotlight Theatre & Made In Scotland presents

WOKE

aware of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially related to civil and human rights:

After the 2014 & 2015 hit show 'Black Is the Color of My Voice', Apphia Campbell returns with a brand new play which tells the story of the African-American experience. 

WOKE will be performed at Gilded Balloon Teviot - Wine Bar, Friday 4 - Monday 28 August at 2pm.

This one woman show is set to original music as well as traditional gospel and blues and tells the story of two real life women, 42 years apart who become involved in the struggle for civil rights. 

One, a notorious Black Panther and Tupac Shakur’s Aunt Assata Shakur; the other, a present day university student who enters university at the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Both challenge the American justice system, become criminalized through political activism and are ultimately faced with a choice - to fight or to flee. 

What was the inspiration for this performance?

Last year, I watched the documentary,  13^th, which was about the 13^th Amendment in the U.S and how that has promoted the growing prison population. 

I was moved and really inspired to become politically active. I noticed that many people had been mentioning Assata Shakur’s name and I went back and re-read her biography. I started noticing so many similarities between the Black Panther movement and the present day movement and I wanted to explore that dynamic. 

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas? 

Absolutely, it’s one of the best ways to get an audience to understand and empathize with you on certain issues. They are more open to listen when it’s put in a fun, entertaining and moving way. 

How did you become interested in making performance?

I’ve always been performing ever since I was a little girl. My first performance was as a little girl when I was four, and I played a French hen. I remember not bouncing up and down on purpose to see what would happen. I guess you can say that’s the rebel in me—coming out at a young age. 

Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?

I guess I always start with a question and then I use to play to try to find the answers. It’s interesting to be abroad and feeling like I want to be involved politically. Sometimes I feel like I want to be in those marches, town hall meetings, or volunteering to help my local senator.  

So, it was really important for me to be able to voice my reaction to the changing America. Living in the U.K., I noticed that people don’t often speak about race and the quickest way to silence a room is to bring it up. 

I guess I also had that in the back of my mind when I was working on the piece. I wanted to make a piece that transcends race and focuses on the root of the problem—which is the system. I feel it’s important for people to see themselves in a situation; creating empathy hopefully generates change.  

Does the show fit with your usual productions?

I would say I love to focus on women and most of my work has some sort of political message. So, this follows along those same lines.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

I hope to create activist or people who want to be involved more politically. Overall, I hope it helps the audience walks away and go home and research as much as possible and hopefully look at the world differently when it comes to political activism. 

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?

I wanted the audience to fall in love with the main character. So, I made her as funny and likeable as possible.  

I’m having so much fun playing Ambrosia because she’s just looks at the world in such an innocent way. It’s refreshing. 

WOKE was chosen to be part of the Made in Scotland showcase and is written and staged by Edinburgh based performer Apphia Campbell and directed by Caitlin Skinner.

Apphia Campbell is originally from Florida and after graduating from college moved to New York where she performed Off-Broadway. In 2009, she moved to Shanghai, China where she sang blues, jazz and pop in various venues including The Cotton Club, Park Hyatt, Le Meridian Hotel and JZ music festivals. 

In 2012 she formed Play The Spotlight Theatre Company (PTS). And in 2013 she wrote her critically acclaimed piece, Black Is The Color Of My Voice and opened in Shanghai to rave reviews. Apphia debuted BITCOMV at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2014 where it sold out and has been touring the U.K ever since.

Her most recent theatre credits include: The Color Purple (James Harkness, WBTT Theatre), Holiday Hitch (PTS theatre, Director Meredith Yarbrough), No Exit (Blue Lane Theatre, Director Michael Beets), The Deciders (New York Fringe Festival, Director Jay Michaels) and Beehive (Temple Theatre, Director Ray Kennedy).  

Caitlin Skinner is Artistic Director of new pop up writing theatre company The Village Pub Theatre and recipient of the Tom McGrath Maverick Award. Her directing credits include Hair of the Dog with Village Pub Theatre (Village Pub Theatre, Traverse Festival) The Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde (Lung Ha Theatre Company), Sanitise (Jordan & Skinner, Winner of 2014 Scotsman Fringe First Award) Selkie and The Happiest Day of Brendan Smillie’s Life (A Play, A Pie and A Pint) and Noye’s Fludde (Lammamuir/McOpera). Caitlin was dramaturg on As the Crow Flies (Greg Sinclair/Imaginate) and rehearsal director for A Stone’s Throw (Giddy Aunt). 

Caitlin has worked as Assistant Director with National Theatre of Scotland (The James Plays, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, Driver’s Seat) Dundee Rep (In My Father’s Words) Traverse Theatre (Breakfast Plays) and Royal Lyceum Theatre (Cinderella). Her new show with Jordan & Skinner At A Stretch opens at the Storytelling Centre in August 2017.

LISTINGS INFORMATION: WOKE will be performed from at Gilded Balloon Teviot - Wine Bar, 2pm. Tickets £6 - £12 Friday 4 – Wednesday 16, Sunday 20 - Monday 28 August

Made in Scotland is a curated showcase of high quality performance from Scotland at the world’s biggest arts festival, made possible by support from the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund. It is a partnership between the Festival Fringe Society, the Federation of Scottish Theatre (FST) Scottish Music Centre and Creative Scotland.

 @apphia campbell |  @apphia campbell  

The Dramaturgy which Overslept: Stephen and Philip @ Edfringe 2017

We all love a lie in, but the alarm clock is definitely ringing.  The time has finally come to throw back the duvet and leap into this playfully unhinged show about finding the hero under the covers. 

It’s a sincere and heartfelt invitation to defy indifference and experience a new, tender love story for our long-neglected earth, one in which we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

In a never seen before mix of climate science, psychology, philosophy and surrealist dance, our unlikely heroes strive to remake themselves in preparation for an overdue remaking of the world. 

These quirky ‘Clark Kents’ of climate change will shake your inner snooze button awake, so come see a performance that stretches what’s possible in an hour but will be a lifetime in the living.

What was the inspiration for this performance?

A shared concern for the future of the planet. Arose out of a friendship discovered on a sustainability course in Devon. We made a promise to create a piece of activist arts-based theatre to inspire others to play a part in our response to the environmental crisis.

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas? 

Head, heart, hands. We are taking academic material out of the lecture theatre and onto the stage. You might say, “putting the theatre back into lecture theatre!”

How did you become interested in making performance?

Philip has a professional acting background and has appeared at the Fringe in the past. He felt inspired to collaborate with Stephen, a senior OU lecturer who does public speaking and performances around sustainability. Could we both find a way of bringing the subject alive?

Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?

It’s a very carefully crafted mix of climate science, psychology together with some amusing surrealist dance.

Does the show fit with your usual productions?

We researched the shows on offer at Fringe 16 – went to around 25 – and we are confident that this innovative approach will find an audience who are asking similar questions. We don’t think this has been done before.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

Moved and amused.  They will be enchanted and inspired to think about the choices they make in their lives. We offer them the possibility of becoming an advocate of the new story.

We want to find out how people will react in a more systematic way and will be running a piece of audience research along side the show.

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?

We’ve experienced this kind of transformative experiential approach in 5 days on executive training courses, and we have got near it in 3 days. We planned a version for 12 hours for business schools, but the Fringe show version is just 60 mins with a narrative Arc that we think strikes the right balance between showing/telling and entertaining. We walk a narrow edge between light heartedness and the uncomfortable truth.

2 Becomes Dramaturgy: Swipe Right Theatre @ Edfringe 2017

2 Become 1 is a 90s pop musical. Following sell-out runs at King's Head Theatre and Edinburgh 2016, the show is back, even bigger and better - with new songs, scenes and even more comedy.

Gilded Balloon, 2-28 August, 3.15pm, 60 minutes  

What was the inspiration for this performance?

We were up at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2014 when we went to see a 60s duke box Musical. We loved how much fun the show was, and after we thought wouldn't it be brilliant to do a duke box Musical for our generation, 90s kids! 

When writing the script, we took inspiration from the strong female friendships that were on our screens in the 90s; Charmed, Sex and the City, All-Saints, and of course the Spice Girls, to help create our characters and their relationships.

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas? 

Absolutely. Ultimately we want our audience to have a good time, but we also use the comedy and our stereotypical female characters to get people thinking about how women were perceived in the 90s and whether anything has changed in that way. 

How did you become interested in making performance?

Like many other graduates we found ourselves spending more time as a waiter rather than an actor. We started writing to keep creative and to be able to perform.

Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?

This show was very much work-shopped and devised as a collective with the cast. After writing the script we had a few set ideas for characters and staging, but mostly it was something that was developed over the rehearsal period. 

Does the show fit with your usual productions?

2 Become 1 is actually our first production as Swipe Right Theatre. We think we have found a great formula for a successful piece of musical comedy so this is something we will definitely use for our future shows. 

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

We want to take the audience back to a simpler time, when dating and meeting people wasn't confined to the screen of your IPhone, and where women were starting to be able to truly explore their sexuality. We want 2 Become 1 to be a party of a show, we hope they come out dancing, singing, and feeling like they're part of the gang. 

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?

As it is a 90s Musical it is all about getting the level of nostalgia right, we wanted to make sure that there were things that any generation of audience could relate to, whether you were a child, a teen, or an adult at the time. 

We also interact with the audience a lot to get them really feeling like they are going through the experience with the characters. If you have a 'audience participation' phobia, sit at the back, and even then we will probably find you. 

Dramaturgy Bank and Play: Rural Ranga and Strawberry Siren @ Edfringe 2017

Wank Bank & Pussy Play Masterclass: The Most Fun Sex Education Class You’ll Ever Go To

Venue: Gilded Balloon Teviot- Dining Room

Time: Pussy Play 10:45pm Wank Bank 11:45pm

Dates: Fri 4^th – Sat 26^th August 

No performances: Wed 9^th,16^th,23rd


Ever made a pussy out of plasticine or been in a hilarious circle jerk with carrots? Now is the time to experience this unique interactive show unlike anything at Edinburgh Fringe.

 Wank Bank Masterclass with Rural Ranga

What was the inspiration for this performance?

I was living and working in NYC and was too poor to make art. I started reading Patti  Smith's Just Kids and it inspired me to hustle for my art. So I started working as a happy ending masseur and documenting my experiences. From the money I made I funded an art book which has now turned into a interactive show.

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas?  

I think its perfect as performance can take people out of their comfort zone which trigger and enhance conversation and honesty 

How did you become interested in making performance?

It almost happened organically. I studied visual art majoring in Painting and then was

asked to perform this show.  It felt right and I haven't looked back. 

Is there any particular approach to the making of the show? 

I always try and find the biggest and best cucumbers and carrots 

Does the show fit with your usual productions?  

It's my first show I produced but I never thought I would tour the world teaching people how to wank.

What do you hope that the audience will experience? 

Laughter, enjoyment and excitement.  I hope they walk away with a few pleasure tips for themselves or that someone special. 

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?

I make it very personal and I take great pride in making my show unique compared to most shows at the Fringe.  Dealing with sex I make sure that the space I create is safe f everyone is comfortable.  No 'Judge Judys' in my show.

Puss Play Masterclass with Strawberry Siren

What was the inspiration for this performance?

My real life cousin Rural Ranga contacted me with an idea for a vulva version of Wank Bank. We applied for funding and thought it was time to talk about female pleasure which has been shrouded in mystery for many years. It's 2017 time for the revulvalotion.

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas? 

Yeah I'm a former Miss Burlesque Australia so I always seen performance as the best way to express my values and ideas. Women especially have been shamed for body image and sexuality so many performance artist have been thought provoking and breaking down conventional ideals.

How did you become interested in making performance?  

I grew up as I performer. I joined the Fruit Fly Circus when I was in primary school and have been on the stage since.  I feel restless if I'm not got a show or piece I'm working on

Is there any particular approach to the making of the show? 

Pussy Play is very different to the performance I'm used to so we did a lot of research. This consisted of power lesbians, plasticine and prosecco 

Does the show fit with your usual productions? 

Not at all. I went from teasing people about seeing my bits to talking about how to pleasure my bits. It's the most amount of clothes I've worn in a while but is far more confronting as a performer. 

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

Education and empowerment.  An open discussion about pleasure and sex.  All pussies are beautiful share the love.

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience? 

I read the vibe of the audience and also make sure everyone has a take home booklet so they can spread the lover post show.

Sexperts and real life cousins Rural Ranga and Strawberry Siren bring you a playful show of storytelling and interactive genital techniques. Not only will you enjoy waves of adolescent laughter but you might also walk away with some playful tips to please yourself or that someone special. Perfect night for singles, couples, parties or even a tinder date.

Be guided through for an hour of comfortable adult fun with 20+ take home techniques. You might even win wanker or pussy of the day.

Rural Ranga’s Wank Bank is a sure conversation starter as seen on ABC's 'Luke Warm Sex', 'Gogglebox'. Wank Bank is back in Edinburgh after sold out shows and 5 star reviews in Australia, USA and UK. Miss Burlesque Australia legend Strawberry Siren will be keeping people on edge in Pussy Play both shows awarded at Adelaide Fringe 2017

Come along (pun intended) and get hands on with Pussy Play 10:45pm & Wank Bank 11:45pm.

Perfect for couples and groups for multiple fun

Winner of Best interactive show Adelaide Fringe 2017

Third Dramaturgy: Deadpan Theatre @ Edfringe 2017

Deadpan Theatre

Deadpan Theatre perform Third Wheel at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at Gilded Balloon, Dining Room from 2^nd -27^th Aug at 2pm. www.deadpantheatreco.co.uk

What was the inspiration for this performance?

S: It was originally a sitcom idea we had a while ago which probably came about because we’re both overly pre-occupied with death…

M: Hate a bit of death

S: But writing-wise, useful because it’s about as universal as it gets

M: Yeah it sort of underpins everything doesn’t it?

S: See, very pre-occupied

M: On a lighter note it’s always fun to see queer characters

S: Particularly women

M: Onstage and not being sad about being gay or bi or whatever

S: We want to see them just getting on with life

M: …And death

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas? 

M: Yeah of course 

S: Ideas are at their most interesting and important when they’re connected to stories so…

M: And people

S: Yeah exactly so performance and plays seem like an ideal way of exploring them

How did you become interested in making performance?

M: I think we’ve both always been involved in creating performances in some way or another

S: Lying mostly

M: A lot of lying

S: And and then when we met it became very clear that we have a similar tone and way of telling stories so it made sense to sort of do it together

Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?

M: We improvise characters to find voices and jokes and stuff

S: Yeah and we’re always trying to top each other so editing and punching up each others scenes is really fun and useful- they go back and forth until we’re happy with all the moments and exchanges

M: Also we surround ourselves with the most talented people we can find and make them play with us

S: Yeah the show has loads of music, for example, and we wrote the lyrics but the music itself was written by a guy called Joe Ruddleston who is a little bit of a genius

M: And then we have two ridiculous directors who made these songs come alive with all this brilliant physical theatre

S: We get lucky with the people who make it all look good basically

Does the show fit with your usual productions?

S: It’s slightly more ambitious than usual

M: We usually write shows that take place in one room over an evening or so

S: Sitcoms for the stage

M: Whereas this has the same pace and dialogue and humour but we have to travel the UK

S: And there’s an onstage band

M: And physical fun 

S: And death 

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

S: Hopefully a lot of laughter

M: And an investment in a lesser-seen love story

S: I think they’ll witness the process of grief for young people

M: Which is primarily through humour because hey, if you don’t laugh

S: You’d cry. They might cry though actually

M: Would be nice to get a mix in there

Dear Home Dramaturgy: Phosphoros Theatre @ Edfringe 2017

Phosphoros Theatre presents Dear Home Office: Still Pending 

Gilded Balloon 21 – 27 August 14:30

What was the inspiration for this performance?

Dear Home Office: Still Pending is performed by ten refugee young men who came to the UK when they were children, seeking asylum. This show follows their stories as they navigate adulthood: education, work, relationships, court cases and media interest. We made this show because our first show Dear Home Office, was a sell-out success and was nominated for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award 2016, and our cast wanted to keep acting. 

But, we couldn’t keep touring the old show because their real lives had moved on – this is where ‘Still Pending’ picks up. 

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas?

As I sat waiting for our recent Oxford performance of Dear Home Office: Still Pending to begin, I heard an audience member behind me say, “it’s just going to be vilifying the Home Office isn’t it – oh those bad Home Office people, aren’t they horrible to refugees”. I laughed to myself because this isn’t what our show is about – far from it – but how fantastic that the performance is quite literally raising those politically loaded questions in the audience. 

After our shows people are often quite moved: they have read about refugees but they haven’t actually met any, heard their stories first hand, seen them struggle with English words… At the end of each performance we are always invited to speak at conferences or attend training events, simply because the coming together of this special group of non-actors opens up every possible debate on refugee and child migration issues. 

How did you become interested in making performance? 

Phosphoros Theatre has evolved from a group of young women who met doing youth theatre – two of us were the directors of the youth theatre and the other two were members. We have always loved performance for its ability to create spaces for social issues to be explored, understood, reframed and finally, entertained with. 

Is there any particular approach to the making of the show? 

Working in Applied Theatre means that our process is very specific. The four-strong team of female theatre practitioners do workshops with the cats and discuss possible storylines based on their lives. We then meet to storyline the script before fleshing the dialogue out. 

It is then read, rehearsed, refined and finally directed. A huge part of the process however, is he holistic support element that means that whilst we are undertaking the making of the play, we are also working with the cast on their English language skills, cultural integration and therapeutic education through a range of activities that we offer and support. This means that the play making process is like running a family – lots of praise, positivity and love. 

Uniquely for our performances is that we  have to cope with the fragile statuses of our cast members. The play is story-lined in a way that means we can rehearse with small groups of performers at a time, taking into account church, mosque and work commitments. 

Does the show fit your usual productions? 

The women in Phosphoros Theatre have worked together in some way or another for over ten years. Our performances have the theme of identity running through them, are usually written to fit the cast we are working with, and nearly always have comedy, mixed-genre conventions and multi-media. Dear Home Office: Still Pending features our characteristic interweaving of multi-narratives which exploration current political issues. 

What do you hope the audience will experience? 

We want the audience to be informed about the issues that young adult refugees face and to see that all young people have the power and potential to make contributions to our society, if the system allows them. We also want to show that there are systems in place to offer opportunities to young people, so the way the media vilifies and exploits this emotive topic is not necessarily fair. 

Most of all, we want the audience to see that the label ‘refugee’ is an impermanent political identifier and to celebrate our young people. 

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience? 

Raw comedy, moving monologues, bilingual scenes, behind the scenes snapshots and speaking out of role all help to break the fourth wall and make our audience feel part of our Phosphoros family. 

Our audience naturally come on to the stage at the end of the show, as our cast drift out to chat to people. We also invite audience to write messages and we are in touch with so many people through social media that the audience quickly become our friends!

Descent Dramaturgy: Linda Duncan McLaughlin @ Edfringe 2017

A Moment White Productions

presents

Descent

Written by Linda Duncan McLaughlin

Based on original direction by Allie Butler

Award-nominated play Descent by Linda Duncan McLaughlin to make Edinburgh Fringe debut at Gilded Balloon this August.

A play about love. And dementia. But mostly love.

Acclaimed by critics and audiences alike and fresh from its Scottish tour, Descent, nominated for Best New Play at the 2016 Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland, is set to play the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year at the Gilded Balloon’s brand new venue, the Rose Theatre.

Venue: Basement (Gilded Balloon Rose Theatre)	Time: 19:30 (20:30)
Dates: Aug 5-20th, Preview 4th	No performances: 18th
Tickets: Weekdays £10 (£9), Weekends £12 (£11), Previews £6

What was the inspiration for this performance? 

The original inspiration came from watching my aunt and uncle struggling to cope with his diagnosis of early onset dementia and their subsequent experience of the disease.  This started me thinking about two big questions: What makes you 'you'? and What makes you love someone?  The play doesn't attempt to answer either of these questions: all I've done is put them out there.  

And we've found that audience members invariably stay behind to discuss, in various forms, exactly that, in their response to the play and their sharing of their own experiences.  It's paradoxically hopeful: it's a play about love.  And dementia.  But mostly about love.

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas? 

Absolutely!  I truly believe, with Hamlet, that drama should hold a mirror up to nature.  By attempting to reflect a truthful reality back to the audience, performance (hopefully) provides a forum and a catalyst for discussion of what it is to be human in all its messy, sometimes painful, sometimes painfully funny glory.  

Drama and performance lets us air what might otherwise not be said, provokes us to confront the same thing in ourselves, and reassures us that we are not alone in our thoughts, feelings and generally fucking-things-up-ness.

How did you become interested in making performance? 

I'm an actor as well as a writer, and I love nothing better than telling stories.  I got to the stage where I needed to make my own work in order to tell the stories I wanted to tell.

Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?  

It's based as much as possible on people's actual experience, garnered through extensive research on early onset dementia and its effects, personal experience, direct work with carers and people living with dementia, and exploration of the ideas through various readings and workshops.  

Does the show fit with your usual productions?  

This is my first full-length play, so it's hard to compare, especially as some of my other writing is prose fiction.  The play's not without humour, but it's pretty dark - which on reflection, yeah, does fit pretty well with the rest of my writing...

What do you hope that the audience will experience?  

A story that is involving, moving and enlightening and that contributes to an increased understanding of and empathy for people in this situation.  An understanding of how it might feel to lose yourself, or to lose the person you most love in the world, or to be shut out from helping, and how it's possible to survive that - not only with dignity, but with hope for the future.

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience? 

I started with direct-delivery monologues, because I wanted to allow the audience really to get inside the characters' heads; from there I and the director layered specially-composed soundscapes and visual images to try to convey an experience that, beyond a certain point in the dementia journey, is basically inexpressible in words.

The piece follows the story of 50-somethings Rob and Cathy as they look forward to reclaiming their own lives now that their daughter Nicola is grown up and settled; but looming over all three of them is a threat that could rip their future apart. 

Descent explores what happens as

they try to hold onto each other - and themselves - in the face of one of our society’s most devastating diseases: early-onset dementia. It doesn't flinch from the heartbreak they face, but it also celebrates the courage, the hope, the love - and even the humour - they bring to the fight.

This production of Descent will be performed by Paul Cunningham, Fiona MacNeil and Wendy Seager, and is based on a design by Alice Gooden and lighting design by Laura Hawkins.

“Captivating… a brilliant cast and lyrical script and a defiant swerve away from sentimentality, issue-based drama clichés or easy resolution. Brims with insight and profound emotional depth”

★★★★ The List

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