Two Guys in a Room is a new London based theatre company dedicated to bringing original plays to audiences. Their work is designed to be both entertaining and thought-provoking, challenging the modern world in the most enjoyable way possible for an audience. Their new play (written by Harry Cowper) is a drama about faith, grief, capitalism and quantum physics. We chatted with Harry and Siân about their upcoming production.
First of all, what do audiences have to look forward to?
MONUMENTUM is a play that asks a lot of questions and doesn’t give the audience any easy answers. It deals with some big ideas about life and death and the society and the nature of the universe we live in and I hope people will find something to really think about. I would also like to say it’s not all gloom and philosphy, there’s a lot of humour throughout. I’m a big believer in making sure that entertainment is actually entertaining and I think this show does deliver on that.
And what inspired you to create this show? Why this story?
The starting point for the play was always the idea of being able to speak to the dead. I was fascinated in the impact that would have on people and how their views on life would change because of it. Having some experience of working in the tech industry, I decided to approach the idea through this lens as I thought it was an area that wasn’t hugely represented in theatre. In a world where so much is influenced by tech entrepreneurs, I wanted to write something timely about greed and capitalism and thought it tied in neatly with the central concept of the play.
First of all, what do audiences have to look forward to?
MONUMENTUM is a play that asks a lot of questions and doesn’t give the audience any easy answers. It deals with some big ideas about life and death and the society and the nature of the universe we live in and I hope people will find something to really think about. I would also like to say it’s not all gloom and philosphy, there’s a lot of humour throughout. I’m a big believer in making sure that entertainment is actually entertaining and I think this show does deliver on that.
And what inspired you to create this show? Why this story?
The starting point for the play was always the idea of being able to speak to the dead. I was fascinated in the impact that would have on people and how their views on life would change because of it. Having some experience of working in the tech industry, I decided to approach the idea through this lens as I thought it was an area that wasn’t hugely represented in theatre. In a world where so much is influenced by tech entrepreneurs, I wanted to write something timely about greed and capitalism and thought it tied in neatly with the central concept of the play.
What attracted you to stage this production at The Bread & Roses Theatre?
Bread and Roses is such an exciting venue and it's history of bringing fascinating new writing to audiences is something we were keen to be a part of. As a fairly new theatre company, we feel it’s a privilege to perform in such a well regarded and celebrated space.
Who should see this show & why?
I think it’s ideal for people who like to see new subject matter on stage. Also for people who like to be challenged and to have something to really think about afterwards. There is also a strong of vein of political satire running through it so anyone who enjoys that will get a lot out of it.
Delving into pre-show, what have been the highlights of the process?
Essentially any of the full cast rehearsals. It’s a really great ensemble of incredibly talented actors who are also a lot of fun to work with, which is the ideal for us. Occasionally we have had a little too much fun and struggled to get through scenes without corpsing but luckily we’ve been able to move past this start. It’s also been great being able to workshop the script with the actors and let them really take ownership of their roles.
And what's next (for you / the company / the show)?
We’re planning to revive our first play Greatest Britain in the new year which we’re very excited about doing again. I’ve also just finished a draft of a new play which is very different to this one and I think could be a lot of fun- watch this space...
MONUMENTUM runs 21st - 25th November 2023, book tickets here: app.lineupnow.com/event/monumentum
Bread and Roses is such an exciting venue and it's history of bringing fascinating new writing to audiences is something we were keen to be a part of. As a fairly new theatre company, we feel it’s a privilege to perform in such a well regarded and celebrated space.
Who should see this show & why?
I think it’s ideal for people who like to see new subject matter on stage. Also for people who like to be challenged and to have something to really think about afterwards. There is also a strong of vein of political satire running through it so anyone who enjoys that will get a lot out of it.
Delving into pre-show, what have been the highlights of the process?
Essentially any of the full cast rehearsals. It’s a really great ensemble of incredibly talented actors who are also a lot of fun to work with, which is the ideal for us. Occasionally we have had a little too much fun and struggled to get through scenes without corpsing but luckily we’ve been able to move past this start. It’s also been great being able to workshop the script with the actors and let them really take ownership of their roles.
And what's next (for you / the company / the show)?
We’re planning to revive our first play Greatest Britain in the new year which we’re very excited about doing again. I’ve also just finished a draft of a new play which is very different to this one and I think could be a lot of fun- watch this space...
MONUMENTUM runs 21st - 25th November 2023, book tickets here: app.lineupnow.com/event/monumentum
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