I’ve been in love with the theatre since I was 12 years old. I spent my pubescent years with copies of Macbeth and Angels in America and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in constant rotation. Until finishing school, there was never any question in my mind where I would spend my life and career.
 
The gradual melting away of my childhood dreams of the stage began when, at 18, enrolled in America’s oldest drama conservatory in Manhattan, the casting announcements for our first year finals were posted. Eagerly dragging my finger down the list of plays, one of which was Wendy Wasserstein’s love letter to second-wave feminism, ‘Uncommon Women and Others’, I found my name nestled sadly near the bottom of the cast list for a self-indulgent modern drama called ‘Boy’s Life’. The name of the character to the left of my own was simply ‘Girl’. I would later discover that the director’s choice to cast me as this sad, nameless, stereotype of a  woman was made for one reason alone: I was quiet, reserved, and uncomfortable in my skin. As far as the programme directors at this historical institution were concerned, if I had any hope of working as an actress, I needed to get comfortable wearing lingerie onstage.
 
So ended my first and last year in American drama school; draped in translucent silk and running my mouth over the body of a man I could barely stand to share a room with, trying my best to exude confidence in front of a room full of (mostly male) authority figures. It didn’t work. I wasn’t invited back.

Opening this week Glorious, But Brief is a re-telling of the Trojan War through the lens of a love story between Achilles and his close companion Patroclus. We spoke with writer/director Amelia Sciandra about the show...

What inspired you to create Glorious, But Brief? Why this story?
There is a beautiful novel called "Song of Achilles," which was my greatest source of inspiration. So many people know about Achilles, the Trojan War, Helen and the face that launched 1000 ships but there is no stage play (that I know) that tells this story in this way. I was interested in how we define heroism and how we can still learn from myths, all these years later. It was important to me to share this LGBTQ version of the myth because as far back as Plato it was interpreted this way. I wanted to be a part of the great effort to normalise LGBTQ stories onstage and in popular culture, to fight against hate. Ultimately, this is a love story. To be a part of sharing such a beautiful, meaningful and historic love story is an honour.
Who are the collaborators on this production?  
I was so incredibly to work again with my amazing stage manager and lighting designer Eleanor Southwell. Thanks to the amazing female theatre community in London, I found two incredible designers, Helena Goldberg and Sophie Goodman who did such terrific work for this show. Sophie wore a number of hats and I'm especially indebted to her for playing live cello in the show. 
Our cast: Ariel Butwyna, Hilda Cronje, Christopher Buckley, Jay Rincon, Anna Dekowski, Danylo Myron and Nick Simons have been the best collaborators a playwright/director could ask for.

What have been some of the highlights in the development of Glorious, But Brief? 
I wrote one of the male lead roles for my husband, Christopher Buckley. Being able to work with him on this show has been incredibly special. We also got the chance to bring together so many people from varied backgrounds in our cast. The company is called Borderline Confrontational, which has always been a double entendre: we want our work to be almost confrontational for the audience, causing them to think and feel in a way they haven't before. But we also want to confront physical borders. I am an American living in the UK, and for this show we were able to cast actors from 5 countries on 3 continents. We also have an all-female production team, which is amazing. And, one of our actresses is performing 32 weeks pregnant. Talk about female empowerment!

Ahead of opening night we sat down with Gwenan Bain (Bread & Roses Emerging Director 2018) & Writer Martha Reed to discuss their upcoming project (Gwenan's end of Programme showcase) - Existential Fish and Dread...

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What inspired you to write Existential Fish and Dread? Why this story? 
Martha: I’d been thinking about the title for a while, but the idea really came together when Stephen Hawking died. Turns out that as ridiculous as it might sound, I really believed that he would figure out where the universe came from and what it all means, and I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. I wanted to capture that stomach-dropping moment where you realise that actually, you’re probably never going to find out – and whether that actually matters. 

I think questions and worries about who we are and whether life means anything simmer beneath the surface for a lot of people, and I’ve always thought of the theatre as the best place to tackle these massive, often unanswerable questions. For me, theatre is a space to take a step back and ponder something from a safe distance. That’s what I wanted to do here – to create two authentic characters to think through the question, come up with as many angles as they could, and leave it up to the audience to decide what they think, if that’s something they want to decide at all. 

Having just completed the Emerging Director’s program, how do you feel this has helped you on this project?
Gwenan: I can’t speak highly enough about the Emerging Director’s program, it really has changed my life. The Bread and Roses theatre have provided me with the knowledge, guidance and confidence to create my own work and I am so happy to be taking Existential Fish and Dread to their amazing venue. The program provides such a great platform to meet and work with other creatives – I would highly recommend it to any new director!

Ahead of opening night we spoke with Laura-Doe about her creative process and her latest show Vaudeville of the Vulva...

What inspired you to create Vaudeville of the Vulva? 
Vaudeville of the Vulva grew from the desire to inform and educate people about the latest research into female pleasure and the amazing design of the vulva - in an entertaining way. I wanted to use laughter and songs to open conversations about female sexuality, to address taboos and to release the shame that many people feel around their genitalia and their sexuality.
The story is, to an extent, autobiographical, and as my own attitudes and understandings have changed, the show has evolved. It has also happened vice versa. Almost every song that arrived initially felt really challenging to sing, but over time I became more comfortable with the material and more comfortable with these different aspects of myself.

What have been some of the highlights in the development of the show?
I find the creative process quite miraculous, especially when humour is involved. Sometimes I only get a glimpse of how one character or scene connects to another, but over time the full picture emerges. It’s as if it’s already been there but was waiting to be revealed. With jokes in particular, I often have a sense that there is something funny waiting to be found in a particular section of the script. But humour won’t be forced, and I have to be patient until the moment that it pops in, out of the blue - sometimes during an actual performance! 

Ahead of one woman show Taking Liberties we had a chat with writer/performer Caroline Gray & Director Stephanie Silver...

What inspired you to write Taking Liberties? Why this story?
Caroline: I heard this thing once about how we're all only two mistakes away from homelessness and it stuck with me. The more I thought about it the more I had questions. Who's mistakes? Our own or some one else's? What would those mistakes be? And is that true? Are we all only two mistakes from homelessness? Or are some of us born luckier in that we'd need to make more mistakes than just two to truly get to the point of being homeless. 
I also wanted to create a vibrant and colourful character who's funny and intelligent. Someone who is both strong, unapologetic and vulnerable. A woman who's as complex as all the women I know in my real life. As an actress those are the most exciting parts to play and there aren't always an abundance of parts like that about so I stocked up on Jaffa Cakes and gave it a go myself.  These two things mingled as I wrote the character of Amy and I ended up with Taking Liberties.

What have been some of the highlights in the development of Taking Liberties? 
Caroline: The show has been developed over the last year. Some highlights would be Jon Brittain seeing the show at Actor Awareness and offering Dramaturg support for writing the full piece. Being in the Actor Awareness new writing festival and working class season at The Tristan Bates Theatre, They were great opportunities to develop the show and shape it into what it is now.

Any stumbling blocks in the general development of Taking Liberties? 
Stephanie: Like anything money. I always loved Caroline's script from the moment I read it and wanted to direct it but was always so busy. When Caroline got offered a slot for the working class season and didn't have a director attached I offered as I really believe in her as a writer and the message behind her story. Very human. 

Who are the collaborators on this production?  
Caroline: Glass Half Full decided to come on board to produce the play with Steph as director. Jon offering Dramaturgical help with the script. Actor Awareness have been a champion of me and the script since the beginning which has helped immeasurably. 

Before heading into the New Year we sat down with GARY'S NOT WELL writer Liam Cogan about his upcoming show...

1. What inspired you to write Gary's Not Well? Why this story? I wanted to challenge the notion that men had to be the providers, that they had to be the one with the successful job. I think it's something that's quite ingrained in men as a stereotype, but the world's changing and in doing so I think some find it difficult or feel threatened even by women's advancements in the workplace as strange as that sounds. 

2. What have been some of the highlights in the development of Gary's Not Well? The writing process was a highlight in general as I often would improvise scenes with my friend Alan who's a clinical therapist. I would then go home listen to the audio and take what I liked and scrap what I didn't. That way I got to mix acting with writing which was a real pleasure. 

3. Any highlights & stumbling block in the general development of Gary's Not Well? Producing it! Writing and acting is one thing but getting a team together and hiring external cast or crew and finding a theatre etc was all new to me! The stumbling blocks began after the writing process for me!

4. Who are the collaborators on this production?  Alan Bordeville, a trained psychotherapist who was integral to the writing of this play. His improv sessions and general advice throughout the process was priceless. The other collaborators are my cast, my girlfriend, brother and my former tutor Armen, whose notes and suggestions really helped tighten the play.

5. What attracted you to stage this production at The Bread & Roses Theatre?  For our first staging as a company, I liked the idea of a profit share somewhere local. I looked at the space, the reviews from others who had staged there and it sounded like a perfect place to start without incurring a heavy cost, which when you start out isn't ideal! ​

GARY'S NOT WELL
5-9 February at 7:30pm