When a young woman has been left with two black eyes you fear the worst. When that young woman just happens to be an actress appearing in a brutal contemporary play in which power games between the sexes are brought to the fore in a disturbing and claustrophobic fashion, you could be forgiven for speculating on how life imitating art might not necessarily always be such a good thing.
As it turns out, the injuries sustained by Nicola Daley, who has just finished a run of Dennis Kelly's play, After The End, in a production directed by Amanda Gaughan at the Citizens Theatre's Circle Studio in Glasgow, are nothing to do with anything that happened onstage. Rather, Daley's two shiners were acquired in an offstage stumble that nevertheless lent her performance opposite Jonathan Dunn in Amanda Gaughan's production an accidental whiff of authenticity.
Just as the Citz production has been put to bed, however, another take on After The End prepares to open in Dundee in a site-specific production directed by Emma Faulkner which in August will head to the capital for a run at The Pleasance as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Emma Faulkner's production featuring the Rep ensemble's graduate actors Helen Darbyshire and Tony McGeever may not have real life bruises, though it is going for broke by adopting a site-specific approach in a yet to be revealed space close to the theatre.
What, then, is the appeal of Kelly's play, first seen in 2005 in a production by Paines Plough directed by Roxana Silbert and seen at Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre?
Set in an antiquated nuclear bunker owned by Mark, he and Louise come to after the apparent end of the world following a massive explosion the night before. As the play progresses, it becomes clear that far from the knight in shining armour he initially appears to be, Mark is something of a loner who has finally ended up alone with the girl of his dreams. Trapped together at such close quarters, an increasingly violent power struggle unfolds that has life-changing consequences for them both.
“It's a nightmare scenario,” Gaughan points out, “and it's a hell on earth which I think we can all empathise with, particularly just now, when there's a lot of scary stuff going on in the world with potential terrorism in the middle east and everything else. There's a point where we can all go what if we were put into that situation. There's also something there about the power struggle between the two characters and the competitive nature of it. But what I was really interested in was whether this was a twisted love story or not. During rehearsals we spoke about if you could just get someone you really loved or really fancied in that room and you talked to them and showed them the real you, wouldn't that be fantastic?”
While clearly planning a very different production to Gaughan's, Faulkner in part concurs with her sentiments, pointing out that “It's very very contemporary. It's as play about fear, isolation and power, and looks at some of the things you go through in extreme situations. With everything that's going on, it feels very pertinent to the times we live in.”
In practical terms, the play is also ideal for today in as much as economics dictate that small-cast plays look set to become more prevalent. A two-hander, then, is ideal, especially for theatres such as Dundee and the Citz, both of whom have graduate or apprentice schemes for young actors. Finding meaty parts for such ingénues can often be a tricky business, with only Enda Walsh's now classic Disco Pigs being on a similar level with After The End. For trainee directors such as Gaughan and Faulkner, both wishing to make a mark beyond assisting at the start of their career, After The End has plenty to grab hold of.
Gaughan initially trained at RSAMD on the Contemporary Theatre Practice course, before working with Paisley-based theatre in education company PACE. She then went back to RSAMD to study direction in relation to contemporary and classical text, since when she has worked on work by writers such as Douglas Maxwell and Davey Anderson, as well as producing the Arches-based On The verge festival of new work. After a year at the Citz assisting on the likes of Marilyn and A Clockwork Orange, After The End is both graduation piece and calling card.
As it is too for Faulkner, who joined Dundee Rep as part of the Regional Theatre Young Directors Scheme in association with the Young Vic in London. Prior to that she studied English at Glasgow University before joining a literary agency. It was here she developed a love of working on scripts, and went on to study directing. Since then Faulkner has directed Joe Orton's Ruffian on the Stair at the Orange Tree in Richmond, where Citizens Theatre artistic director in waiting and former boss of the Rep cut his directing teeth. Faulkner has also directed David Harrower's Knives In Hens at Battersea Arts Centre, and in Dundee has assisted on Sunshine on Leith and A Doll's House. More recently she directed Linda McLean's lunchtime short, What Love's For, at Oran Mor. After The end, though, looks set to be her biggest challenge to date.
“It's the first time a play's ever been done in this space,” Faulkner reveals, “but After The End is absolutely right for it, and doing it site-specific will certainly help with the feel of the play in terms of creating an atmosphere. Obviously there are concerns about making it safe for an audience, which is why it will have such a limited capacity, and there are technical challenges as well, but I think if we can bring everything together it should make for a pretty interesting experience.”
While Gaughan too is no stranger to site-specific work through her time on the Contemporary Theatre Practice course and through her work at the Arches, putting her production on in a more conventional space was a deliberate choice.
“We thought about it a lot,” she says, “but for some reason with this play it became about making it as theatrical as possible. We looked at all the nooks and crannies in the building, but in the end we opted for a studio space so it would have an intimacy but also retain that sense of voyeurism you get in the play.”
Given the play's at times shocking look at psychological and physical abuse, it's notable that all three UK productions have been directed by women. This isn't something either Faulkner or Gaughan have allowed to affect their approach, however.
“We did think about how you avoid making the woman a victim,” Gaughan admits, “but I became more interested in the characters psychological deterioration. I think we can all get ourselves in situations that spiral out of control, and I think in this play the moral compass goes askew really quickly. That's what's exciting about it.”
Faulkner concurs. “I don't think audiences will know what to expect,” she says, keeping her fingers crossed that none of her actors end up going home with black eyes.
After The End, Dundee Rep, June 16th-25th; then at The Pleasance, Edinburgh, August 6th-28th.
www.dundeerep.co.uk
The Herald, June 14th 2011
ends
Just as the Citz production has been put to bed, however, another take on After The End prepares to open in Dundee in a site-specific production directed by Emma Faulkner which in August will head to the capital for a run at The Pleasance as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Emma Faulkner's production featuring the Rep ensemble's graduate actors Helen Darbyshire and Tony McGeever may not have real life bruises, though it is going for broke by adopting a site-specific approach in a yet to be revealed space close to the theatre.
What, then, is the appeal of Kelly's play, first seen in 2005 in a production by Paines Plough directed by Roxana Silbert and seen at Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre?
Set in an antiquated nuclear bunker owned by Mark, he and Louise come to after the apparent end of the world following a massive explosion the night before. As the play progresses, it becomes clear that far from the knight in shining armour he initially appears to be, Mark is something of a loner who has finally ended up alone with the girl of his dreams. Trapped together at such close quarters, an increasingly violent power struggle unfolds that has life-changing consequences for them both.
“It's a nightmare scenario,” Gaughan points out, “and it's a hell on earth which I think we can all empathise with, particularly just now, when there's a lot of scary stuff going on in the world with potential terrorism in the middle east and everything else. There's a point where we can all go what if we were put into that situation. There's also something there about the power struggle between the two characters and the competitive nature of it. But what I was really interested in was whether this was a twisted love story or not. During rehearsals we spoke about if you could just get someone you really loved or really fancied in that room and you talked to them and showed them the real you, wouldn't that be fantastic?”
While clearly planning a very different production to Gaughan's, Faulkner in part concurs with her sentiments, pointing out that “It's very very contemporary. It's as play about fear, isolation and power, and looks at some of the things you go through in extreme situations. With everything that's going on, it feels very pertinent to the times we live in.”
In practical terms, the play is also ideal for today in as much as economics dictate that small-cast plays look set to become more prevalent. A two-hander, then, is ideal, especially for theatres such as Dundee and the Citz, both of whom have graduate or apprentice schemes for young actors. Finding meaty parts for such ingénues can often be a tricky business, with only Enda Walsh's now classic Disco Pigs being on a similar level with After The End. For trainee directors such as Gaughan and Faulkner, both wishing to make a mark beyond assisting at the start of their career, After The End has plenty to grab hold of.
Gaughan initially trained at RSAMD on the Contemporary Theatre Practice course, before working with Paisley-based theatre in education company PACE. She then went back to RSAMD to study direction in relation to contemporary and classical text, since when she has worked on work by writers such as Douglas Maxwell and Davey Anderson, as well as producing the Arches-based On The verge festival of new work. After a year at the Citz assisting on the likes of Marilyn and A Clockwork Orange, After The End is both graduation piece and calling card.
As it is too for Faulkner, who joined Dundee Rep as part of the Regional Theatre Young Directors Scheme in association with the Young Vic in London. Prior to that she studied English at Glasgow University before joining a literary agency. It was here she developed a love of working on scripts, and went on to study directing. Since then Faulkner has directed Joe Orton's Ruffian on the Stair at the Orange Tree in Richmond, where Citizens Theatre artistic director in waiting and former boss of the Rep cut his directing teeth. Faulkner has also directed David Harrower's Knives In Hens at Battersea Arts Centre, and in Dundee has assisted on Sunshine on Leith and A Doll's House. More recently she directed Linda McLean's lunchtime short, What Love's For, at Oran Mor. After The end, though, looks set to be her biggest challenge to date.
“It's the first time a play's ever been done in this space,” Faulkner reveals, “but After The End is absolutely right for it, and doing it site-specific will certainly help with the feel of the play in terms of creating an atmosphere. Obviously there are concerns about making it safe for an audience, which is why it will have such a limited capacity, and there are technical challenges as well, but I think if we can bring everything together it should make for a pretty interesting experience.”
While Gaughan too is no stranger to site-specific work through her time on the Contemporary Theatre Practice course and through her work at the Arches, putting her production on in a more conventional space was a deliberate choice.
“We thought about it a lot,” she says, “but for some reason with this play it became about making it as theatrical as possible. We looked at all the nooks and crannies in the building, but in the end we opted for a studio space so it would have an intimacy but also retain that sense of voyeurism you get in the play.”
Given the play's at times shocking look at psychological and physical abuse, it's notable that all three UK productions have been directed by women. This isn't something either Faulkner or Gaughan have allowed to affect their approach, however.
“We did think about how you avoid making the woman a victim,” Gaughan admits, “but I became more interested in the characters psychological deterioration. I think we can all get ourselves in situations that spiral out of control, and I think in this play the moral compass goes askew really quickly. That's what's exciting about it.”
Faulkner concurs. “I don't think audiences will know what to expect,” she says, keeping her fingers crossed that none of her actors end up going home with black eyes.
After The End, Dundee Rep, June 16th-25th; then at The Pleasance, Edinburgh, August 6th-28th.
www.dundeerep.co.uk
The Herald, June 14th 2011
ends
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