Tag: new writing

What Happens Next Will __ Your __: Q&A with My Mate Monster

Published on by Liz

Following a two-night run at the White Bear’s recent New Writing festival,  My Mate Monster – a.k.a. Ryan Whittle and Chris McCurry – return to the theatre next week with an encore of their debut show, What Happens Next Will __ Your __. A darkly humorous two-hander inspired by the rising (and apparently, enduring) trend of shaming strangers on the internet, the play proved a hit last month with audiences – and Theatre Things quite liked it too.

Before the show’s welcome return to the White Bear, we chatted to Ryan and Chris to find out more about the show’s journey so far, their plans for the future, and exactly what a monster’s got to do with anything…

Can you tell us briefly what the show is about?

It’s about two strangers, Alex and Darren, who become trapped on the roof of an apartment building. Darren is an incessant chatterer and when he lets slip a few pretty crazy and offensive views, Alex begins to expose him by live tweeting his torturous experience. As the responses roll in and outrage grows, things escalate from there.

We told a guy once it’s basically “Planes, Trains and Automobiles meets Black Mirror”, and he went “Brilliant. I like both of those things.” So, yeah. In a nutshell it’s that. On a roof.

Where did the inspiration come from?

We were approaching our final assessments at Royal Welsh College and basically had to write a play. Chris picked up a Jon Ronson book called So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed at the airport on the way back to Cardiff. It was fascinating with tons and tons of stories about people who’d had their lives completely ruined by being shamed online. So we knew we wanted to do something about that!

Then Ryan found a news story about a guy who was tweeting horrible things about a woman he was on a flight with and it transpired that she followed him. That gave us a great structure right there (minus the airplane… would have been a bit tricky that), so we just went into a room and messed about until it was done!

What do you hope audiences will take away from seeing it?

Basically we want them to have a great time… and then feel really horrible and guilty and then just to be a bit shocked and go “Oh dear” and feel a bit sick.

Apart from that… just to see themselves in the characters. We both work in bars and regularly come into contact with people a lot like Darren, who don’t seem to realise you don’t have time for a chat and they just plough on. London can be an incredibly lonely place at times. It’s something we all have felt here and these two guys definitely are very similar in that way. It’s very easy just to see people as moving obstacles and massive pains in the arse rather than understand them.

If all that doesn’t register and they just go “That silly guy was funny” then that’s absolutely 100% fine too.

What’s been the show’s journey so far?

We wrote it in 2015 and performed it at RWCMD. We basically did the whole thing blank page to stage in 4/5 weeks and had the most amazing time doing it. It was honestly one of the best experiences we’ve both had on stage and it was received really well.

After college we both got parts in different things and never really had a chance to re-stage it. We were worried that social media shaming would become less of a cultural thing than it was but thankfully people just kept on annihilating each on the internet!

At the start of this year we both had a bit of time to revisit it and just set a target for getting it on by the end of the summer. Then the White Bear advertised their New Writing Festival, we fired the script off and got in! It’s been so nice revisiting it and that people enjoyed it so much they’ve invited us back.

How long have the two of you known each other, and how did My Mate Monster come about?

About 4 years. We were both training together and decided to work on a final assessment as a pair and that’s what led to the show. When we started getting serious about grabbing opportunities to get the show on elsewhere we decided to form our own company.

As for the name… there was a guy of about 20 who lived round the corner from Chris when he was 7-8 who was 6’10 with a shaved head and his mates (in the nicest way possible) called him ‘Monster.’ Somehow that huge man found his way into the play as an unseen acquaintance of Darren’s. It’s a favourite line of ours so, yeah, ‘My Mate Monster’. Legally, we probably owe him money or something now.

What are your plans for the show and the company in the future?

We’ve been in touch with different festivals and venues. Basically we just want to get the show out there and seen by as many people as possible.

We’ve got an idea for another show that we’ll start working on when we’ve had a wee break after this. It’d be great to do a double bill feature, What Happens Next… then an interval and then a second completely different hour long play featuring the two of us as totally different characters.

Surely the dream is just to sit and talk to your mate about silly experiences you’ve had or things you’re interested in or that are bothering you and then go and make them into something. How good is that?

Book now for What Happens Next Will __ Your __ at the White Bear Theatre, 9th-11th September.

Written and performed by Ryan Whittle and Chris McCurry

Quick Q&A: No Limits

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Where and when: The Hen and Chickens Theatre, 23rd – 25th August

What it’s all about…“Seems like everybody’s getting married / having babies / getting promoted / moving elsewhere”
No Limits is a brand new Musical Theatre Song Cycle by Sam Thomas.
From confessing your dreams of becoming a rock star to catfish-ing your neighbour, the show explores stories of 20-somethings discovering how to tackle life and become an adult.

You’ll like it if… you love Musical Theatre, New Music, New Writing, British writers. Character driven songs and stories. If you feel a bit lost sometimes and you’re looking for answers.

You should see it because… it has so much heart and passion behind it, whilst interjecting comedy and truth. It’s a gorgeous piece of new British writing that is currently under developed and under appreciated. It’s time we start showing people the talent we have on our doorstep.

Where to follow:
Twitter: @RedJayTC / @NoLimitsMusical
Instagram: @redjay_theatrecompany / @nolimits.songcycle
#KnowNoLimits

Book here: www.unrestrictedview.co.uk/no-limits-a-song-cycle/

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Review: Monolog 2 at Chickenshed

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Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, Chickenshed’s Monolog is back in 2019 for a second outing. Seven very different pieces of new writing, all for solo performers, have been split into two groups and will be performed on a rolling basis for the duration of the run. On press night, however, we were treated to the full showcase – a varied, thought-provoking and entertaining selection covering a broad range of themes, including pregnancy, prison life, mental health, race and identity, and political protest.

The seven monologues were selected from a wide range of submissions, and each stands out in its own way. In Barbara Bakhurst’s poignant The Hostel Angel, directed by Grace Coulson-Harris, fourteen-year-old Sunny (Sophie White) reflects on life in a hostel with her stepdad. Determined to make the best of their grim living situation, she decorates a chart with stickers and makes cups of tea for the neighbours, as she watches her stepdad quietly fall apart – all while clinging with heartbreaking optimism to the belief that one day her absent mum will come back to them and everything will be okay.

The Hostel Angel illustrated by Martha Vine

There’s more youthful optimism in Face The Strange by Matthew Patenall, directed by Sydney Burges and Bradley Davis. Lee (Alex Murtinheira), a young man with autism, seizes the opportunity to join the protests against Donald Trump’s visit to the UK – but the day doesn’t go quite as planned. The piece asks some searching questions about the nature and effectiveness of public protest, and taps into the growing political engagement of young people across Britain.

The shortest piece in the programme is Belinda and Wendy Sharer’s poetic Mirror Me, directed by Loren Jacobs and Belinda McGuirk. A young woman (Celie Johns Main) dreams of being a dancer, and of being admired by the audience for her talent and tenacity – but a cruel twist reveals those dreams can exist only in her mind. The piece blends words and movement in a beautifully wistful performance. And in We Are All In It Together by Peter Hastings, directed by Rachel Yates (assisted by Ashley Driver), a prisoner (Kieran Faye) sits in his cell, thinking about life behind bars and eagerly anticipating his wife’s visit the next day – even though she missed the last one, and she’s just sent him a letter… Written from first hand experience, this is a keenly observed account of prison life and all the emotions that come with it.

Even, Odd… Odd, Even by Hannah Smith, directed by Sarah Connolly, is set in a dystopian society where everyone’s required by law to wear a number rating their current emotional state from 1 to 100. For one young woman (Sabina Bissett), though, there’s a big difference between the number she displays and how she actually feels. This was one of my favourite pieces of the evening – a powerful and very topical exploration of mental health and the damage that can result from keeping our feelings hidden away.

The panel received and reviewed all submissions for Monolog 2 blind, without knowing who had written what – and it’s both refreshing and encouraging to realise that five out of seven pieces in the resulting showcase are female voices. The final two of these are possibly the strongest of all. In Milly Rolle’s My Exploding Universe, directed by Tiia-Mari Mäkinen, a young woman has just discovered she’s pregnant after a one night stand. Milly Rolle gives an excellent performance; her panic and confusion are palpable as she contemplates her uncertain future, looks back at lessons learnt from her own mum, and confronts the responsibility she now faces of bringing new life into the world.

Stranger illustrated by Ryan Gough

And last but by no means least, Stranger, written and brilliantly performed by Alesha Bhakoo, delves with warmth, humour and insight into the writer’s experience as a second-generation immigrant in the UK, and her struggle to reconcile her two cultures and figure out who she is. Directed by Milly Rolle, Stranger concludes with a surprise twist that reminds the audience what we’re watching isn’t a story but real life.

Monolog makes a dramatic contrast to Chickenshed’s recent Christmas production, which – as is traditional – featured a cast of hundreds. But despite the simple staging and intimate venue, there’s just as much diversity, talent and food for thought to be found in this very enjoyable showcase championing powerful new writing. Who’s up for Monolog 3?


Can’t see the map on iPhone? Try turning your phone to landscape and that should sort it. I don’t know why but I’m working on it… 😉

Review: Cuckoo at Soho Theatre

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Exploring what it is to be young in Ireland today, Lisa Carroll’s debut play Cuckoo comes roaring to life at Soho Theatre, leading us without preamble into the world of best friends – and social outcasts – Iona (Caitriona Ennis) and Pingu (Elise Heaven). After being publicly humiliated one too many times by their peers, the two have decided to get out of their home town of Crumlin and move to the magical city of London… although quite what they’re going to do when they get there they’re not exactly sure.

Photo credit: David Gill

There’s a big difference between making a decision and actually seeing it through, though, and it’s not long before Iona’s excitement about their trip begins to wane – particularly when she suddenly finds herself being chatted up by local guys Pockets (Colin Campbell) and Trix (Peter Newington). It’s obvious to both Pingu and Iona’s childhood friend turned tormenter Toller (Sade Malone) – not to mention the audience – that their intentions are less than honourable, but despite multiple warnings Iona allows herself to be flattered into submission, with disastrous results for all concerned.

The heart of the story is the relationship between Iona and Pingu; the events that take place in the run-up to their departure from Dublin are, you can’t help but feel, only a catalyst to something that was always going to happen at some point anyway. In an excellent cast, Caitriona Ennis and Elise Heaven give standout performances as the two friends. Iona is an eccentric chatterbox whose over the top approach to just about everything is at first enjoyable but soon becomes wearing and ultimately alienating. Pingu, meanwhile, has opted to give up speaking altogether, having grown tired of constantly needing to justify their non-binary status, and communicates instead through a range of emphatic facial expressions.

On paper this makes for a rather uneven friendship, but it’s one that seems to work. The two stand up for each other against the bullies, and seem to communicate perfectly without any need for words. All the while they only have each other, everything’s great – but when Iona gets the first hint of a better offer, we start to realise that her friendship with Pingu might not have been quite as selfless as it appeared. One of the play’s strongest points is its conclusion, which avoids the predictable route we might expect in favour of an outcome that’s less “nice”, but perhaps rather more realistic.

Photo credit: David Gill

Despite being two hours without an interval, the production never drags or fails to hold our attention; director Debbie Hannan keeps up a fast pace and building intensity throughout, and the energy of the cast never flags. The play isn’t afraid to take on some difficult themes, including toxic masculinity, the damaging influence of social media, and prejudice – driven by fear – against those who dare to be different. But it does so with plenty of laugh out loud humour, which means that the play is actually a lot of fun to watch despite some of its content.

An impressive debut from Lisa Carroll, Cuckoo shows a very clear understanding of what motivates young people to do the things they do – good and bad. While we may not have lived the exact scenario we see unfolding on stage, there are aspects of the story that will resonate with all of us; we were all young once, after all, and chances are we made a bit of a mess of it too. A witty and compelling play, Cuckoo is definitely worth a visit.

Can’t see the map on iPhone? Try turning your phone to landscape and that should sort it. I don’t know why but I’m working on it… 😉

Review: Voices From Home at the Old Red Lion Theatre

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Following a successful first outing last year, Voices From Home was back this weekend for a second short but sweet stay at the Old Red Lion. Curated by Tim Cook of Broken Silence Theatre – themselves a Brighton-based company – the two-day showcase featured five short plays on a broad range of themes, created by an all-female line-up of emerging writers from across the South East.

The evening opened with Sungrazer by Sussex writer Clare Reddaway, directed by Peter Taylor. In Sweden, sisters Annika and Inga can’t quite believe they’re related. They hold very different views on just about everything, but particularly about Annika’s job at the local nuclear plant, which comes to threaten their future together in a number of different ways. With strong performances from Eleanor Crosswell and Emma Howarth as the two bickering sisters, this gently humorous piece explores family tensions against a backdrop of scientific curiosity and environmental concern.

The future of our world is also at stake in M** & Women by Buckinghamshire’s Sydney Stevenson. Directed by Tim Cook, the play introduces us to 1 and 2 (Melissa Parker and Eleanor Grace), who are standing guard over the last man on Earth. The rest have been wiped out by a mysterious epidemic, leaving the women in charge of a crumbling civilisation. Except women and men really aren’t that different; we all love, hate, make inappropriate jokes, run businesses, start wars… Despite the title, in reality this is a play not about men and women but about human beings – and it speaks just as clearly to us now in 2018 as in any fictional future that may lie ahead.

Flying Ant Day, written by Jo Gatford from Sussex, and directed by Elizabeth Benbow, offers a fresh perspective on the role of “women of a certain age” in society. Through the story of mum-of-two Alice, who’s played with poignant vulnerability by Jennifer Oliver, we’re invited to look again at a mother – but this time to see her, not her children. Alice has begun to feel like she’s disappearing, piece by piece; her husband barely notices her any more, and her best friend Karen (Emmie Spencer) is too busy being super-mum to her own three kids to lend more than a passing ear. This is an incredibly impactful play, and one that I’d love to see developed further.

Emma Zadow’s very funny Norfolk-based play The Cromer Special, directed by Charlie Norburn, takes place in a fish and chip shop on Christmas Day. Maggie’s working behind the counter, despite having no customers – or indeed any fish – and has been joined by her best friend Lucy, who’s been driven out of her own house by her sister’s avocado-loving boyfriend. The play doesn’t hold back in its witty dissection of the class divide that’s sprung up between the Cromer locals and the students at nearby UEA, and this – along with brilliant comic performances from Claudia Campbell and Abbi Douetil – earned it some of the biggest laughs of the evening.

After the hilarity of the previous play, the evening ended on a somewhat darker note, with Home Time by Olivia Rosenthall from Essex. Directed by Tess Agus and performed by Isobel Eadie, the monologue begins with a scene many of us will know all too well – the rush hour commute. A grim picture is about to get even worse, however, when a young woman is sexually assaulted on a packed tube train, unseen (perhaps) by her fellow commuters. It’s a horrifying scenario – not least because it’s all too easy to believe that it actually happens – and very powerfully told, with a conclusion that’s simultaneously mundane and devastating.

As well as much-needed support for regional talent, it was also refreshing to see a programme championing female writers and performers. Each of the five pieces in Volume Two of Voices From Home brought something different to the stage, resulting in another excellent evening full of variety and mixed emotions. Despite all being under fifteen minutes, each play is able to tell a complete story – although most would certainly work also as longer pieces – and each leaves us with something to go away and think about (even if it’s just the merits, or otherwise, of avocados).

For future Voices From Home events, visit brokensilencetheatre.com.