We were able to catch up with Philippa Lawford, playwright of Ikaria, and ask a few questions. Her debut play will come to the Park Theatre next month. Exploring young love, set against the backdrop of university, Ikaria presents a nuanced look at mental health and the coexistence of love and self-destruction.
A poignant illustration of finding salvation in someone else, the show received a runner-up award for the 2022 ATG/Platform Presents Playwrights’ Prize, an OFFIE Short Run Commendation, and came in at number two of Broadway World’s ‘Best Theatre of 2022’ List.
You’ve just completed the regional leg of the tour – what was the touring experience like?
Touring has been really fun. We’re a very small team and we’ve enjoyed the adventure of new theatres and new audiences. There have been some challenges to do with adapting the staging for new venues – we had to reconfigure the set in Whitley Bay, for example, as the door onstage was in a different place to where it is normally. But everyone on the team has done a fantastic job and our lighting designer, Shane Gill, has been fantastic at working under time pressure in each venue.
What experiences of your own did you draw on when writing Ikaria?
I drew on my own experiences of relationships at uni. Suddenly being able to have anyone in your room, whenever you want, without getting permission from anyone’s parents was a big shift and allowed for a lot of new intensity. This is fun to depict onstage in intimate venues – I want the audience to feel like they’re looking through a window into a real situation, happening in front of them.
The show follows the relationship between two characters, Simon and Mia, from different walks of life. How do love and self-destruction co-exist in their relationship?
Mia and Simon get together early on in the play and they are both very excited by each other. Their differences are a source of curiosity but also conflict. I wanted to explore how easy it is to fall behind at university, and how romantic relationships can buoy up someone who is struggling, but also create an escape that may make reality harder to face. It’s exhilarating to spend all your time with someone when you’re in love for the first time, but the comedown is hard.
How challenging was it to write such a nuanced script, showing rather than telling Simon’s mental health struggles?
I think writing for theatre is like improvising as an actor; I think the simplest way is normally the best way, which for me means putting myself in the shoes of the character and writing down what I would say. I think it’s important to remember actors will perform a script onstage, so you want to give them things to do with their bodies as well as interesting things to say. In general I think I can write better when I am feeling more than I am thinking; if you try too hard to be clever I think it can block anything natural or authentic from coming out.
In our modern age, how important is it to address mental health at university?
I think that universities are experiencing a crisis in student mental health which has only been worsened by Covid. Mental health provisions are underfunded and young people feel a lot of pressure. I don’t know if theatre is effective as a means of addressing this problem but I like the feeling of sitting in a room full of people who are empathising with a vulnerable person.
What can audiences expect from Ikaria?
Ikaria is a love story, told by two brilliant actors who create something very detailed and natural onstage every evening. I’m proud of how specific the play is and how tender it feels – I hope audiences will find it romantic, funny and touching.
28th November – 2nd December Park Theatre (Park90)