Bomb Factory Theatre: six emerging writers showcase their work at the Bush Theatre.
Founded by India Peppe and Merle Wheldon, Bomb Factory Theatre threw their annual new-writing showcase at the Bush Theatre, showcasing the work of women and non-binary writers. Six pieces were presented this year.
Bruh written by Emma Cooney, directed by Fred Wienand, starring Emma Cooney.
Bruh tells the story of Chrissie, convinced she’s destined for stardom, using the tragedy of a family medical crisis to get the attention she deserves, and “get laid” in the process. The piece is overall pretty entertaining. The writing is funny, the direction gives quite a lot to see in a short amount of time and Emma Cooney’s performance is fun: she’s playful with the audience and manage the rhythm of the piece beautifully. I struggled to see where the play was going though, and I guess it left me with the question: why?
Quad Loop written and directed by Inge-Vera Lipsius, starring Amy Lubach, Carlotta De Gregori, Chifaa Khelfaoui and Remi Shorunke-Samuel.
Quad Loop is a play about the doping scandal around the young Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva during the Winter Olympic Games in 2022. If the story is on paper very interesting, I found this piece frankly quite hostile which makes it very difficult to connect to. The four actors were very static, the light was very dark, and the direction made the whole feel very cold and disengaging despite the four performers doing their best to lift it up.
Growing Pains written by Bernice Leigh, directed by Joy Nesbitt, starring Ashleigh-Mae Schoburgh-Crooks.
Growing Pains explores the intersection of childhood, mental illness and race. This piece really stands out in the showcase. The story is interesting, the writing is quite witty and funny, the direction is dynamic giving lots to see with very little, and Ashleigh-Mae Schoburgh-Crooks is delivering a fantastic performance, both funny and very moving. I definitely wanted to see more of this piece.
Please Leave Your Gun In Your Locker written by India Peppe, directed by Jessy Roberts, starring Laura Marcus and Lily Blunsom-Washbrook.
Please Leave Your Gun In Your Locker is a coming-of-age story about growing up, growing apart and the difficulty of being seen. The writing is pretty smart and in general very funny, and the two performers are managing rhythm brilliantly. I’d probably question the direction a little, as we get to see archetypes rather than characters making it difficult to fully empathise with both of them, but I guess this finds its resolution when the play is longer and we have more time to discover the characters.
Let The Whale Die written by Meg Schadler, directed by Ben Quashie, starring Arabella Smith-James, Dionne Neish and Josh Tedeku.
Let The Whale Die tells the story of a woman dealing with the aftermath of her inaction when a whale slammed its body against the wall of its aquarium, surrounded by her boss, her mother and her partner wanting an explanation. This piece was by far the most original concept-wise. The writing, although a bit repetitive at times, was very interesting and the direction created smart and fun images. The three actors really worked well together and found the balance between good humor and the darkness underneath it.
Banned written by Sophie Max, directed by Merle Wheldon, starring Iona Champain and Ayse Babahan.
Set in a world where abortion is forbidden by law, Banned is the story of Leonne helping her best friend Jess who happens to be pregnant and desperately wants to find a solution. Of course, this piece politically resonates massively these days. This play was very obviously – maybe too obviously – the most political of the pieces presented in the showcase. The direction could have been spatially more dynamic but the writing was very good, finding humour in dark matters. The performances of both Iona Champain and Ayse Babahan were outstanding and very connected to each other, though. Champain is great in the first part of the piece and jumps from drama to comedy with ease and warmth, and Babahan’s delivery of the very emotional ending monologue was simply phenomenal.
If in general the level of the pieces presented was good, I expected them to be bolder and push further their creative boundaries, and maybe commit more to the promise of a “platform for fresh, unexpected stories that challenge the status quo”.