We had the opportunity to chat with the team Liviu Monsted, Maisie Tiedman, and Billy Gurney, the creative team behind STREET. Street follows Foster and Miriam, two homeless youths who are used to being left alone and unseen, that is, until their curb side is taken over by Fay and Christian, a mysterious pair who are new to the cruel reality of living on the streets. The team tackles a hard-hitting, confronting commentary on homelessness and social responsibility. They talk to us about the creative exploration and process of the show.
Catch Street at Baron’s Court from June 3 – 7. https://www.baronscourttheatre.com/street
You’ve mentioned the similarity between homelessness in Sydney and London as a driving force for bringing STREET to the UK. What unique challenges or resonances did you aim to explore in this London staging?
Liviu Monsted (Writer/Director): There are significant environmental differences that the cast and I discussed. The UK is known for its difficult bouts of cold and confronting weather. In staging the show, a lot of focus is placed on how the actors portray the physical effects of trying to combat the UK weather, I notice in London the different ways in which the homeless attempt to defend themselves from the weather. I want to be true to that aspect of London survival.
Rather than offering solutions, STREET raises awareness and prompts reflection. How do you balance storytelling with social commentary in your work?
Liviu Monsted (Writer/Director): I made sure the narrative of STREET was functionally very simple which gives space for audiences to start asking the important social questions. The play runs on the premise, what would you see and experience if you sat across the road from a homeless person and watched their day to day struggles? The storytelling is then driven by the character interactions and what audiences can see of themselves in the characters for better or worse.
Miriam is a 19-year-old who wants to reconnect with society after experiencing homelessness. How did you prepare emotionally and psychologically to step into her world?
Maisie Tiedeman (Actor): The subject of homelessness is something that is impossible to be disconnected to when you live or work in any big city, especially London, so. I feel a definite level of responsibility with stepping into the role of Miriam and the world she inhabits. I think at the bottom of it, connecting to her inner self (who is she? What does she want? Why does she want it?) is where I am finding her story. Preparing to portray her story with care and respect, I have done research into the unhoused communities, and will continue to do so until I feel I can bring her story to life realistically and gracefully. At its core, “Street” is about human connection, and that is something everyone can relate to regardless of their situations in life.
What aspects of Miriam’s resilience or vulnerability do you find compelling to portray on stage?
Maisie Tiedeman (Actor): I find Miriam a very relatable character in a lot of ways. She is young, confused, she craves community, and she is unapologetically human. Portraying these levels of her character has been extremely compelling: balancing her emotions and her feelings towards her circumstances is always playing on her mind. However, so much of what she says is implied through her silence and her physicality rather than her dialogue. It is quite different to anything I have done on stage before, and so finding that physicality and the strength in the implied is what I have found the most exciting.
Foster is a character who shields both himself and Miriam from society. How do you interpret his sense of disillusionment, and what does that reveal about broader social dynamics?
Billy Gurney (Actor): Foster has spent his entire adult life, and much of his adolescence, on the streets. He has never encountered a kind or welcoming side of structured society. Instead, he’s only known a system that repeatedly keeps him out. His disillusionment runs deep. He has no trust or faith left in other people. His survival depends on maintaining control over what little he can, which is why he shields both himself and Miriam. It’s not just protection; it’s preservation.
In terms of broader social dynamics, Foster represents a much larger, often invisible demographic. Those who live parallel to the rest of society, rather than within it. When systems are built in a way that marginalises and excludes, it becomes nearly impossible for those affected to place any belief in them. Sadly, Foster’s personal alienation can be seen to reflect the consequences of wider systemic failure.
Was there a specific moment in the script that helped you fully understand Foster’s motivations or inner conflict?
Billy Gurney (Actor): There’s a scene where the characters receive the largest amount of money they’ve ever begged for in a single day. For Foster, it’s a moment of shock. He has no idea what to do with it. He’s starving and needs food and basic supplies, but beyond that, there’s nothing. He can’t save it, invest it, or use it to change his situation in any meaningful way. He may have money but he remains exactly where he was before. There is no progression, no escape, just survival.
This moment really unlocked something for me. It’s the clearest illustration of Foster’s despair: the idea that even money offers no real hope. He’s exhausted, teetering on the edge of giving up. And yet, the script also gives him flickers of connection and purpose. His journey isn’t without light, but it’s hard-won. That contradiction is what makes him so complex and interesting to explore.
10% of box office sales goes towards “The Barons Court Project” The show runs 3-7 June at Barons Court Theatre – grab your tickets now!: https://www.baronscourttheatre.com/street