We sat down with Lauren O’Rourke to talk about her latest show Bin Girl, coming to StoryFest at the National Youth Theatre. Set against the backdrop of the Birmingham bin strikes, Bin Girl explores who’s to blame and the limits to female solidarity. Playing on the 23rd and 24th of July, get your tickets here.
Lauren, what inspired you to set Bin Girl against the backdrop of the Birmingham bin strikes?
I was mulling over some ideas for a while, and the bin strikes were prevalent across the media and as it’s my hometown, it was the source of several discussions in supermarkets, post office etc. in fact you couldn’t escape bin chat for a while. I knew I wanted to say something that came from an authentic place- then I noticed a headline in a newspaper that read ‘women to blame for the bin crisis’. I laughed. I found it fascinating that women could somehow be culpable. After some further reading, I realised it was a little more sinister, and Bin Girl was born!
Female solidarity is a big theme in the play—what complexities did you want to explore around that?
I saw an Instagram video with a female CEO stating that ‘women supporting women was a myth.’ Sadly, I resonated with this. Personally, there have been moments in my life when I have felt let down by women; it’s an area of feminism that is relatively unexplored. Sometimes we can indeed be awful to each other, but I wanted to explore why we don’t always back each other. Sometimes it’s circumstance, sometimes we are not supported ourselves, and sometimes we genuinely (or society would have us) believe there’s only enough space for one of us.
The play is described as a comic drama. How do you balance humour with the serious social issues it tackles?
Humour is at my heart, I love writing funny characters that undercut any tension with a gag. In Bin Girl, some ridiculous characters happen to be in positions of power. Having that contrast allows the issues regarding social problems to resonate more deeply. There are some hard hitting stats within the show but when they are delivered by a buffoon , it’s easy to laugh at – until you realise those stats are real and they have crippled a community, a city – and maybe the buffoon isn’t as funny as he appears
How much of the story was inspired by real experiences or people you know? Matt Harrison, as director, brings a strong background—how has his vision shaped the play’s delivery?
Well, the bin strikes have been prominent in my hometown. Along with it, some great people have emerged. Champions of working-class people, and I’ve been so impressed by their unity. The bin crisis has also delivered some very alternative characters, who are hilarious and have taken extreme measures to deal with the rubbish and the rats. So I’ve drawn from all the news articles and media content. It’s great that this is happening right now, as it means I have lots to draw from. Having Matt Harrison on board is an absolute delight. He gets it. He has been able to shape a community and capture that authenticity and angst perfectly. It’s an honour to be working with him. He is super talented and Bin girl would not work without his knowledge.
If you could sum up Bin Girl in one sentence to someone who’s never heard of it, what would you say?
A play about bins, rats and working class heroes through the lens of a city buried in its own waste and don’t forget women are to blame for that.