We sat down for an exclusive interview with H Sneyd, an actor in Open Aire Theatre’s Managed Approach – a new, semi-verbatim play about the UK’s first legalised red-light district.
This show comes to Riverside Studios from 13th to 25th April 2026 – Tickets here
The play is rooted in very recent real-life events. What drew you to be part of telling this particular story?
Jules Coyle, our writer, has done such an incredible job with the script and the blend between the verbatim and fictional scenes was so exciting for me. Also, sex work is still so taboo for many people and I think there’s a real dissonance between the normalisation of online sex work compared to on-street sex work. Holding up a mirror to these experiences feels important in order to encourage larger conversations.
You perform verbatim material drawn from real interviews. How did you approach the responsibility of giving voice to someone else’s lived experience?
I feel the most important objective when performing verbatim material is trying to make it feel as truthful as possible. More so than fictional scripts, you’re able to tease out the underlying intention, or thought processes, or relationship the speaker has with the interviewer through the language they use. I’ve found it useful to consider, ‘Why has she chosen to restart her sentence here?’, ‘What could be the rest of the line she chose to trail off here and why has she trailed off?’. It’s important to realise that you can’t completely represent a real person when you only have limited material. I think our job is to build a character which feels honest and naturalistic that authentically embodies the verbatim material.
What has surprised you about the emotional range of the piece as it plays in front of an audience?
The relationship between Kate and Abby (the play’s fictional mother and daughter) is incredibly layered and the script reflects such a complex range of emotions within the dynamic that has really resonated with audiences. This is particularly with mother/daughter pairs or often mums coming alone and seeing their own combative arguments, giggles and fears of safety reflected onstage. It’s been really amazing to witness their reactions.
Has the piece evolved since its Edinburgh Fringe run, and how has it affected your performance?
Having more time during this rehearsal period has been so lovely, and coming back to the characters definitely feels like returning to an old skin. A consequence of having a slightly different cast definitely changes the dynamic and the approaches to characters, which is so exciting. I’ve been particularly enjoying our directors’ encouragement to explore physicality and embodiment to really consider the nuances of each character.
What kinds of conversations have you noticed audiences having after seeing the show?
I think what is most exciting about the post-show discussions is that, after hearing all the perspectives on the Managed Approach, people can’t come to a definite moral conclusion on it. There is so much nuance to the Managed Approach, both Dani and Ellen (the verbatim roles I play) openly admit that it didn’t completely remove the danger of sex work, even without the threat of police intervention. Managed Approach has acted as such an incredible springboard for wider conversations about women’s safety and sex work, and how it is approached both at an institutional level and on a personal level, especially by other women.