We sat down for an exclusive interview with Joshua J. Jewkes. Written and performed by Joshua J. Jewkes, KEEPING YOUR SPOTS is a funny and bold solo show playing for a strictly limited one week run from 4 to 8 October at 7.30pm.
A call centre for clients dealing in infidelity being run by a man with his own twisted beliefs, this show attempts to dissect the reasons why people choose to cheat.
This show runs from 4-8th Oct at Hens & Chickens Theatre – Tickets here
What’s it been like moving from performing and directing to (also) writing with Keeping Your Spots?
With this being my debut script as a writer, I found it liberating to be able to create a story I wanted to tell (as a director) with a character I wanted to play (as an actor). There’s a freedom to writing what you enjoy but there also comes a discipline to making it accessible for an audience. I found it to be the same with acting/directing where you start from a place of truth and have the confidence to trust the audience will come along with you for the journey.
How do you ensure the performance is interesting to watch given the limitations of the setting and premise?
The last thing I wanted was for my script to feel like bad stand-up or a TED talk. By workshopping it beforehand, along with taking audience feedback on board from my previous Work in Progress showings, I’ve been able to structure the pace, letting each phone call and plot point feel different from the last. It was also important to ensure the audience feel involved in the world I’m creating, hence their ‘role’ as new recruits to the office.
What was the inspiration behind the neutrality of the show’s perspective?
Cheating is a messy subject because there can be so many different variables involved for each instance. It can be all too easy to simplify the choices/emotions behind such a controversial act for the sake of comfortable thinking. My aim with this show is not to justify cheating, but to invite more of a conversation behind what drives us as humans to make these decisions and have us ask from a more intimate perspective what we would do in each situation.
Is it difficult for an emotional connection to be established with the audience and a character that’s on the other end of a phone call?
I’m lucky enough to have a talented voice cast who were able to bring their own truth and nuance to their line delivery, and it was just as exciting reacting to their voices than if they were physically there in the scene with me. I hope it’s the same for the audience too.
What’s the key to finding the humour in what could easily be a much more serious topic?
I’ve always wanted to write a comedy, but it was imperative to find the right premise. It would be one thing to tell a straightforward kitchen-sink-drama style story, but I worried that adding humour would make it seem like I was being disrespectful or biased to the topic at hand. By delving into the more abstract, I hope the audience will be more willing to see the funny side, given the absurdity of the situation.