Tag: interviews

IN CONVERSATION WITH: Suzy Crothers

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We sat down with acclaimed writer, theatremaker, and performer Suzy Crothers to talk about her new Edinburgh Fringe show Troubled. This work is filled with gallows humour about the domestic impact of societal violence, conflict and intergenerational trauma in Northern Ireland.

Playing from 31st July – 25th August at Summerhall, Anatomy Lecture Theatre, you can get your tickets to Troubled here.

1. Tell us about Troubled

Troubled is Alice’s Story. 

Set between Belfast and London, it looks at the impact of growing up in a divided city, in a divided country, at a divided time and the impact of that on a person and her relationships as she grows up.

It’s really about Alice’s quest for peace and how to leave her past behind.

She is a great character to play because her journey is full of high highs and low lows, plus she can be sort of twistedly funny.  We wanted to tell the story using vivid projections and found footage because that time really did feel like being in a movie sometimes.

When I started writing Troubled I definitely didn’t know I was writing a show, I simply wanted to get some thoughts out of my head and onto paper.  And as I continued, I found that these fragments and bits of writing started to form a narrative story.  This felt quite exciting, because story is really important where I come from (Belfast).  My Mum always said ‘tell your story, tell it well, and for heaven’s sake don’t bore’ so that’s always in the back of my mind!

I didn’t realise how strange growing up during the Troubles was, until I moved to England and understood that not everyone had had that kind of experience (which of course seems pretty obvious now, but at the time, it was all I had known).  Writing about living during that time has helped me to make sense of it, and to continue to make sense of the impact of it.  Sadly division is still rife in the world today, and it can be all too easy to bury our heads in the sand.  I can be as guilty of that as the next person. We found peace in Northern Ireland and I never, ever thought that would happen. That gives me hope. Under everything, Troubled is a story of hope, and that things can change for the better.

2. Audiences are served tea and biscuits before the show – what’s the reasoning behind this and what type of biscuits are available?

Where I come from, hospitality is really important.  The first thing you do when someone calls in is get the kettle on. All the big and little things in life are discussed over a cup of tea.  And I figured that at the festival, people have a lot to do, a lot to see, it can be hard to take a breath.  I wanted to offer a gesture of care to the audience and do my best to make them feel comfortable.  

With the biscuits, we are not 100% sure on the brand just yet.  To be honest, I’m a big fan of an Aldi ‘Cartwheel’ myself – like a Wagon Wheel but for those on a more refined budget… There will be a vegan option too.  Nothing too fancy, but it will do the trick.

3. Amongst other things, Troubled is about the impact of growing up during the Troubles – what’s it like exploring this topic on stage?

My feelings about growing up during that time shift and change, especially as I get older.  It’s been super interesting to investigate the past through Alice and her journey., and then bring that learning to the present day.  There’s something really cathartic and joyful about playing her, because she does come through at the end and reach a sort of peace.  It feels good to play that from a performer perspective and ultimately, I’m a sucker for hope.

4. How does it feel to be bringing Troubled to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?

I’ve wanted to do the fringe since I came for the first time back in 2013, which was a golden year (the year of Fleabag and Bitchboxer). I have been on quite a long journey to get to this point – which is,  being able to get a show and team together as well as funding in order to share the story of Troubled. And so now this deeply held dream is basically happening! I feel pretty grateful, plus equally daunted, terrified and excited!

5. What do you hope that audiences will take away from seeing the show?

My hope is for the audience to feel like they have been well looked after for an hour, and enjoying some Irish hospitality – offering a respite from the maelstrom of the festival.

I come from a storytelling culture and it feels like the most natural thing in the world to get some people together, give them a cup of tea and a biscuit and have a shared experience.

Alice moves from disconnection to connection in the show and my hope is that in witnessing her story, we may move towards greater connection with others in our own lives.  I also want to offer an insight into the personal impact of division on a human being, in the hope of greater understanding of recent UK history.

I’d love for the audience to feel less alone and more alive after spending time with Alice and with each other.

6. What is your favourite thing about Edinburgh during August or what are you most looking forward to?

I love getting totally immersed in the festival. Last year I think I saw 19 shows in 3 days, which was a strong commitment!  The variety of work on display is incredible, it’s so exciting.  Another thing about Edinburgh is that I learnt that the Scots eat a thing called a ‘Macaroni Pie’, which is as it suggests, a pie with Macaroni in it. It’s an intense experience and one I’m keen to repeat when I’m up this year.

Most of all, I’m looking forward to being with the audience. I love the unpredictability. Plus, they keep me on my toes. The connection with a live audience is a lovely thing and gives me a warm feeling inside.

Omar Khan ; Portrait ; StoryFest Playwright ; National Youth Theatre ; London, UK ; 10 May 2024 ; Credit & copyright: Helen Murray www.helenmurrayphotos.com

In Conversation With Omar Khan

Published on by Tabitha JamesLeave a comment

We sat down with Omar Khan, an International Emmy award-winning writer and actor. In 2022 he wrote and starred in an award-winning short film funded by Netflix (Queen of Diamonds). This led him to be commissioned by NYT – where he was already a member. In 2023 Samahoma Entertainment attached themselves to option Omar’s debut feature Tea Leaves. Omar recently became a International Emmy Award Winner, winning The Sir Peter Ustinov Screenwriting Award (2023) for unaired drama pilot – “POCKET MAN.” 

How did winning the International Emmy Award and the Sir Peter Ustinov Screenwriting Award influence your career and opportunities in the film and theatre industry?

I think it influenced it in a way where it made everyone want to speak to me more. So as much as you can have self belief and put yourself in rooms, and that is certainly the way to begin in this game, I think having an award like that by your name definitely makes people more interested in speaking to you. So just in terms of how it affected me, literally, it got me into a lot more rooms.

Can you share the inspiration and creative process behind your award-winning short film, Queen of Diamonds, and how it led to your collaboration with Netflix?

I wrote Queen of Diamonds based on an experience I had, as I do with many of the things I write. Writing is my form of therapy and expression. It helps me come to terms with how I feel about things.

So I wrote it based on an experience I had and then I worked with a production company called Fully Focused Productions who do a lot with young people. They’re similar to the National Youth Theatre, but they focus more on screen.

They had a bit of development funding from Netflix and the idea was to get young people to pitch for the money using their own idea and whichever the panel thought were best would get a pocket of the money. I was lucky enough to receive some of the money and off the back of that I made Queen of Diamonds and I now have quite a cool relationship with a handful of people at Netflix, which is lovely.

What themes and personal experiences did you draw upon when writing your debut feature, Tea Leaves?

I drew upon my upbringing in Forest Gate. I think a lot of television now focuses on south London and west London, for some reasonI just don’t see east London on the telly. I don’t see Woodgrange Road, I don’t see Romford Road, I don’t see, you know, the road I grew up on Brownlow Road. I just really loved the language of where I grew up, and I want to see that on screen. Forest Gate was a very diverse, multicultural area with loads of interesting people and, you hear stories and I just drew from my upbringing in Forest Gate to write to you.

And then I also drew from my experience with the people I grew up around.

I want to hear voices that I feel like are familiar to me and authentic on the telly. And I want to tell stories at this point in my career, in a very accessible and cost efficient way. I wrote a film that has few locations. It’s an ensemble cast of young people. I was very conscious, as you have to be when you have had enough of the conversations I’ve had in the first few years of my career, that money is not going to come easily to someone who’s not made something before. So if you’re going to write something, write it cheap, write it easy, and you’ll have a better chance of making a show. So that was a lot of why I put Tea Leaves to the page.

Blue Kimera seems to blend elements of comedy, thriller, and romance. How do you balance these genres, and what message do you hope to convey through this play?

I find myself very lucky in that my process of writing is that I don’t consider these things particularly pragmatically. I just want to write honest stories. So the idea of balancing these themes, I wouldn’t say I do. I don’t conceptualise it, I don’t intellectualise it. I just write. And it just so happens that my voice happens to be one that traverses multiple themes 

That used to be something that people would be like, you don’t write comedy or drama, you write comedy dramas. When I was in my early twenties it seemed like that wasn’t a good thing. And then, funnily enough, around that time, Fleabag comes out and then Martin McDonagh’s work starts winning Oscars and it’s like, this is what people want, they just want honest stuff. I don’t think people are confined by the idea of this is funny or this is dramatic. They just want to watch something that feels real, feels honest and feels lived. I would say that I’m just very lucky in the voice that I have and I’ve stood by that voice, which traverses these themes.

Is there a message? The main thing I want to convey with Blue Kimera is presence. I think I’ve learnt a lot about dealing with anxiety and stress and all the things that come in life  A lot of my stress came from the future or the past. I’d be worried about what’s to happen. I worried about what had happened and it’s like, when I live in this moment, when I sit in what is now. It’s amazing. With Blue Kimera, the lead learns that when he’s with this woman, he embraces every moment with her and he tries to be present with her and he realises when he is present with her, there isn’t much to stress about until there is. And I feel that’s a beautiful thing.

What can audiences expect from the staged performances of Blue Kimera at the National Youth Theatre, and how do you think the play’s themes will resonate with audiences?

I think doing it in the round is a very exciting decision, because I think it makes it more engrossing and it adds more to the idea that I’ve always had in my writing, which is that as an audience you are peering into something you maybe shouldn’t be. I think it will feel really visceral.  

I don’t know if the story is like anything that I’ve ever seen before on stage. In my generation, with therapy and all these words that get thrown around it’s nice to see someone go, middle finger to all of that, I’m going to do it my way. you got to figure out what works for you in this life.It’s easy to lean on people in terms of what they think works for you, but they will never truly know you. It’s not like the job of a character to be, like, morally right or wrong or acceptable or not, you know? And I really have that approach when I write. I never judge my characters because you can’t, they are who they are for a reason. [Look out for when the play next runs] and make your decision as to what you think about the characters, but they’ve made the decisions for themselves. And I think everyone can relate to that.

Blue Kimera presented staged performances at the National Youth Theatre’s north London base on 2nd and 8th August. Keep an eye out for when it returns to the stage!

FEATURE: John Robb announces special guests joining him at venues across the country

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Ahead of his upcoming UK tour – JOHN ROBB – is very pleased to announce some of the special guests who will be joining him at venues across the country.

Illustrating the journalistic skills that have made him a household name, Robb will be interviewing a stellar cast of renowned musicians, journalists, authors, and industry veterans as part of his upcoming ‘Do You Believe In The Power Of Rock N Roll’ tour.

Confirming the first wave of names today, special guests will include Sisters of Mercy founder Gary Marx, The Farm frontman Peter Hooton, The Lovely Eggs legend Holly Ross, former Fall stalwart Paul Hanley, Wire maestro Colin Newman, Wild Swans man turned writer Paul Simpson, Evil Blizzard’s own Filthy Dirty, Therapy? axeman/vocalist Andy Cairns, esteemed author and The Guardian / Uncut music critic Dave Simpson, Mancunian people’s poet Tony Walsh, plus tour manager to The Clash and John Cooper Clarke: Johnny Green.

Newer additions also include IDLES’ own Adam Devonshire, The Stranglers’ veteran Baz Warne, legendary Yorkshire promoter Michael Ainsworth, and legendary drummer from ‘XTC live in Swindon’ Terry Chambers.

PLUS, don’t miss BBC 6 Music staple Steve Lamacq, Goth-pop rising star Freya Beer, and Pop Will Eat Itself legend Adam Mol – all of whom will be popping-up at select venues across the nation.

Each guest will be personally interviewed by John Robb about their extraordinary lives and careers in music as part of his brand new show. The details of which guests will be appearing where, is indicated below. Further names to be announced in due course…

Alongside the interviews, Robb’s autobiographical ‘Do You Believe In The Power Of Rock N Roll’ will see him opening up about own remarkable life in music. Discussing everything from his recently released book ‘The Art Of Darkness – The History of Goth’ to his experience being the first person to interview Nirvana, his coining of the term ‘Britpop’ and his adventures on the post-punk frontline, the 23 date tour kicks-off in Selby next week (22 March). Remaining tickets for all shows are on sale now.

We’ll be covering the 9th May at Voodoo Rooms where he has Paul Simpson (Wild Swans / author) joining him – but check out this link for all 23 guest artists.