Today I have the pleasure of publishing an interview I conducted with Stage and Screen Writer – Tom Powell and Director – Stephen Bailey about their brand new play, Surfacing.
Surfacing is Murakami meets Peep Show.
This original play is embarking on a tour. See details after the fascinating interview about their craft and working with each other, a bit about themselves, which may not be quite what you’d expect and of course the play, including some interesting, new technology and how to support theatres. You’ll also get a glimpse of the actors in rehearsal.
During the interview you will see T for Tom and S for Stephen, so you can follow who is saying what at any given time.
Cast
Luc played by Sarah Livingstone
Owen played by Jerome Yates
Synopsis
What if when you came up for air, the world you once knew was gone?
NHS therapist Luc is fine. Honest. She’s definitely not overwhelmed by meeting Owen, a new client, definitely not freaked out by what she’s started seeing, definitely doesn’t think her reality has been punctured and something else is leaking in. Luc goes for a swim and feels a hand dragging her down to the bottom of the lake… When she surfaces, her reality is different.
She’s haunted by tormented mice, shape-shifting shadows and secrets she thought she’d buried. As she hunts for Owen through this upside down world she comes closer to her past and the truth she’s desperately hidden.
Papatango Prize Winner Tom Powell’s breath-taking new thriller examines hallucinations, neurodivergence and the state of mental health care. With innovative creative captioning and haunting music, the production uses new motion sensor technology to create responsive light and sound to evoke a very real and lived experience of disassociation.
Directed by RTST Sir Peter Hall Director’s Award Winner Stephen Bailey.
All performances are presented in a relaxed environment, captioned and have integrated audio description.
Supported by Arts Council England, Pentabus, Unlimited and The Barbican Centre.
Now, without further ado, let’s welcome Tom and Stephen to my blog as we proceed with the interview.
(T – Tom S – Stephen)
- In a nutshell, what can audiences expect from your play, Surfacing?
T: It follows Luc, an NHS therapist whose life is thrown out of kilter by a new client. Luc nearly drowns, and when she surfaces, her reality is entirely different…
S: It’s a fast-paced dramatic story about hidden pasts, guilt, and failing to be normal. There are some quite absurd/unusual moments and scenes with some comedy amidst the drama. And under all that is a social critique of how we look at and treat mental health now.
T: What Stephen said. If you’ve ever felt lost, alone, or overwhelmed, you’ll see echoes of your experience in Luc’s.
- What inspired you to use the premise of a therapist and client for a thriller and how did you research this?
S: It’s mostly Tom’s idea, but I’m always keen to not reduce these things to therapist vs client. I made another verbatim piece years ago which really emphasised that systems of care and limited resources affected practitioners as well as service users. Luc is both therapist and client in a way – as all of us do not fit into neat boxes.
T: I’d like to think whatever people expect from a therapist client relationship, they will be surprised by Surfacing. I spoke to a lot of people during the writing of this play – and we have two consultants, Dr Jasmine Martinez on NHS Talking Therapies, and Dr Ruth Cooper on research. But the starting point was going to the European Conference of Neuropsychopharmacology years ago. The conference was at a lavish five-star hotel in Nice, near the sea. A homeless woman came in, asking for help. Psychiatrists demurred. Security ushered her out. I was told about it when I arrived the next day. It was outrageous. It was no surprise. The germ of an idea was planted.
3. You’re use new motion sensor technology to create responsive light and sound to evoke a real and lived experience of disassociation. What does this technology involve in creating the desired effect for the audience?
S: Actors move and things happen! It’s new and exciting! If you want a more psychological read, our perception is variable and there is no correct answer. If some people hear sounds others do not or perceive variations of light in their vision – does this matter? Is it something to be fixed? We wanted to give a sense of wonder at times rather than simply problematising, and suggest that there’s more around you than you might see with ‘normal’ eyes. Hallucinations etc. are hard things to stage as their personal experiences. We’re offering a way to link audience and character that’s a bit deeper than putting on weird light colours.
- Tom, what inspired you to become a stage/screen writer after having a cycling accident and what makes you reckon your “off the cuff” unplanned work is better than some of your more planned?
There was a period of time when I could barely speak, or speaking was extremely painful, and in that introspective moment I found a different way for me to communicate the things that felt vital. Writing for stage. For other’s voices.
Why is writing off the cuff sometimes better than work that has been meticulously planned? Well, sometimes writing is like keeping a fire alight. For me there’s a point in a good process where your characters become real – they whisper to you and refuse to do what you tell them. That’s when it’s better to let them guide you to where they want to go, into the dark woods.
- Stephen, what or whom inspired you to become a director and, being neurodivergent, what challenges do you face and what positivity do you come across?
It was the only thing that made me happy when I was doing very poorly with my health at university. The collaborative rehearsal environment is still where I’m happiest. Challenges – if you place that label out there there are people who aren’t willing to entertain that you could be neurodivergent, disabled, etc. and a good, professional artist. I’m also nervous around neurodivergent story-telling/alternate mental health models on stage. We have such a strong cultural narrative that deviations from the norm must be fixed that some might feel the way we take the story alienating. Positivity – there are people who can hold access needs and artistic respect. It’s been good to see an increase in representation uncovering some amazing artists.
- Tell us a bit about the working relationship between your roles of writer, director and actors and how does this transform as the play gets closer to opening night?
S: This is a weird one as we’ve worked on it for years, and we sort of say we co-created it. The amount of suggestions and input I’ve given is highly unusual – to the extent that in recent drafts I’m recutting scenes and even offering lines. I wouldn’t do that with a writer I didn’t know well. Working with the actors has been interesting as Sarah and Jerome are new to the process. That’s been really helpful as their exploration has brought fresh eyes which don’t have all that baggage. It’s been fun finding bits for their invention to creep into what was already a well-developed work.
T: Often the writer is the first one in the process and the first one to be superfluous. It starts with their idea and there’s a point in rehearsal where they’re no longer needed. This has been different, as Stephen says, it’s co-created. I’ve had company for the whole of the journey. Whole sequences have come from other people’s minds. And the great thing about working with collaborators is that you end up in unexpected places.
- You’re play is touring in various parts of England, how important do you think that theatre plays tour?
S: The number of theatres and performances declining over the last several decades, and particularly recently, smaller towns/cities sucks. I don’t think it’s much for a wealthy country to be able to offer affordable, enjoyable and thought-provoking work in your local area. In particular, we wanted to tour to Blackpool given the high incidence of mental health treatment in the area. It felt like the right audience. As someone who also leads a company (Vital Xposure) the numbers are making it really hard right now to tour as much as we’d like to.
T: Everyone should have access to great culture, no matter where they live. It can be harder for a (mostly) live medium, but touring is part of making sure that great culture gets around.
- What hints and tips do you have for budding stage/screen writers and directors?
S: I think watch as much as you can, be decisive about what you like and then proactive trying to contact the people you can learn from. Also don’t compare yourself to other people who might have the independent resource to commit more time than you now.
T: Don’t punish yourself for the industry’s failings. You’ll be doubly hurt. There are not enough opportunities or money at the moment – don’t blame yourself if things aren’t going the way you want them to, or as quickly as you’d like.
- Theatres are often facing hardships, so we are told, how can people best support them and the people within them more?
S: Go? Go to smaller theatres that are platforming new artists who are really struggling at the moment. Financially, it’s just really tricky. We’re Arts Council funded and I’m investing past funds from ASYLUM, but we still need to sell over half of tickets to avoid financial risk and pay collaborators above the industry minimums (which aren’t viable in London). But you could see three shows at Clapham Omnibus (£18 a ticket) for the price of a standard seat at a lot of theatres, let alone West End!
T: Yes – go to the theatre! And tell everyone – friends to elected representatives – how much meaning and enjoyment the arts give you.
Touring Dates and Places
Surfacing opens at Blackpool Grand Studio in May 2024, touring to Mercury Colchester (May 4th), Nottingham Playhouse (May 10th), running for three weeks at Clapham Omnibus (May 14th to June 1st) and the Yvonne Arnaud Guildford (June 8th).
Blackpool Grand – https://www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk/event/surfacing
Mercury Colchester – https://www.mercurytheatre.co.uk/event/surfacing/
Nottingham Playhouse – https://nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/surfacing/
Clapham Omnibus – https://www.omnibus-clapham.org/surfacing/
Yvonne Arnaud – https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/book/92401
Retired schoolteachers and amateur sleuths Liz, Pat and Thelma are giving up their coffee morning for a brand-new mystery.
Bookmarks and Stages by Lou 