Camden Christmas Music Showcase
December 3, 2024
Join us in support of crime prevention charity Khady’s Dream as we showcase the fast rising music talent of tomorrow
Ours is a fictional drama school and the idea originated from an interview with Diane Morgan in the Evening Standard. In it she describes how, at the end of term, the students would be sent into Epping Forest and pitched against each other in an improvisational game. It seemed like the perfect framework upon which to hang our story called Spider. Mayhem, high stakes, high achievers, and a desire for success at all costs.
The language in the play draws from actual rehearsals and classes, but I’ve given our central character, Frank Dowling, a much darker edge than any teacher I’ve encountered in real life. Mostly I’ve had positive experiences with inspiring practitioners. Perhaps above all, Spider demonstrates the strength of the friendships that are forged with other actors when training.
We were thrilled to be recognised in the Best Show category, especially as we’d received a bit of a clobbering from amateur critics. The online criticism didn’t reflect the audience response at all, so to be recognised by an entire panel of judges was validating.
The play had already been reduced from two hours to 70 minutes for Bitesize Festival, but for Camden Fringe, it has been rewritten again. Every new production is an opportunity to rewrite. Camden itself, with its spirit of rebellion and refusal to conform, feels like a natural home for this piece.
The Cockpit is an incredible space for this show and will give audiences a ringside seat, close to the action. It will be inclusive and intimate, and the audience will be able to see right into the eyes of the actors. For £15 everyone will get a fantastic view, so it’s a very egalitarian and affordable way of seeing a show.
The play should lend itself well to being performed in-the-round because there’s so much action. We’ve got dancing, chase scenes, a rave in the woods and plenty of twists of turns that will keep the audience on their toes. The Cockpit describes itself as a ‘theatre of ideas and disruptive panache’ which feels like a solid match for our story of rebellion.
Spider is about vaulting ambition, the kind that blinds and enthralls. Harnessed by any kind of authority figure – whether it’s a teacher or a cult leader – that ambition becomes a way to lever power. Strong allegiances to ideology rely on weak intuition. But what happens when the indoctrination begins to fail? What happens when plot holes appear in the tall stories?
This play is told through two voices – that of Frank, and that of the students as one entity. Two storylines stepped apart by half a generation. Twenty years of shifting values that recast the once dynamic Frank as a dinosaur and the students as progressive and dissenting. The play asks where we can lay blame for our emotional wounds. As humans we are messy, impulsive and regretful. Yet we are also capable of change and growth. All we can ask for is forgiveness.
You’d have to ask someone currently at drama school to answer that. I haven’t been in fulltime drama school since 2019. My latest bit of training was in March when I joined Gecko for its physical theatre week-long residency. The practitioners were inspiring, empathetic and compassionate, which enabled the creative process to flourish. I’m sure this is representative of how more training courses are being run.
I don’t think any drama school or students would now tolerate the bullying and humiliation tactics of the past. There was this idea that students needed to be broken down before being built back up, but I’ve never understood how that would benefit the actor.
I believe that both actors and acting teachers should never stop training. If you’re a teacher who hasn’t engaged with new theatre companies, techniques or styles, you will quickly become stale. Rapidly changing social values require a constantly fresh outlook. It’s the same with the film and theatre industries themselves – standards and practices are always being overhauled so teachers need to stay on their toes. See Spider at Camden Fringe 2024 from 19th-21st of August.
If you enjoyed this story, you can read more about our coverage of Camden Fringe performances, here.
See Spider at The Cockpit Theatre from 19th-21st August as part of Camden Fringe 2024 Info and tickets here
Join us in support of crime prevention charity Khady’s Dream as we showcase the fast rising music talent of tomorrow
Life was dangerous, drunken and relentlessly tough for the men who transformed the neighbourhood carving out the railways
A joyful romp through the baffling world of sexual awakening, complete with an audience participation kissing finale
We speak to writer-director Jude Benning about her play, which delves into flawed characters, shifting social values and what happens when a respected drama teacher loses his grip on power over a young class
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