Playwright Nina Atesh and Director Chloe Cattin speak about The Drought
A psychological horror in an authentic setting with a good, good script and performances to match.
That’s how we described The Drought in our assessment when it performed at King’s Head Theatre. With the play now returning to Old Red Lion Theatre as a part of Grimfest, we caught up with its author Nina Atesh and director Chloe Cattin to speak about life on the seabed.
Tell us a bit about The Drought, what can audiences anticipate?
Nina: The Drought is a narrative set on a Victorian British Navy ship, a number of months into an surprising catastrophe the place all of the ocean everywhere in the world has disappeared. The crew have left their ship, and the one two individuals remaining aboard are the Captain and his steward. I might say don’t anticipate your typical horror story. There aren’t any leap scares – not a whole lot of graphic gore. What I attempted to create with this play is a way of desperation, a chilling dread within the wake of one thing horrible and unimaginable occurring… and what that does to the human thoughts. Essentially it’s a story about insanity – however there are different main themes in there of colonialism, hierarchy and servitude.
Chloe: Nina has written a fantastic play – even on the second run of it, it nonetheless brings up questions and interpretations within the rehearsal room. I feel audiences may be anticipated to be confronted with their very own humanity. The pandemic continues to be fairly current – our lives have been disrupted for a time and we entered into our personal modes of survival. That’s the place we meet the Captain and his Steward – in survival mode. They cling and claw onto what’s acquainted within the midst of this unspeakable occurring.
How did you are feeling the run at King’s Head theatre final month went? Reviews, together with ours, have been fairly optimistic, you will need to have been happy? Have you made (m)any adjustments for this second run?
Nina: This is my first ever play – so to have it debut on the King’s Head was simply an unimaginable expertise! It’s a very exhausting time for Fringe theatre in the mean time, so the help I had from the theatre and the audiences was so nice. The suggestions was actually optimistic, I used to be actually shocked contemplating we didn’t have the prospect for previews or any R&D’s within the lead up. I simply sort of threw the manufacturing in on the deep finish! But I had religion within the story, and a whole lot of religion within the performers, who’re all unimaginable – so I feel it labored out nicely for us. As a author, you’re all the time considering of tweaks, or what might be achieved in a different way. I watched the present each evening, and I knew we had one other run arising in November so I got here away form of buzzing to get again into the script once more. There hasn’t been a substantial amount of time to make too many drastic adjustments, and also you’re all the time restricted by what you are able to do on a Fringe stage(!) however there are actually some issues I took away from that first run that we’re attempting to inject into the upcoming one.
Chloe: Alex McCarthy and Nina did such an exquisite job for the run on the King’s Head. Alex – for his stunning path and sound design and Nina for her unimaginable script. It’s thrilling to have one other likelihood to work on the play in a unique area as a result of each efficiency is web site particular in a manner. It’s not a query of transposing the play from one venue to a different however taking a look at what challenges and alternatives the area yields. So while the script has had a couple of tweaks, the staging has modified fairly a bit.
The King’s Head Theatre was specified by the traverse so the actors might be seen by the viewers from all angles – there was nowhere to cover! The two sides of the viewers have been seeing two sides of the story. We carried out on the set of one other present as nicely so had a couple of components we needed to work with on the final minute.
In the Old Red Lion, there’s a extra conventional, finish on, configuration and the area is ours for our complete run so we are able to actually settle in! It feels extra intimate and confrontational, virtually claustrophobic. Walking up the steps as much as the theatre seems like a ship. It feels a bit extra immersive.
Chloe, you’re taking over as director in Old Red Lion, have the solid been welcoming or have you ever needed to stamp your authority down instantly? Tell us a bit about first engaged on the present in King’s Head and now transferring to directing it in ORL?
They’re such a terrific group, it’s pretty to be working collectively once more after the primary run!
The artistic staff made it clear early on that I shouldn’t have a carbon copy of the present on the Old Red Lion however to make use of the second run as a possibility to tackle the suggestions from the primary run, and have one other iteration of the present. Alex mentioned he wasn’t ‘precious’ concerning the work however simply to make it even higher. Which is kind of a novel place to be in as an affiliate director as a result of normally the originating artist could be very particular about what they need.
As the stage supervisor for the King’s Head run, I obtained to know the manufacturing on a technical degree – doing pre-show checks, writing lists, giving the actors calls, working sound and lights and usually holding the area for the solid and inventive staff. Whilst working the sound and lights, you get a really feel for the way the piece breathes and strikes with the performers. As a director I’ve nonetheless obtained all these components in my head however I’m now able to affect the piece with suggestions from the primary iteration and my very own understanding of the play.
Nina, take us a step additional again within the growth of the present: how did Andrew Callaghan, Jack Flammiger and Caleb O’Brien come collectively to grow to be your naval trio?
We did group auditions and funnily sufficient, Andrew, Jack and Caleb all auditioned collectively. For me it was a factor of simply seeing these performers immediately gel, and considering to myself virtually as quickly as they walked via the door – oh my god. This is our solid. These are my characters! There was an prompt dynamic there, they usually introduced issues to the characters I hadn’t even considered while writing it. I feel that’s what you search for in a performer – somebody who can see issues between the strains. It was an enchanting course of for me, somebody who’s come from a efficiency background myself and being on the opposite aspect of it was simply so thrilling. I keep in mind loving that day – it was such a rewarding a part of the method.
Listening to our current podcast the place we chatted with Nina and a few the solid, it appeared like The Drought grew to become a really collaborative course of as soon as the script met the rehearsal room, are you able to develop a bit on that?
Nina: Yes, it actually was. Again it’s that factor of the actors discovering a lot in these characters, that you simply don’t need, and even want, to push them again and say – no he wouldn’t try this, or say that – as a result of they perceive the story and their characters so nicely, that it’s straightforward to make these edits within the rehearsal room as a result of you understand they work and make sense. I keep in mind Andrew (who performs the Captain) coming in on one in every of our first rehearsals with this complete fleshed out background for the character, with a household and a profession historical past and every part! And I simply thought wow… this man is aware of the character even higher than I do!
What was nice concerning the artistic course of too, is that the staff weren’t afraid to query issues within the script, possibly even issues concerning the characters or their intentions that I had missed. So it was a very enjoyable course of. I feel writers can tend to be fairly insular – can get caught away in their very own little world after which simply defend themselves from the rehearsal room. I’m the exact opposite of that – I need to see it develop and take a form. I feel it makes you realise issues about your personal writing that you simply by no means would’ve considered earlier than. The Drought is a type of tales with a lot of unreliable narrators… there’s a whole lot of deception – who’s telling the reality? So it’s actually essential for a play like this to be labored via in a manner that’s collaborative.
Chloe: And it’s nonetheless a really collaborative course of going into the Old Red Lion! It’s my favorite approach to work as a theatre maker! Everyone takes an energetic half within the making of the work, the work isn’t achieved. The actors know these characters so nicely and are always interrogating the work. Nina’s encyclopaedic data of the Navy is indispensable in staging the work too. It actually is a really collaborative course of.
You are again in rehearsals this week; we think about it’s a considerably totally different course of when everybody is aware of one another already and has a minimum of some familiarity with the script. How has it been going?
Nina: Honestly I couldn’t wait to get again into rehearsals, not simply to get caught into the play once more, but additionally as a result of I genuinely simply get pleasure from everybody’s firm! It sounds cliche – however they are surely only a pretty bunch to work with. I feel there’s been sufficient time for the reason that first run that it feels a bit recent, however not too lengthy that it’s been straightforward to get again into the swing of it and immerse ourselves again into this world. It’s a unique area so it’s fascinating to consider the arrange of the cabin (which is the place the entire play takes place) and take into consideration new issues we are able to do with the set with the additional time we have now.
Chloe: There’s a shorthand not solely with the group however with the play itself so we have now been in a position to dive proper again in! It’s so uncommon to get the chance to work on a play once more, to have a look at it with all of the expertise of the primary run however with the novelty of a brand new area.
Moving on from The Drought, what’s subsequent for you each and for Pither Productions? Is there something arising you possibly can inform us about?
Nina: The British Navy and Victorian expeditions actually are enveloping my life in the mean time! There’s some very very temporary and early stage discussions about presumably adapting The Drought for TV however that basically relies on some larger up the meals chain powers that be! For now I’m simply actually having fun with it being on stage, and would like to take the present on tour subsequent yr if we are able to get the funding for it. But away from dried out earth and bushy sea captains… I’d like to convey extra horror on to the stage. I’m actually eager to advertise extra of those chilling, atmospheric tales that may have such an impression in small intimate venues like fringe theatres – and never only for the Halloween season(!) So I plan on spending this winter placing pen to paper once more and possibly writing one thing new. So watch this area… 😉
Chloe: I’ve obtained a busy and diversified season of labor arising! After The Drought, I’m directing a rehearsed studying of The Prophet of Monto by JP Murphy which we have now simply solid. Then I’m directing a Christmas present Deck the Stalls, an anti-panto written by Lydia Brickland, for a mini London tour in December. I’m additionally prepping for Dead Positive by Hannah Kennedy which has a run in February subsequent yr. We’ve additionally simply completed casting it so it’s fantastic to have it slowly come collectively.
Our due to Nina and Chloe for taking a break from rehearsals to talk with us. All photograph credit: Bethany Monk-Lane
The Drought performs at Old Red Lion Theatre from 1 – 4 November . Tickets and additional data may be discovered right here.