[ad_1]
Seventh Sense Theatre’s Phillip Jones on new play Dog Hair
As a lot as we love the ability of theatre, everyone knows that there’s a lack of correct illustration of working class. Here at ET we’re at all times attempting to do our small half in addressing this, so after we heard about Seventh Sense Theatre and their new play Dog Hair, they went to the highest of our record of firms we wished to speak to.
And fortunately they had been completely satisfied to speak to us as nicely. So we grabbed a while with considered one of their Artistic Directors, Phillip Jones, who additionally writes and performs within the play, to debate not simply Dog Hair, however simply why working class voices nonetheless aren’t being heard usually sufficient on the stage.
Let’s dive in proper in, what are you able to inform us about Dog Hair then?
Dog Hair is a captivating, witty and chew stuffed story of a mom and son coping with the lack of their nan. It’s set in a post-industrial space of the nation and when SON returns house for the funeral, he additionally has to cope with a rising battle between identification and his roots. Throw in MAM’s boyfriend, MIKE, who isn’t from the world, and a few sparks occur. Dog Hair takes a have a look at asking why do the locations we’re from, have an effect on us a lot. Why do individuals by no means depart if there’s nothing holding them there.
Seventh Sense Theatre’s goal is to convey working class tales to the fore, is that the place Dog Hair comes from?
Initially sure. I very a lot wished to place an authentically represented working-class household on the centre of a play. There’s not sufficient of them, and it’s what I like to see so why not. And I used to be very pissed off at seeing working-class tales written by individuals who don’t have lived expertise, simply seeking to tick a field.
The characters grew to become stereotypes and caricatures of themselves. But it fairly shortly grew to become a much bigger job once I realised there’s additionally lots I’m attempting to determine as an individual by means of this play. When Dog Hair began to take some form and the characters began to talk for themselves, it grew to become much more highly effective and mentioned a lot extra about working-class individuals than it initially did. As an organization we hold working-class audiences in thoughts in the beginning with every thing we do, however we additionally don’t imagine that working class tales should be ‘about’ being working class, or that these tales can solely be related to working-class individuals. We’re aiming to place these audiences first, make them a precedence the place within the arts particularly they’re so usually not, after which break down the door.
From what we’ve learn it feels to be primarily based in a working-class industrial city, was any actual place in thoughts in any respect, or is it a really generic industrial city the place the factories and industries have slowly closed their doorways?
Fully impressed by the place I used to be born and raised, the Rhondda Valleys in Wales, the place trade was extra ripped away than its doorways slowly closed. (Cheers Maggie Thatch). I feel one of many beauties of the play is it might work and be at house in any previously industrial space within the nation. So a lot of our nation
is boarded-up factories and empty hills.
There can also be discuss of by no means actually with the ability to depart your roots behind, do you’re feeling this is a matter for working class, that it’s virtually a stigma hung round individuals’s necks?
I feel, the underlying factor right here, the concept of roots for the working class is as painful as ever. Especially within the final 50 years when based on our media and governments we’ve gone from being the salt of the earth to the scum of the earth. Our communities was recognized for providing a serving to hand and giving the shirts off our backs. Now we’re considered chavs and locations to keep away from as a result of ‘your tyres will get nicked’.
Loads of Dog Hair is in regards to the thought of your roots. I feel there may be nonetheless a stigma. When you meet a brand new particular person one of many first belongings you’re requested is ‘Where are you from?’ In a method of categorising you earlier than the dialog even begins. It’s very regular to hate the place you’re from, however solely you may hate it. No one else who isn’t from there can. You’ll nonetheless battle for it and defend it. Because it’s your roots and a lot of what you’re. Even in case you’ve left them bodily.
The present’s characters are known as SON and MAM, what was the pondering behind the generic names as a substitute of precise character names then?
To me the place the story is about in is as a lot a personality because the individuals. It’s the unseen pressure that exists simply out of view however impacts every thing the characters do and say. It is aware of MAM and SON intrinsically, so doesn’t want their names.
When I used to be rising up I didn’t name my Mam Alison, I need the readers to really feel the identical intimacy and sense of understanding these characters. The solely particular person named within the script is MAM’s boyfriend, MIKE. Not from the world. I wished that to assist to his feeling of not trying like he matches in.
Why do you’re feeling there’s a lack of individuals from working class backgrounds making theatre proper now?
Right, the place can we kick off?
The very first thing that involves thoughts is why the fuck would anybody from a working-class background need to make theatre? There’s barely any illustration for us, a minuscule quantity of gatekeepers which are from the locations that we’re. And those which are, have to interrupt their backs and minds to get funding. It’s a tough, lonely and largely thankless job in case you’re not in a household with a helpful dose of nepotism at your disposal. (BTW for anybody who’s a nepo child, I’d be doing the very same so don’t really feel unhealthy.)
Theatre may be very costly, from R&D to efficiency you want some huge cash. Some huge cash usually comes from the household checking account for some artists. The working class don’t have that luxurious. (Again, belief me, I’d be doing it if I might).
Only throughout the final 12 months have there been a skinny exhibiting of working-class made or content material primarily based exhibits. Far from sufficient. Most of the 12 months it’s the identical sort of story being re-produced and re-told to please the powers that be. Why would a working class particular person have a look at nearly all of theatre’s programming and suppose, yeah that’s a little bit of me? They wouldn’t. Film has a significantly better providing for them.
When us working class one way or the other find yourself making theatre, we’re a tickbox. We’re not made to really feel particular, we’re the weirdos. The offended poor younger those who make audiences cringe and recoil after we converse with our regional accents. We’re not made to really feel we belong right here. There’s an indifference to austerity in
the UK and it displays crystal clear inside its theatre.
Who do you’re feeling Dog Hair’s viewers is, are you making working class tales for a basic viewers, or are you actually attempting to make theatre to convey a unique viewers into the theatre that may not at all times really feel as if theatre is for them?
Honestly, a little bit of each. Our drive as an organization and a part of the explanation Seventh Sense began making work has at all times been to interrupt down obstacles in who will get to see and entry theatre, get tales to the individuals they’re for and about, and make individuals who don’t usually really feel at house within the theatre really feel as welcome as anybody else. For our work, this implies a giant core drive to make working-class audiences (and potential audiences) really feel like what we do is one thing they will hook up with, see themselves represented in, and become involved in. However, we’re additionally consistently grated on a bit by the concept working-class tales, or tales created with working-class audiences in thoughts, can’t even be for a basic viewers too.
Our ethos as an organization is ‘class theatre, without the divide’. In the long-term sense of it, this extends to audiences in addition to the individuals making the work. Dog Hair is a working-class story, created by a majority working-class staff, and on a mission to get into areas it’ll attain these individuals however the themes at its core are common. Dog Hair is for working class audiences, sure, It’s additionally for anybody who’s misplaced somebody, anybody who’s had a low-key identification disaster, and anybody who finds it a tad bizarre (or extremely strained) after they head again to the place they grew up, as so many people did just lately because of the previous pandemic.
And after VAULT Festival, what else do you may have deliberate for 2023 then?
Well we’re again to work to pay hire in the beginning. What we’re aiming to do is discover a place for Dog Hair to proceed its journey. An best subsequent step for us can be an extended run, after which getting the present on the street on a regional tour, particularly in entrance of extra individuals in lower-income areas. Taking the present again to Wales sooner or later can be class too. So we’ll be beginning to lay the groundwork to make that occur. We’ll additionally take a look at placing on one other CLASS ACTS scratch night time, stuffed with working class writers and creatives (belief me the final one was nuts), and we’re eager to get the ball rolling on our first quick movie.
Our because of Phillip for taking day out of his day to speak with us. Dog Hair will play at VAULT Festival 3 – 5 February (together with a matinee on 5 Feb). Further info and bookings could be discovered right here.
If you want to assist Seventh Sense Theatre they’re presently crowdfunding for funds to develop Dog Hair. You can contribute in direction of their fund right here.
[ad_2]