Blackout, by the Thickskin company has been one of the 2010 highlights for Hairline magazine. Previously we interviewed Neil Bettles and now we turn our attention to the young cast of five: James Buchanon, Daniel Cahill, Dannielle Stewart, Joanne Thomspson and Tom Vennel. They are all young teenagers but despite their age, they immediately had reviewers Martin Miller and Morag Donald amazed by their passion for the show and their articulate answers.
Bright, chatty and full of enthusiasm we chat about this being their first time at the Festival and how they can not believe the overwhelming feedback they have had from both audience members who have came to them in tears, and professionals in the field including Gregory Burke, director of last year’s sensation ‘Black Watch’. But the greatest feedback, they tell us, has come from writer Davey Anderson. As Vernel reflects, “It was also interesting the way the author wrote it. He did not lay out any stage direction or characters. It made it interesting in rehearsals as we had to pick out our own lines. It was written as continuous dialogue, a massive monologue. We had Davy in during the rehearsals, we did a read through for him and the way we switched between characters was something he had not thought about before”. Clearly the writer knew his production was in safe hands, even admitting that the cast had done things with the monologue that he could never have imagined.
The production has been receiving great word of mouth, and the cast feel the appeal lies in this being a universal story that speaks to everyone. They reflect, “when we first talked to Neil, the director, we asked him how much we felt Blackout reflected Glasgow culture, and he said it was not about reflecting Glasgow culture, it could reflect any culture, similar stories in London, the dialect could just be altered to suit”.
This is a talkative bunch, and they all have their opinions, loudly talking over each other. It is only when it comes to describing a synopsis of the show that the cast become more subdued, collectively answering “For a long time we were saying it was about a young offender, but we began to feel we did not agree with that statement. We think it is more about a young Glasgow boy and the choices he makes that turns him into this monster, but I don’t think you can really blame his past for that, it is an element that you need to know, but I think the thing we wanted to get across through the narrators was to make it really impartial, not preachy, at the end to leave it as open ended as we could. That this boy could go back out and re-offend again”.
When we ask them about audience feedback they positively beam with pride, “Some of the initial feedback from the audience has been that if they had just heard this story, they would have instantly judged this boy as you would do if you read a newspaper article, but people felt having seen the having seen an insight into the before and after that their viewpoint was changing”.
Here, then, lies the shows real pulling power, its ability to force the audience to look at the facts and make their own judgement. It is deliberately left open ended, forcing you to make your opinions. For a young cast to be able to convey such a powerful message is incredible and we at Hairline wish them well for the future.
Finally , the cast was up for some quick questions, and we had great laughs with their answers:
Q: Describe 10 essential items for the festival
deep heat, irn bru, umbrella, crisps, festival pass, lots and lots of money, microwave cheap food, a good liver that can take all the alcohol.
Q: Ideal day for the fringe
a sunny day with some sort of plan, plans to see some shows. A day when we don’t need to flier in the morning, so we could go and see a show in the morning.
Q: Could you describe your show in 10 words?
honest, unflinching, heart-rendering, thought provoking, imaginative, powerful ,real, bold.
Q: What is your ideal audience member?
This woman came up to me, whose son had been convicted of attempted murder, she said she had never really considered the after effects. She had not considered what might be going through his head. Amazing to know we are really depicting this. The people who it might be most potent towards would be people our age and mothers. However it is not directed at them, it is a universal story that can appeal to people on different levels. We wanted it to strike a chord with a lot of people. All ages have said they have got something out of it. Grown men who have come out saying things like ‘I have never cried so much in my life’.
Q: Any shows you feel are worth recommending?
Beautiful Burnout. All the things at the Traverse all seem to be highly recommended. We are keen to see so much more…
Q: If you could describe your show as a Hollywood film, what would it be?
American History X, but not as severe…
Words: Martin Miller
Photographs: Chris Kidd
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