by David Hennessey. With Max Elton, Matthew Blaney and Stephen Kennedy
by Dave B. With Max Elton and Matthew Blaney.
by David Henessey. With David Ireland & Daragh O’Malley.
Could you first introduce yourself to the reader? (Sarah Roy answers)
I’m Sarah Roy, I’m the producer of the show and I also star in it. Derek Ahonen is the writer and director.
How would you describe your show?
Catherine and Anita is about a woman trying to overcome the obstacles in her life with the help of her best friend. It’s a story about love, friendship and also the destruction that can be caused by unchecked childhood trauma.
Why do you want to perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
It’s a fantastic place to show new work. Edinburgh audiences tend to be very open-minded and enjoy seeing things they haven’t seen before.
What differentiates it from other festivals?
The diversity that Edinburgh Festival Fringe brings is incredible. My favourite show last year was a clown show! I wouldn’t normally get to see anything like that.
Do you think the Fringe has changed over the years? If so, how? Are these changes positive or negative?
I think the fact that the Fringe has grown so much over the years means that while there is more opportunity to show your work to a wider audience, it’s obviously a lot more competitive.
What first motivated you to enter the industry? Who were your inspirations?
There are definitely certain productions and performances that have stuck in my mind over the years and inspired me to get into the industry. I think if you can affect even one member of the audience in some way or another then that’s a hugely powerful thing.
One of my acting inspirations has to be Kate Fleetwood. I first saw her in Macbeth about 10 years ago and she blew me away.
If you didn’t have your current job, what would you probably be doing?
I love producing as well as acting so probably something down that road.
If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
Ummm… an actor?
What is your earliest childhood art memory?
Seeing The Nutcracker with my mum.
Do you ever feel any pressure to be a social commentator, or constantly update material to respond to events?
(Writer/director Derek Ahonen answers) Naturally one wants to make a social impact within your material. But the word “pressure” confuses me. That suggests I have a responsibility to fulfil to society as an artist. I don’t. I choose to create what I create out of passion and then just hope it resonates with others. My only “responsibilities” are to live up to the potential my producers are expecting of me in the work we agreed to create.
Equally, do you think there has been a shift in public sentiment that has affected your work?
This is my first play since this current wave of world madness has begun. And it’s a personal story about one woman’s childhood trauma left unchecked. But if you have the time, go back and read what I was writing from 2007 to 2014: in all ten of those plays you’ll call them a warning to liberals as to what was coming if they didn’t focus better. It’s ALL there. The anger of the working class. But now I’d rather write stories about how the things that happen to us as children keep us in an endless cycle of adult insanity.
Describe the last year in 5 words or less.
A victory for the angry.
If you could work with anybody, from any point in history, who would you pick and why?
Mae West. She’s the best comedic actor of all time. And also, she wrote or co-wrote all her dialogue so I’d just like to sit in a room with her and watch her turn a malaprop into something genius on accident.
Original article: Voice
What was the inspiration for this performance?
I had wanted to write a one person show for a decade, but never had a fully formed idea. When Sarah Roy, the star of the show, came to me last year with the thought of collaborating on a one woman show, I actually had some realistic thoughts.
I wanted the story to be about mental health first off. And secondly, I wanted it not to be a preachy monologue play or some kind of typical one person show where one actor was playing fifteen different roles (And one of them is always a homeless person. I hate that. Lily Tomlin perfected it decades ago. Retire it.)
So it had to be a play about mental health that doesn’t break the fourth wall and whose mission isn’t to showcase an actor’s range through multiple characters. So Sarah and I spoke at length and loved the concept of what will result in the production of CATHERINE AND ANITA.
Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas?
It’s as good as any other forum for ideas. The medium itself may be the best space for intelligent debate. The more important question is whether the time spent on building an idea is worth it when the number of people who will participate in such a discussion is incredibly limited.
How did you become interested in making performance?
I don’t know. There’s a lot of time on earth to fill and I haven’t found anything better to fill it with other than this.
Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?
Each show is different. But I do like to spend a lot of time at the table before we get on our feet. The table is the fun part. It’s about learning the language. The getting on the feet part is about solving problems.
Does the show fit with your usual productions?
Not even close. This is a one woman show. The past five shows I’ve written have been with large casts. A couple have had over 25 actors in them. But my artistic sensibility and my world view are very much consistent in all productions including this one. I call them all Gallows Humor Dramas. My plays are all about people that are laughing their asses off while the ship is sinking.
What do you hope that the audience will experience?
Disorientation. Humor. Maybe some tears. Mainly I want them to be entertained and for time to disappear. This is where artists can really sound pretentious. So I try to keep my conversation to this question limited.
What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?
Again… I don’t want to know how a magician does what he does. I’m just grateful that he’s trying to entertain me.
Original article: The Vile Blog
Actress Sarah Roy talks about her new play Catherine & Anita and the mix of challenges and cathartic relief that comes from playing such emotionally-charged characters every night.
I remember seeing Cush Jumbo’s Josephine and I at the Bush Theatre a few years ago and thinking, “Wow. I want to do that.” I’m a firm believer that you should always do the things that scare you and the thought of doing a one-woman show was terrifying. So naturally I had to give it a go.
I’d worked with Derek Ahonen (the writer and director of Catherine and Anita) for years in New York so I asked him what he thought of my crazy idea. We had a few discussions about the direction we wanted to go in and Catherine and Anita was born.
Catherine and Anita is a dark comedy about a woman a mental health disorder who is attempting to overcome some outrageous obstacles in her life with the help of her best friend Anita.
One of the biggest challenges for me as an actor doing this play is portraying a character with Catherine’s problems when I have no firsthand experience of them. I did a lot of research in preparing for the role and one of the things I became acutely aware of is how difficult it is for a lot of people to talk about their illnesses particularly to family and friends.
Although the issue of mental health is becoming more talked about now, it still has a certain stigma attached to it and the loneliness that can come from living with a mental health problem is something that Derek and I wanted to touch upon with the play. Although as an audience member you see the vulnerable side of Catherine, she is an incredibly empowered woman and the challenge is making sure that that comes across to the audience as well.
The other obvious challenge of playing such an emotionally charged character, particularly in a sixty minute one-woman show, is the physical and mental exhaustion. It is important to me as an actor to look after myself physically and mentally which means a lot of gym time and meditating!
I can’t wait for Edinburgh audiences to come on Catherine and Anita’s wild journey and I hope that it can bring awareness to a topic that needs more conversation.
Catherine and Anita plays at the Assembly Rooms from 3rd-26th August (not 15th or 22nd) during the Edinburgh Fringe.
Original Article: Female First
