In this week's Backstage Blog, we chat with performer Charlotte Palmer about The National Drama School's upcoming production, WHAT'S THIS?, premiering at Explosives Factory this Wednesday 13th November.
Q. What was the genesis point for your new work? What parameters were you
given?
A. As a source material we were given Edgar Allen Poe as a starting point to draw inspiration from. From this, we worked both individually and with Jaime and Marz, to find the heartbeat of the work.
Q. What should audiences expect when they are coming to see What's this?
A. Audiences should expect to be drawn into the gray area. What’s This? sits in a
space between the everyday and the fantastical. They should expect a
rollercoaster, one that re-imagines Poe’s tales in exciting ways, questions human wants and desires and the consequences of the choices we do or don’t make.
Q. What has been the most memorable moment of creation in this work?
A. What sticks out to me is the first time we brought all our solos together. I could
begin to see the show as a whole and the work of my ensemble which was
exciting. Although we had been working on our solos individually, it was cool to
see that there were links starting to form between the pieces slowly creating our
gothic, liminal landscape.
Q. We are playing Connections, the category is What's this? What were the
four words that made this connection?
A. Horror, desire, truth, control
Q. If you could have anyone in the world see this show, who would it be and
why?
A. I guess the easy answer to this would be Poe as he is a big inspiration for the
show. But our show is rooted in our ensemble, we have supported each other
through the process and we have come together as one throughout our time at
The National Drama School. So if I were to have anyone see our show, it would
be the tutors and directors who have helped and support and build our ensemble
to what it has become. Or any aspiring theatre makers, or fans of the gothic
horror genre. And Meryl Streep would be good too.
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