James Haddrell is the Artistic Director of the Greenwich Theatre. His creative choices have helped to diversify the productions staged within the venue. On one day, you may see a touring production of a satire of a classic novel and on another, a singer performing the works of Piaf. I was recently lucky enough to see his productions of the two Pinter plays, A Slight Ache and The Dumb Waiter. His directorial work and support of both fringe and new plays in general have helped to rejuvenate the Greenwich Theatre. This is the third time I have interviewed James Haddrell and each time I have learnt something new about the processes of theatrical production. I interviewed him just prior to the end of the run of the Pinter plays, so without further delay…
You are currently staging two of Harold Pinter’s plays in the
Greenwich Theatre, A Slight Ache and The Dumb Waiter. When did you first
become interested in Pinter’s work and what informed your choice of plays?
I have been interested in
Pinter’s work for years, with some key productions informing that – Malcolm
Storry in English Touring Theatre’s production of The Caretaker here in Greenwich and Keith Allen in The Homecoming come to mind. I have
always wanted to tackle The Dumb Waiter.
I’m a huge fan of Beckett too, and the links between The Dumb Waiter and Waiting
for Godot are clear. I love the evocation of old comedy double-acts that
sits within The Dumb Waiter, the
blend of absurd comedy and the surreal. And of course, the final tableau is
unforgettable. In seeking a suitable pairing for that, I wanted to find a piece
that contrasted as strongly as possible, and when I read A Slight Ache I was immediately convinced. Set in a different
class, replacing the real-time boredom of The
Dumb Waiter with an existential treatment of time, replacing the
psychological impact of casual violence with the psychological impact of
anxiety, agoraphobia and class-riddled social convention, the play nevertheless
does end with an astonishing, unforgettable reversal, and in that regard it
partners with The Dumb Waiter
perfectly.
I have seen many of Pinter’s plays before (several more than once)
and I found your production of A Slight
Ache to be revelatory. Your production subtly revealed to me a subtext involving
class relations, which I had not really considered before when seeing the play.
The rather insidious way that the couple feel the need to dictate the work of
the match seller. Do you agree that this is one way of exploring the play? Also
the play was originally a radio play, did this hold you back in any way or did
it liberate you, in terms of set design etc?
I think you’re absolutely right.
The couple’s casual disregard for the humanity of the Matchseller (whether he’s
there or not – he’s there for them so their conduct towards him is telling in
any case), the belief that they can buy him (Flora’s “can I buy your tray of
matches?” devalues his trade in such a dismissive way), their colonial view of
the world, whether talking about villages or continents – all of these come
from the disregard of others and the sense of self-importance held by those in
a position of economic strength.
The translation from radio to
stage is something we tackled before when we staged four of Caryl Churchill’s
short plays. There is an inherent challenge in the shift – radio drama needs a
script that describes everything, which delivered on stage can seem
over-written, dense and wordy. However, the biggest shift in this case is the
presentation of the match-seller on stage. On the radio there is no presence,
but I was adamant, whether the interloper proved to be real or not, that the
audience should see what Edward and Flora see. Whilst that may seem to limit
the audience’s interpretation of the nature of the figure, making a decision
for them, for me the match-seller is absolutely there – whether in the flesh or
as fantasy, Edward and Flora feel his presence so an audience should be invited
to share in that.
Pinter’s plays offer a variety of challenges for actors. Personally,
despite the fact that they loosely inhabit the so-called ‘Theatre of the
Absurd’, I have always felt that they capture the routine practices and regular
mundanity of the human condition in an often realistic fashion. Human
conversations are often uncomfortably punctuated with moments of silence. How do you as a director work with the actors
to inhabit characters who quite often have back stories that are not fully
developed?
I agree – mundanity, and the
sinister overtones that can exist within that mundanity, sits at the heart of
Pinter’s work. The question about back stories is an interesting one. Different
actors like to tackle that in different ways, but I always invite actors first
to draw out whatever is offered in the script and then to improvise and devise
a back story from that. For The Dumb
Waiter, the time it was set and the age of our characters meant that they
had probably both fought in the war. For Edward and Flora we had to make
decisions about family – there are no children mentioned but could they have
had children? Could Flora have wanted them and been let down by Edward? I do
think back story creation is an important exercise. Actors need to know what is
driving their characters and what associations their characters are making in
every statement, but as director I always make the creation of those stories a
collective exercise. All of the actors along with the creative team in the
rehearsal room have a place in devising each character’s story.
I have noticed that you often work with the same actors. For
example, you have worked with Kerrie Taylor on a few occasions. Does the
practice of working with someone whose methods you respect and understand add
to the development of the shows? How much input would you allow an actor in
creative decisions outside of the development of their character? If they
offered suggestions based on mise-en-scene etc, have you in the past or
currently, integrated such ideas into your productions?
Absolutely – working with the
same actor on a number of occasions is valuable for a range of reasons. It
creates a shorthand in rehearsal. It develops a deep sense of trust so if I
need to push actors to explore difficult emotional ideas they are prepared to
do that with me (Kerrie is tackling something very different with me now,
moving from Pinter to Philip Ridley’s Vincent
River in which she plays a mother whose son has been murdered). And yes,
absolutely – I always take suggestions on all aspects of a show from cast
members – particularly, I have to say, with costume, which can contribute to a
character and to an actor’s ability to embody that character.
Additionally, you seem to have a strong supportive team working
with you. How has working with the same Stage Manager, Cora Parkinson helped
you in the development of your shows?
Cora is a fantastic young stage
manager who I first worked with in 2021 when she was a first year technical
theatre student. I immediately hired her to work with me on a professional
basis, and Vincent River will be our
tenth show together. When you have someone in rehearsals that you’ve
collaborated with so many times, they become far more important than their job
title would suggest. Cora understands the aesthetic that I’m looking for, the
exercises I favour with actors, my sense of humour – and I always look to her
to validate decisions I’m making – does this work, is this funny, impactful,
appropriate? Those kind of collaborations are incredibly important for me, and
I’ve never been a believer in the auteur approach. I always make theatre with a
team.
You are shortly going to produce a new version of Philip Ridley’s Vincent River. I remember seeing the
play some time ago with Louise Jameson in the role of Anita. I have noticed
that you are pairing Kerrie Taylor in the role of Anita with a recently
graduated actor called Brandon Kimaryo as Davey. I feel that the pairing will
help to bring out the nuances of the play, the nature of experience and how
perceptions of any event differ based upon time and involvement. From your past
experience of working with actors at different points of their careers within
the same production, do you find that a very special energy and rapport
manifests as a result of the combination? Do both parties come away from the
experience with new insights into the art of creating characters?
Working with actors at different
stages of their careers is always exciting. It happened last year when we
presented Mike Bartlett’s An Intervention
with Lauren Drennan playing opposite newcomer Helen Ramsay, and as you say
we’re doing it again this year with Kerrie Taylor and Brandon Kimaryo. It’s
always challenging to work with actors who don’t share many cultural references
– I’m always referencing films, plays, music, directors, performance styles etc
in rehearsal, and often it means nothing to one of the two actors in the room –
but that’s exciting. I love the discoveries that everyone makes along the way,
and it’s definitely the case that all of the performers learn from each other.
I always encourage that in any rehearsal room. No actor is a complete master of
their craft, and clearly neither am I, and there is nobody with nothing to
share.
Philip Ridley is one of those playwrights that I have noticed more
as I have explored the productions of fringe theatre. As is the case with Harold
Pinter, I have seen a number of his plays. His plays also cover an eclectic
range of themes, relationships and their inevitable ups and downs, violence,
drugs and their repercussions. Sometimes, they are shocking and at other
moments, extremely tender. A number of his plays feature a small number of
characters, which allows him to focus on character development. What attracted
you to Philip Ridley and his works? There is definitely a continuing resurgence
of interest in his work. What do you feel is contributing to his current
popularity?
It’s such an interesting
question. I’ve loved Philip Ridley’s writing for years, but he’s certainly in
the ascendancy again. I think a lot of the things that his work deals with are
of particular importance to young audiences – identity, sexuality,
coming-of-age narratives, inter-generational power (which is not to say that
those things don’t impact on all ages, but they feel particularly live for
younger theatregoers) – and I think those audiences have become more important
to producers in the wake of the pandemic. Younger audiences have returned to
theatres, and to live performance, earlier than others, so venues need to
present work that appeals to that audience. Also, I think that Philip’s work is
fundamentally left-wing, and we’re living in a moment where the rise of the
right is being felt ever more painfully – so many of the issues that he
addresses have a renewed potency.
When you are producing the works of living playwrights, do you
ever approach them if there are ever any textual or content issues that you
wish to address that may be hindering certain aspects of the production of a
play? Alternatively, do you prefer to see the play text as the starting point
and that your job as a director is both to celebrate it but also to mould it
into something that is uniquely the work of yourself, the actors and your
production team?
I love having access to a
playwright – Philip has been into rehearsals already and we have been in
regular contact – but that said every new production has an obligation to
recreate a play for the time, the venue and the audience for which it exists.
Similarly when I take on a script I always strip out all of the stage
directions and start again with the words spoken by the characters. Also, although
I certainly don’t consider myself a writer, I often work with actors to write
interior monologues or conversations, to bring those charged theatrical
silences to life. In that way the script is just a starting point for the final
production.
Returning briefly to the subject of your current Pinter
productions, who designs your promotional images? The advertisement for The Dumb Waiter and A Slight Ache consisting of a gun and a wasp being forced backwards
against a yellow background is one of the most powerful images I have seen in a
while and it also succinctly captures the themes of the plays. The Vincent River promotional image is also
strikingly indicative of the contents of the play. Do you offer input into the
images that are used to promote the shows at the Greenwich Theatre?
Most of the posters for our
in-house productions are designed by a company called Dragonfly Design. I have
worked with them since about 2005 when I was the marketing manager for the
venue. Their main designer, Malcolm Reid, also did all of the editing and
production design for our online pandemic productions of Berkoff’s The Secret Love Life Of Ophelia and
Caryl Churchill’s The After-Dinner Joke.
With the posters, I always have an input but the final image is very much a
collaboration between Dragonfly and Greenwich Theatre.
I have noticed through your articles in the South London Press that you often highlight and celebrate the works
of other theatres. I feel a tremendous degree of respect for you for your
support of other theatres. How often do you get to see productions outside of
the Greenwich Theatre? Do you feel that in the current economic climate that
theatre visits are often sacrificed owing to ticket costs? To me as an audience
member and avid attendee of many productions, I feel that theatre is even more
relevant during times of turmoil. Would you agree with that sentiment?
My theatregoing has reduced a bit
in the past few years as I now have a young family, but I’m starting to rebuild
that. I’ve had great visits to the Unicorn Theatre and the Park Theatre
recently and I’m at Hampstead Theatre next week, and I obviously see a lot here
at Greenwich Theatre. Once my routine is back to its usual rhythm I’ll be
seeing 3-4 shows a week. I’m also planning to get back to the Edinburgh Fringe
this year or next, and I would usually catch 50-100 shows at the festival each
year. I do think that audience sizes are reduced at the moment, partly as a
hangover from the pandemic and partly because of the cost of living crisis –
and we’re also all finding that the audiences that are coming to see our shows
are booking far later than they used to. Younger audiences make later decisions
anyway I think, and more traditional audiences got so used to last minute
cancellations or illness, and then train strikes and even horrendous weather,
that I think they have been reconditioned to make later decisions.
And yes, I’d completely agree.
Theatre is at its strongest, as all the arts are, in times of turmoil. Stories
offer either escapism or intellectual challenge, taking audiences away from
difficult situations or helping to confront them – I feel privileged to be a
part of an industry with storytelling at its heart.
What are your future plans with the Greenwich Theatre? Will your
theatre continue to offer a creative space for students and also continue to
stage an eclectic range of productions for both adults and children?
Absolutely. We’re planning to
maintain our recent run of in-house productions of work by important
playwrights – the work is attracting attention across the industry and beyond,
and at a time when the availability of touring theatre has reduced it is vital
for us to fill the gaps with quality shows. At the same time, Greenwich Theatre
occupies a really important position in the national theatre ecology. We are a
mid-scale venue where young companies can step up from the fringe and try out
new work without risking huge amounts of money, but where they can earn a good
return if their show does well. We will continue to support and nurture those
early career artists, in both the main house and the studio, and to present
work for a wide audience. Our work for families and children also remains
important to us. The 2023 Greenwich Children’s Theatre Festival was the biggest
ever, and plans are well underway for this year’s pantomime, as well as a host
of other family shows in between. It may sound like a cliché, but we really do
strive to offer something for everyone at Greenwich Theatre…
Thanks to James for allowing me to interview him again and I
recommend that you go to see Vincent
River at the Greenwich Theatre (23rd
June 2023-15th July 2023) if
you can.
Afterword.
The Greenwich Theatre continues to offer an eclectic range of
productions for all ages. Please see the
link to their website below:
Greenwich Theatre, London
Off-West End Theatre
Any references to Harold Pinter’s plays are used to illuminate
this blog and the Greenwich Theatre’s recent productions. They are copyright to their respective
copyright holders. If you ever get the
chance to see Pinter’s plays, please go and see them as his works are still
amongst the most vital and important plays in modern UK theatre.
Also the works of Stephen Berkoff, Caryl Churchill, Samuel Beckett and Mike Bartlett are also
worthy of your attention, if you like to see eclectic plays that touch on a
myriad of themes and ideas.
Dragonfly Design have their own website, if you would like to see
further examples of their work:
Dragonfly (dragonfly-design.co.uk)
James Haddrell is a regular columnist in the South London Press newspaper, which can also be read online:
South London News – South London
Press & Mercury (londonnewsonline.co.uk)
Additionally,
the Unicorn Theatre, Park Theatre and Hampstead Theatre are all theatres who
produce essential works:
What's
on | The Unicorn Theatre
The term 'The Theatre of the Absurd' was coined by the writer, Martin Esslin in relation to the works of a number of significant playwrights writing during the 50s and 60s including Pinter, Beckett, Ionesco and Pirandello. He wrote an excellent book on the subject entitled The Theatre of the Absurd which is still available and offers a good way in to Absurdist writings. An edition is currently available from Bloomsbury Publishing. Although, it can also be bought second hand too.
Photos and promotional images (Used with the permission of James Haddrell & the Greenwich Theatre).
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| James Haddrell directing at the Greenwich Theatre. |
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| Flora and the Matchseller embracing a moment of possibility and change in 'A Slight Ache'. (Flora played by Kerrie Taylor and the Matchseller by Tony Mooney) .jpg) in 'A Slight Ache'. (The Matchseller played by Tony Mooney and Edward played by Jude Akuwudike) |
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| Gus and Ben waiting for their job in 'The Dumb Waiter'. (Gus played by Jude Akuwudike and Ben by Tony Mooney) |
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| The brilliant promotional image for 'The Dumb Waiter' and 'A Slight Ache'. |
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| Kerrie Taylor and Brandon Kimaryo. Also promotional image for 'Vincent River'. |
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| A promotional image for the forthcoming production of 'Vincent River' at the Greenwich Theatre. |
