Emma Gray and Grace Carter met behind the famous Broadway bar. Now they've come full circle, launching their new play Yeah, No, Fine at Broadway. But how did they do it? What challenges were there to overcome?
How did you come to be playwrights?
Emma: So, we're just going to clarify that. I come from more of a background of devising. And this is kind of a devised show. It's not necessarily like, we sat down and wrote the script. It was very much like we got in the room, we explored and improvised bits, and then took a lot of different aspects of our lives, and jumbled them all together. And the show has come about as a result of that. Since we first performed the play, we've done quite a lot of editing, and that's been much more playwriting, to really hone down the point of the show. But essentially, it's more of a devised show than just a written script. If that makes sense.
Grace: It's funny, because aside from this project, I have a very sort of structured approach to playwriting. Whereas this I think, when you're collaborating, is more exploring and devising. So when we came together, although I wrote down more of the script, that was based on our devising.
Emma: And in terms of structuring the play, and what's it about, that was very much like, we want a character like this, and we know that. And so, it's been like sculpturing, this play, instead of just having the bone structure. We've been throwing different things at it. But yeah, I did devising at university. And we're both performers, which means we both have creative brains that aren't ‘Oh, I know how to write it, but I don't know how to perform it’. We both know how to perform it. There’s definitely a process of writing alongside knowing what it's going to look like on stage.
What can you tell us about 'Yeah, No, Fine.'
Grace: It's about a writer who ‘s given a writing commission, that’s very unclear what it's about. And it's thrust upon her. And she’s got a week to get it done. That's what's driving her. But in the midst of it, there's characters and situations that she can't necessarily control. She's trying to manage everything, as it's snowballing. Emma is Alice, the main character, and I multi-role within it. And basically, the whole tension is will she do it or will she not. Which I think a lot of people feel when they're trying to do something or pursue a career. It's not always simple. And it's about deciding what things in your life you should really pursue and what not.
Emma: It's a very playful piece of theatre with comedy. It's very interactive. Playful is the key word. It's a bit of fun, but it's got a point to it, and there are values in it. It's a fun night out to see a piece of playful theatre and hopefully everybody will enjoy it.
it was a friendship born out of being silly and playful
How did you come to be performing at Broadway?
Emma: We actually met at Broadway, in 2021. We both worked on the bar. There's a lot of creatives at Broadway. It's a bit of a creative hub. Anyway, it literally took, three months, before we’d decided to write a show together. We sort of figured out very quickly that we're both into comedy and theatre.
Grace: We were improvising before we became friends.
Emma: Yeah, it was a friendship born out of being silly and playful. And when we actually had to be serious, it felt a bit weird. But that's when we had to sit down and go, should we write a show together? Because I've got a background in devising and directing, Grace’s got a background in writing, this could gel very nicely. And we've got a very similar humour. We started meeting to create the show in January 2022. So, it’s been a bit of a full circle moment in that because we worked at Broadway, they allowed us to use their space downstairs to workshop and rehearse. And then we performed it at Amplify Festival last year. Just a matinee and an evening performance. And the CEO of Broadway came to see it, who was like, you should absolutely do that here. And actually, Broadway's cafe bar is a really good space to do that in because it belongs to the people and we are creating a show in their space. So hopefully, they will feel they can interact with the show more.
The play tackles boundaries, priorities, people pleasing and guilt. Why did you write about these themes?
Grace: I'd say women often feel worried about upsetting people. Worried about not reaching certain expectations. But also, for everyone, post COVID and the cost-of-living crisis and the modern online culture of overconsumption, it feels hard to connect, or even have a break. This isn't a play saying this is an antidote to burnout. And we're not going to tell you how to solve it. It's more an exploration of why is this happening? And can we solve it? Can we be gentler on ourselves? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
Emma: I think just being in your 20s, you’re trying to figure out the world, your life, your career, relationships. There's just so much that’s packed into the pressure cooker of your 20s that you're fighting to keep your head above water. We met a point where both of us were experiencing that, especially on a bar. Both of us were working and balancing all sorts at the same time, it became kind of obvious very quickly. We needed to write a show about it.
Do women still face obstacles in the theatre industry?
Grace: We used the word ‘smear test’ within the copy. And it was criticized that we shouldn't use that word because it might put people off. And from my experience, a man talking about his whatever, or making jokes about male things, that won’t put people off. But women putting womanhood within a comedic context, might put people off? So yeah, there are some circumstances when women, especially comedic women, are put into a box.
Emma: We both bonded straightaway over Victoria Wood, who is very good at being a woman and being funny. But I've seen interviews where she says ‘I'm just talking about my experience of being a woman, but I'm not putting it into a box. I think men still can relate to it and find it funny.’ And they did.
I appreciate seeing myself reflected in a piece of work, where they're talking about periods or something and it actually takes me by surprise that they put it in. That's when I notice ‘Oh, actually, women's stories aren't told as often or they're restricted.’ And it's not until I see it that I go ‘Whoa, I see myself in this’. But theatre in general is not accessible to anyone. You'll only get by in theatre if you are really passionate about it and are ready to hustle.
What's your proudest achievement to date?
Emma: The performance in the Neville Studio. And that it all came from meeting each other on a bar. And now we've written this hour long show and people enjoyed it. We've devised it, written it, directed it, performed it, and then produced. And I'm proud of us for grabbing that opportunity by the horns and that's made us think, okay, I want to keep doing this, because I just love it.
So, you’ve devised it but you also act it. How do you approach the acting
Grace: Because we'd written it, we already knew the fabric of the characters. And then we were really playful. And exploring every avenue with every character. So, just playing around with practicing loads, over and over and over again.
Emma: People had mentioned from our last performance that we had a chemistry and I think that came before the play came. In terms of like onstage, you're an onstage presence together, you're bouncing off each other. And that comes from being playful from the get-go, and being playful with the characters. We are just being silly at the end of the day, in a professional way.
Any advice to younger folk hoping to get started in theatre?
Emma: I've spoken to quite a few younger people who are trying to get into acting. I would say, just start creating stuff, it doesn't have to look professional, just grab a phone and video stuff. Like I made a mocumentary about the park that I lived opposite growing up. You don't need an agent to go out and be playful. But if you're wanting to get into performing, you need to be passionate about doing it, especially in theatre where you've got to hustle to get on. If you're doing it for money, then you're going to be disappointed. So, I would encourage anyone, just go and do it. Don't let anything hold you back.
Grace: Read loads, wherever you get hands on. Watch loads. So, you can really define your own style and your own voice. Because that's unique to you. And figure out what makes you angry and use that.
What's next for Grace and Emma?
Grace: Well, we're applying to fund hopefully a bit of a rural tour. We're both very passionate about doing localized performances.
Emma: If we could take the show back to Grimsby and reach new audiences. Because this is a show that can go in any space really, we can take it to someone's library, someone's front room. And just proving that theatre doesn't have to be for the elite. But who knows what comes after that. We're always going to be being silly and playful. Whether that comes out in online content, social media content, film, who knows?
Yeah, No, Fine runs at the Broadway Cinema on the 21st, 22nd, and 25th of August 2024
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