ONE WRITE STAND: A NEW WRITING SHOWCASE
4th November 2018 at The Vaults, Waterloo
For the fourth year running, Front of House Theatre Company returned to The Vaults with One Write Stand, the latest of their annual new writing showcases. It featured stories of athletes and brutalist architecture alongside meditations on identity, belonging and the games we play with one another.
With a mixture of new and returning writers and directors, the show featured five brand new plays produced and performed by the Front of House staff at a certain large concrete building on the South Bank.
Witness the Fitness
Written and Directed by Gavin J Innes
Just minutes after the race of his life, an athlete is selected for a random drug test and confined to a small, windowless room in the depths of the stadium. To leave, all he has to do is pee into a plastic tub but the task proves difficult under the microscopic observation of the ever vigilant chaperone. As emotions and procedures begin to unravel, we start to ask: “can’t he, or won’t he?”
Athlete: Carl Blades | Chaperone: Rus Kallan
***
Solicitation Games
By Carl Blades | Directed by Neil Gordon | Dramaturgy by Katie Overstall
Monica and Eric finally have an evening off and they are spending it together. As they play their flirtatious mind games, Eric comes to realise that being in the same room and being together are two very different things; he can’t keep sleepwalking through the same routines. Then Helen arrives at his door and something about her piques his curiosity. When there are so many different ways to be lonely, what does it take to form a genuine connection?
Eric: Joshua Ashley | Monica: Rachelle Grubb | Helen: Kate Sketchley
***
Selfhood
By Aaron Gordon | Directed by Elliott Bornemann
Izzy and Kwame are in a loving relationship, they just find the topic of race a little awkward. Izzy and Lexi are sisters, their relationship far from loving. Lexi likes to stir things up, especially when it comes to Kwame. As Izzy and Kwame prepare to move in together, Lexi is causing trouble once again, piling pressure on the couple.
Izzy: Eleanor Neylon | Kwame: Omar Austin | Lexi: Lauren Lewis
***
Brutalism
By Michael Ross| Directed by Tom Ward
Some call them eyesores, others, works of art. Love them or hate them, the Brutalist housing estates that litter the capital are a fact of London life. But what effect do they have on those who live within their walls? Kevin thinks he’s OK where he is, but Nina has other ideas, and she will stop at nothing to pursue them. It’s not until a visit from a police officer that she begins to question things.
Kevin: Stephen Redwood | Nina: Amy Beckett |
PC Jenkins: Jamie Spindlove
***
I Heart Mary
By Emma Bentley | Directed by Courtney Larkin
“Sometimes when I get home I have all these grand ideas of the wonderful things I am going to do.”
I Heart Mary examines how much we give of ourselves when we work in the customer service industry. Three women try to keep hold of their ambitions and relationships in this tricky, busy world, before they realise they’ve lost their voice completely.
Performed by Mauricia Lewis | Olivia Seaton-Hill | Trica Wey
***
Showcase Team
Producer: Helen Thomas
Assistant Producer: Katie Overstall
Assistant Stage Managers: Tunde Garrison & Edward Mosse
Design Consultant: Neil Gordon
Production Photography & Logo Design: Alex Grey
Poster Design: Katie Overstall
With thanks to Shahail Woodcock, Daisy Mouatt & Ben Szüts
Adam Smith
Bec Hill
Ami, Kieron, Jess and all at The Vaults.
Front of House Theatre Company 