Ten points if you got the reference, but on the 19th of April I headed up to the Pleasance Theatre to see a brand new production- Posh. Laura Wade’s fantastic play was twisted by director Cressida Carré to exchange all of the Bullingdon Club boys for girls- although they were still playing the roles with masculine characterisation the very presence of the women on the stage made a very important point about the presence of women in power- the fact is that it doesn’t matter who has the power- it’s what they do with it, the vulgar comments the characters made and the way they treated each other was wholly believable- the backstabbing and side taking was utterly close to the bone.
Whats on Stage point out how plays like Posh and The History Boys have launched male actors careers, whereas there has been no equivalent for female actors, imagining what a play like that might look like maybe this is the first step in inspiring someone to write that play.
On sitting down I discovered I was sat next to Oliver Dench, whom Kirsty and I had met after The School Play. It turns out he knew one of the actresses and we discussed the play, and it’s merits- the set especially and how it fits in with current trends in theatre- and it’s experiences like that one and the one I had at My Country that reinstated my love for the theatre community, that having that one thing in common can spark a conversation and learning experience for all those involved. If you love theatre you love opinion and that makes you interesting. And I love that.
-Kim