We caught up with Joy & Mimi from Bashir Productions about their latest show, The Falconbridge School for Girls.
Tell us a bit about you as a company and this show?
Bashir Productions is a registered charity and Theatre Company. We specialise in giving a platform to writers, directors, casting directors, actors and, well, everyone in the industry! The Falconbridge School for girls is a project that we put together last minute and introduced one concept of it being in an all girls School. We had six writers, and each writer had 10 minutes to do what they want- and that’s how the play came together
Your play is quite unique in that it has so many different directors and writers! What have been the challenges and benefits of doing this?
The benefit is that we ended up with a very varied play with all these different voices coming in different stories, different themes all under the same umbrella, being explored in different ways which I find really engaging in a play. It never gets boring because it doesn’t have time to get boring! The challenge, I think, is that it’s quite hard to coordinate everyone because some of the teams worked quite closely with each other and some of them were almost completely separate, and we only found out what they were doing at the dress rehearsal- which but it all works out fine.
What have you enjoyed the most about this project?
Seeing everyone come together, especially at the dress rehearsal, and just enjoy themselves and letting themselves be free. The writers coming in and watching their work being performed, and being happy with that.
I think it’s been such a nice experience. Everyone’s been so supportive of each other, and just being helpful and friendly. It’s really nice seeing the people getting a chance to do their thing and show what they can do. Most of the people are recent graduates, or they haven’t been to drama school and they’re just getting started. It’s nice to see what people can do when they’ve been given the chance.
What do you think people will like most about the show?
The diverse cast, the different stories, how we transition from one place to another, the flow of things, how we end it with a song- and at the beginning of the show all the cast are on stage.
I feel like it’s a show with a lot of energy and passion in it. I know everyone says that about their show, but it’s extra true because people are desperate to show their stuff. You kind of get more of a buzz from that, and I think that really comes through.
You’re tackling some big issues, how have you found tackling such a variety of topics?
I think it isn’t as difficult as it would have been if it was just one story, but because it’s lots of separate small stories they sort of all deal with their own thing, and it kind of worked then because it wasn’t just one writer shaving like all of the stuff into one story. Also because they’re all in the same setting it still feels unified.
Are you hoping to develop the piece? If so, how?
I think they would have to be a lot more changes and making it more as one play rather than short scenes.
Favourite line from the play?
“People call it tequila, I call it freedom.”
Three words to describe the play?
Exciting, teenage and friendship.
Tell us a funny story from rehearsals?
When we were about to go on, I ended up losing my phone so during the show. I was running about, quietly panicked, trying to find it in case it went off. It ended up being in the dressing room!
Anything else people should know before coming to the show?
Wear light clothes, it’s really hot in there! Also, don’t be afraid to laugh!
Two Lasses in London 