Acclaimed Queensland actors Emily Burton ('Single Asian Female') and Jackson McGovern ('Death Of A Salesman') star in the searing new play 'Naked And Screaming' at Brisbane's La Boite Theatre.
The world premiere show from award-winning Australian playwright Mark Rogers sees a couple dealing with the struggles of being new parents. Emily (Burton) and Simon (McGovern) find that their relationship has begun to unravel, when sleep-deprived Emily leaves her baby asleep on a train in the early hours of the morning.
The show is a fly-on-the-wall look at a shaky relationship and the domino effects of a dangerous decision set to alter the lives of everyone in the family.
Here, Playwright Mark Rogers gives us an insight into 'Naked And Screaming'.
Tell us a little bit about this new show.
'Naked And Screaming' is a two-hander about new parenthood. It puts you inside the life of this couple as they deal with what having a baby can do to your relationship and your sense of yourself.
When you were writing 'Naked And Screaming' what were the main themes/ideas you were considering for it?
I try not to think of my writing in terms of themes. I prefer to think about what the play will do to its audience. For this play, I was interested in thrilling them, testing them and galvanising them to consider their own relationships.
And did you have any particular type of audience in mind?
I think the play will really resonate with people who are parents, but more broadly, the play really takes a deep look at how people talk to each other in their most intimate relationships. Hopefully everyone will be able to connect to the complexity of that.
Image © Dylan Evans
What is one of the biggest challenges in putting a show like this on?
Other than just getting it on at all? Nailing the form of it will be hard I think. Time skips around a lot and there’s a fair bit of information that comes in the form of projected text – so co-ordinating all of that will be a challenge for sure.
On the other side of that, what's something rewarding that has come from its creation?
The conversations we’ve been having in the room have been really exciting. Lots of the creative team (including me) are parents themselves and the insight we’ve all gleaned about the particular challenges and joys of that early baby period have been a delight. We’ve been laughing a lot.
What does it mean to you to be presenting 'Naked And Screaming' at La Boite for its world premiere?
It’s extremely exciting. Sanja Simic (the Director) and I have been making work together for ten years but this is our first Main Stage gig together. It feels like coming home to have her attacking the text and getting in there with the actors. I’m stoked that Brisbane will get to see our work!
Why is this theatre the perfect place for it?
La Boite holds a position as one of the most important producers of new work in Australia. They have a great track record of putting on challenging new work that digs into the most significant issues of today. I can’t imagine a better theatre, or a better team to be putting on this play!
