Caro Meets Theatre Interview

Adam Spreadbury-Maher: Strangers In Between

By | Published on Thursday 16 June 2016

strangersinbetween

Part of an ongoing strand showcasing the work of Australian writers, this production of Tommy Murphy’s ‘Strangers In Between’ has promising credentials, not least because of the involvement of seasoned creative (and Aussie import!) Adam Spreadbury-Maher, AD of the King’s Head Theatre, is at the helm.

To find out more about the play, and why he’s chosen to focus on the work of his fellow Australians, I put some questions to Adam, ahead of the upcoming run.

CM: Can you start by telling us something about the content of the play? What story does it tell?
AS-M: Well, it’s the story of Shane, really: he’s a sixteen year old kid that’s grown up in a small, quite backward community and he’s run away to the glitz and the glamour of Sydney’s King’s Cross, which is kind of like their Soho. He’s working in a bottle shop, and he’s sort of test-driving being an adult I guess; he’s trying out different skins and different types of relationships and seeing what fits. It’s about figuring out who you are, where you’ve come from and where you’re going.

CM: How did you discover the play and what made you want to direct it?
AS-M: I actually went to school with the playwright, Tommy Murphy, and though he was a few years older than me, I kind of always knew he was something quite extraordinary. Fast forward a few years and I’m working in the theatre in London and his name would crop up time and time again. I was invited to work as the associate director on the London production of his ‘Holding The Man’ so I made a point of reading all of his plays and that’s when I came across ‘Strangers In Between’. It’s stayed with me ever since and now is just the right time to do it.

CM: Can you tell us a bit about the playwright?
AS-M: For me, Tommy captures the spirit of Australia in an unassuming and unpretentious way; there’s a real authenticity to his work. Beyond that, he’s just a terrific craftsman, his scripts are gnomic, he does so much with so little when it comes to dialogue and to structure. He’s the kind of writer that just demands to be performed, you can’t just read it!

CM: The staging of this is part of an ongoing exploration of contemporary Australian playwrights – what made you decide to take things in this direction?
AS-M: I think there are some great Australian plays and writers out there that don’t really get the attention they deserve in London. You certainly don’t see as much Australian work as you do American work, so I like to do my bit to redress the balance. Other than that, it really does just come down to taste.

CM: Are your cast-members Australian? Who are they and how did you find them?
AS-M: We’ve got a mixture of Australian and non-Australian actors. Roly Botha, who is playing Shane, will making his professional stage debut with us, which is very exciting. Dan Hunter is a fantastic actor who trained in Australia and has just moved over here, whilst Stephen Connery-Brown is no stranger to the London stage. They’re all such high calibre actors and it’s a wonderful opportunity to work with them on such a beautiful script.

CM: How do you balance your time between directing individual shows and being the AD of the venue?
AS-M: I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t tough. I think it takes a certain kind of person to pull it off, but I’ve never really been a freelance director, I’ve always been an artistic director, so I am used to finding that balance. I haven’t spent much time in a rehearsal room for the past eighteen months because I’ve been setting up a wonderful new team at the King’s Head, but now I think we’ve reached a place where everything’s working as it should be, and I can take more of a step back. There are still early morning meetings and late night emails to contend with but I think it’s important to go back to directing, I want to create work that’s part of what the King’s Head stands for.

CM: What’s coming up next for you and the King’s Head Theatre?
AS-M: Well, I’m taking my production of ‘Trainspotting’ back up to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and then on to Bristol for three weeks, and I’m getting ready to direct an opera. I’ve written the libretto for this one; it’s a brand new take on a much-loved classic. There are plenty more things in the pipeline too. Stay tuned.

‘Strangers In Between’ is on at King’s Head from 21 Jun-16 Jul. See this link here for all the details and to book your tickets.

LINKS: www.kingsheadtheatre.com | twitter.com/ASMchats

Photo: Andreas Grieger



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