We love a monologue here at TW Towers and I think what might be even better than one monologue is two monologues, paired and with shared themes. 

Just such a show is coming up at the White Bear Theatre shortly. The two plays, connected by the theme of violence, are ‘Misconduct’ by Dom Riley and ‘Ladykiller’ by Madeline Gould. Starring Gwithian Evans and Geebs Marie Williams (pictured), the plays have been brought together by director Claire Evans. 

I spoke to Claire, to find out more about the monologues and their narratives, as well as her directorial approach to the show. 

CM: Can you start by telling us a bit about the narratives of the two plays? Who are they about and what stories do they tell?
CE: ‘Misconduct’ focuses on Richie’s story.

Richie is a young male in a friendship group that is on the brink of being broken up because his best friend from school, Mickey, has gone off to university and is forging a very different life from Richie, whose trajectory is bleak.

Richie is telling the story of their last day out at a big match away in Leeds, the journey to Leeds and what happened when they reached Elland Road. The play is about male friendship, football and how life can throw a curve ball – or perhaps a curve lime in this instance – and how violence can change the lives of everyone.

‘Ladykiller’ is told by Her, a chambermaid in a hotel who kills a guest in an act of extreme violence. The play is a deep dive into her dark psychology, as presented by herself. It is about violence and where that comes from, and, in particular, violence perpetrated by women.

What fascinates Her is how one gets away with violence, the theatre of crime. Beneath the dissection of what she has done and how she proposes not being caught is a darker and sadder tale of how she finds herself in a hotel room with blood on her hands. Literally.

CM; What themes do the two plays explore? Which themes connect them?
CE: Each of the plays explores several themes, but what brought them together in my mind were the central acts of violence, both stabbings.

This is what connects them primarily. But each play is exploring the psychology behind violence and the underlying hurt, pain and sadness that lurks beneath. 

I liked that one of them was a male story written by a male writer and that the other focused on a female character and was written by a female writer – hence the umbrella title ‘He Said/She Said’.

CM: Are they political? Do they have a specific message?
CE: I think, arguably, any play tackling powerful issues is also bound to have a political subtext. 

Richie is a white, working-class man with no direction to his life. The one anchor in his life, his best friend, has been pulled up, and Richie is being set adrift. 

‘Ladykiller’ is perhaps more overtly political in that Her explores aspects of feminism and sexism, but again, there is a political subtext in how she came to be where she is.

The message of each of the plays is multi-faceted and each of them will hopefully leave the audience mulling over the different worlds they present.

CM: How did you select the plays to be companions? What made you want to direct these specific works?  
CE: I had greatly enjoyed working with performers Geebs and Gwithian on a stand-out two hander last year at OSO in Barnes – Emily Jenkins’ 2019 Fringe First winner, ‘Bobby And Amy’ – and was keen to work with them both again, which set me thinking about what plays might suit their particular skills as actors.  

I saw ‘Misconduct’ around ten years ago when it was in a double bill, the theme of which was football.

‘Ladykiller’ I had been involved in as a producer when it started out life as a very short monologue in a collection called ‘Ladylogue’, presented at the Camden Fringe – again over ten years ago. I later saw the full-length version in Edinburgh in 2019.

Both these plays captivated me and stayed in the back of my mind. When I started to think about powerful writing, it suddenly came to me that both these plays have a shocking and violent centre, one involving a male and the other female, and that it would be interesting to pair them in an electric night of theatre.

I believe Geebs and Gwithian will bring them both to life and that the juxtaposition of the pieces will shed new light on the plays themselves.

CM: Can you tell us a bit about the playwrights?
CE: Dom Riley is a writer, director and producer, working across theatre and film, and is someone I have known for many years from when he first started writing.

His theatre writing includes ‘The Weatherman’ (BasicSpace Festival), ‘Island State’ (Edinburgh Fringe/Waterloo East) and ‘Guardian Angel’ (Park Theatre). His debut film feature as producer, ‘Salvation’, is currently in post-production.

I first worked with Madeline Gould, writer of ‘Ladykiller’, at the Union Theatre when she was playing Blanche in a revival of a little known Renaissance play, ‘Fair Em’.

We then worked together on ‘Ladylogue’, with director and producer Madelaine Moore. Madeline works as an actor and a busy writer for stage and screen.

CM: Can you tell us about your approach to directing? Does the fact that they are monologues make the process more collaborative?
CE: I consider myself to be a collaborative director irrespective of the cast size and think listening to your actors and seeing what they bring to the table is important. But, yes, there is something different about there just being the two of you in the room.

I worked with Gwithian last year on a version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ that saw him playing everyone in it. In the finished piece it was difficult for either of us to be able to remember which of us contributed what to the whole.

In starting rehearsals, it feels like I am standing side by side with the actor on the edge of a cliff, on a beautiful day, deciding how we can both fly, while acknowledging the risk.

CM: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, now? How did you come to be working in the arts and how did it all begin?
CE: Mine has been a long journey. My background was in dance and through that I had the great privilege to be in the dancing chorus of three professional pantomimes at the Derby Playhouse in my teens.

I went on to read English and Drama/Theatre Studies at Royal Holloway College. 

Getting from there into theatre, where I wanted to be, involved a determined struggle, but I never gave up. I worked at the Guildford School Of Acting and from there became an agent.

After home-educating both my children, I returned to the profession and my first show as a producer was the award winning ‘Me And Juliet’ at the Finborough. I now focus on directing, although I continue to produce.

CM: What have been the highlights of your career thus far?
CE: Highlights are difficult to pin down.  Every show I work on is the centre of my life while I am working on it. The wonderful thing about theatre is that ephemeral quality of everything melting into air as you move on to the next show.

CM: What aims and ambitions do you have for the future?
CE: I just want to be able to keep producing and directing writing of quality for as long as I can.

CM: What’s coming up next after this?
CE: I am not entirely sure. I am in discussions with writers, venues and producers about a number of potential projects for this year and next.

‘He Said/She Said’ is on at The White Bear Theatre from 21 Apr-2 May. See the venue website here for more information and to book tickets. 

LINKS: whitebeartheatre.co.uk | instagram.com/claireevanstheatre