Before the critically-acclaimed Bright Places hits the Barnfield stage as part of Reclaim Festival this November, our Student Ambassadors Lily Howe, Ophelia Mills, and Joshua Shane Watts caught up with the writer Rae Mainwaring.
What can attendees expect?
A really playful, fast-paced play reflecting the unpredictable nature of life with MS. It leans into the theatrical, embracing the dark comedy that comes during times of difficultly. Bright Places is as much a coming-of-age story as it is a story about a chronic illness. Our audiences have laughed and cried in equal measure. Plus 90s vibes, neon and glitter, a soundtrack of bangers and host of characters including a hot doctor and a Sindy doll.
What made you want to focus on MS within a performance?
When I was diagnosed with MS 20 years ago, I didn’t see any representation I related to. Stories about MS were very negative and almost always ended in death. I wanted to make a show that was raw and honest, asked difficult questions but importantly was funny and was hopeful. A diagnosis can feel like it defines you, and robs you of the future you imagine for yourself. But it isn’t a full stop. What we have found really lovely so far on the tour is how many people who live with other chronic health conditions have found the play really spoke to them. It has also been really wonderful to hear how many people who weren’t sure if they would enjoy a play about MS came away having had a really great time.
What inspired the production?
It is an autobiographical play, but sprinkled with some theatrical storytelling. I wanted to explore all the knotty and complicated feelings I had about illness, and delve into where those feeling came from. I wanted to write something that would make people think and raise discussion but in a way that wasn’t a lecture. I love watching plays that make me laugh and catch me out with a surprise emotional moment. I think that can be more impactful.
After spending 18 months on the Graeae’s Beyond program, I wanted to honour the knowledge they imparted to us via access workshops. So it was really important that the show was accessible and that that was embedded into the design and language of the play and not an after thought.
Has the production turned out like your original concept? If not, what had changed and why?
I started developing the play in 2019, I found it a really difficult play to find the structure for. I worked with my director Tessa Walker and she suggested I just write everything, no matter the form, and we took the huge amount of material I’d generated and found the story we wanted to tell that way. The exciting thing about making new work is that we were still making and editing the script right through rehearsal. It’s always hard to say goodbye to scenes that you loved writing but if it doesn’t serve the piece, it has to go.
What are you hoping the audience take away from the performance?
I hope audiences leave feeling hopeful and uplifted. I hope that those who live with chronic illness feel seen and those who don’t maybe leave feeling a little more knowledgeable about invisible illness. Ultimately it’s a really entertaining play and love letter to anyone who has found that life has thrown them a curve ball. Anyone interested in new writing and theatre making will find this show different to the usual autobiographical play.
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