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Flights of Fancy plays at the White Bear Theatre in April and features five short plays by up-and-coming playwright James Mannion (Hedgehogs & Porcupines, Old Red Lion). Produced by Laura Roman and her theatre company Rebound Productions, I catch up with both writer and producer ahead of the UK premiere.
Lauren Gauge: How did you and James meet and decide you wanted to collaborate?
Laure Roman: James and I met last year when I produced one of his plays with my previous company. He was a pleasure to work with and his play was also one of the audience’s favourites. From then on we kept in touch and he has been sending me more of his work. I personally love his writing so it was just a matter of finding the right time to produce a show featuring his plays.
LG: Laura, you’ve got form for producing new writing showcases having produced both theatre and films – what is it about the medium that draws you to it time and time again?
LR: Ever since I started attending drama school and working in the arts, I realised the amount of unnoticed talent that is out there and I wanted to do something to showcase it. I think good films and theatre start with a good story and narrative, and as an actress myself I am obsessed with good writing, so it was a natural thing for me to want to showcase and develop the work of new and talented writers.
LG: In April you will produce and perform in James Mannion’s plays, tell us more about your role/s in the project and if you have a favourite between acting and producing?
LR: Both roles are very different and require completely different skills. I personally started my journey as an actress and that is really what I see myself as, however producing allows me to see other parts of the business which I also enjoy, and the biggest advantage of it is that I can take my own decisions when it comes to the team I want to work with, casting, etc.
LG: With your new venture, Rebound Productions, you aim to develop the work of up and coming writers and emerging talent in London. How are you planning to do that and where do you find emerging talent?
LR: I tend to work with people that I know and with whom I have worked before, having a team that I can trust is the most important thing for me. When it comes to actors, I run regular workshops and produce acting showcases which allows me to spot new talent. I also try to go to as many shows as I can, I take note of the plays that I like and the team involved (writers, actors, directors) so I can later contact them with ideas and opportunities to collaborate. I also like to give my team the freedom to decide who they want to work with; for instance, most directors from Flights of Fancy have been chosen by James.
LG: James, how would you describe your writing style for those eager to know what they’ll be seeing when they catch these five new plays at the White Bear Theatre?
James Mannion: My writing style tends to be dark comedy, surreal, often satirical. A couple of the plays in Flights of Fancy deal with issues of technology and its moral hazards; others question the value of relationships and the limits of friendship; one cheerfully looks at terminal illness and death. I like to write about themes of the absurd, find comedy out of situations of hopelessness, pointlessness and failure. I agree with Beckett that there is nothing funnier than unhappiness. Not in real life, obviously, it’s terrible. But onstage it’s a hoot.
LG: James, did you also envisage these five short plays playing together?
JM: I spent most of last year writing short plays for scratch nights and all of these scripts came out of that process, sometimes written with a specific theme in mind – for example, Powerless had its first performance at The Millennials – Disconnected show back in July. They were written for individual performances but I always felt that because they shared similar themes and were broadly in the same style, they could potentially be produced alongside each other. But it was Laura’s idea to actually do that, for which I’m very thrilled and grateful.
LG: What makes a brilliant compelling new play for you?
JM: I like plays that make you question everything and force you to abandon your assumptions about what direction they’re going to take. Experimenting with form and the dramatic situation (I’m ashamed to say I like a good meta-play) is also my bag. Anything that subverts expectations, and, ideally, that asks more questions than it answers.
LR: I totally agree with James. I like plays that have unexpected twists and leave you asking questions, but most of all that leave you wanting to see more of it. Especially with short-plays, I like to see stories that can be developed into something bigger, whether that is a film, a full length play or a TV series.
LG: How best can companies like Rebound Productions develop writers and new writing and can you tell us more about your plans?
LR: My aim is to give opportunities to new talent. Being an actress myself I know how hard it can be to put yourself out there and get your work seen or noticed by the industry. In terms of developing new writing, I am quite creative and I often bring ideas to the writers and explore how they can be made into something. James is also writing a short film that I’ll be producing and starring in later this year and I hope to see some of his short-plays turned into full-length productions.
LG: If Rebound could work with any Off West End writers as well as Mannion, after Flights of Fancy at the White Bear Theatre who would it be?
LR: I can’t say much at the moment but I already have my eye on a play that I’d like to produce next. It’s a lovely two-hander written by a female Irish writer that touches on the theme of consent. It’s something very different from Flights of Fancy but very important for me to do as a personal project, which will also be my debut as a director.
In terms of working with other playwrights, I have an open mind and love reading new stories, so any writers out there are more than welcome to send their scripts to me and hopefully we can collaborate in the future.
Rebound Productions presents their debut show Flights of Fancy with scripts by London's acclaimed playwright James Mannion 3-5th April 2019 at The White Bear Theatre, Kennington. For tickets: https://www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk/whatson/New-Writing---Scripts-by-James-Mannion 0333 012 4963 Tickets: £14 Full Price / £12 Concessions
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