Plexus Theatre Company question the all-important parent-child relationship. With a cast of eight teenagers and the opinions and thoughts of friends, family and the public, The Absence Of was born.
The importance of the parent-child relationship, or the absence of one, is one of the most important elements of our lives - and it’s time that we all realize the lasting effects they have.
Tell us about your show
A universal relationship that cannot be universally defined. Our show tackles and explores the ‘perfect’ parent child relationship - and if one ever really exists? After eight months of interviewing and researching the topic, we now have our show. It’s very rare eight 16-18 year olds get the chance to teach others about what they know; and that’s exactly what this is.
Why did you decide to take your show to Space UK this year?
As the freshly trained and possibly inexperienced theatre makers that we are - we feel it’s at this time that we will make the most honest and truthful decisions about a show that we feel needs to be told and shared. The importance of the parent-child relationship, or the absence of one, is one of the most important elements of our lives - and it’s time that we all realize the lasting effects they have.
Why Edinburgh? What’s the attraction?
Edinburgh fringe is one of the most exciting and internationally influential festivals in the world - I guess, why wouldn’t you want to be a part of that? The biggest attraction for us is that we can learn and be inspired by seeing the masses of shows available whilst hopefully teaching and educating with our very own.
What makes your show unique amongst the thousands of others at the festival?
We are eight teenagers tackling a universal topic, not from a playwright or our own creation; but we are revealing the true stories of the public. It’s a new and fresh perspective on a topic - showing that the teen generation is engaged! And does care.
What has been the biggest challenge in getting your show ready for Edinburgh?
Funding. Completely funded by the jobs and fundraising of the young company members - we’ve done every fundraiser possible to earn the funds; from car washes to busking. However we certainly could not be where we are today without the support of the Old Vic, London Bubble and the London Palladium.
How did you create your show?
We began our process by interviewing everyone we could - from family members, to friends, to the public. Then the process of dissecting the key points we wanted to make began. It became clear what the building blocks for a parent-child relationship that works were, and then the structure and characters literally wrote themselves for us.
Can you tell us a bit about your company’s background?
We’ve been together for a year. Training at The BRIT School for Performing arts and Technology is where we began to share the same interests and intentions about making a show that matters. After working on the play Home by Nadia Fall, we began to fall for the truth behind verbatim work. This is why most of the words in the absence of are from the mouths of the public themselves. Company members have performed at the Royal Court, Old Vic, and Lyric Hammersmith- amongst other credits. They have also trained as part of the National Youth Theatre. From Bournemouth to Dorking, from Surrey to Essex- all eight members are from different locations and are brought together by the passion of making thought provoking theatre.
Show Name: The Absence Of
Production Company: Plexus Theatre Company
Venue: theSpace on the Mile
Dates: 10th-15th August
Times: 21.25
Twitter Handle: @plexustheatre
