Qweerdog Theatre’s latest play, JUMP, tackles difficult social issues. Editor-in-Chief, Richard Beck spoke to Playwright Nick Maynard (NM), Director Scott Le Crass (SLC) and actors Stewart Dylan-Campbell (SDC) and Aiden Kane (AK) about the play.
Stewart, can you tell us something about the company Qweerdog Theatre and Qweer Shorts?
SDC: I set up Qweerdog in 2017 after graduating from drama school, as a way to create and showcase my own work, which I did for a few years both, producing and directing in Manchester and beyond. Pretty soon other LGBTQ+ writers were sending me stuff to look at and possibly produce - and so, as we came out from the pandemic, I decided to create a new scratch event - Qweer Shorts - a chance for writers of queer stories to get them onstage and performed by professional actors, to help with the writing process. JUMP was staged at one of these events in 2022, and I saw from the audience reaction that there was more to find with these characters. I then set up an R&D with Nick, the writer, and Aiden, my scene partner, to delve deeper into these characters and their stories. We then enlisted the help and experience of Scott, the director, to fine-tune the script and work with us on the play.
The company has a producing partner, Rough Boy. Who are they and how do they fit in?
SDC: Rough Boy - whose Creative Director just happens to be JUMP'S writer, Nick Maynard - decided to partner up for the tour because it made sense. Jump is on brand for Rough Boy and conveys the company's message and ethos. And it was a way for Rough Boy to start developing its market and getting its name out into the world beyond Manchester as a production company for queer arts.
Thanks for the background. Nick, the central feature of JUMP is male mental health and suicide and you quote some alarming statistics in the play. Can you tell us what they are to place the play in context?
NM: “75% of suicides are men... 80% of those are young men between the ages of 16 and 30... Same number and age who’re most likely to get attacked - that are most likely to be sleeping rough - that are most likely to be in prison... It works out that roughly 13 kids a day are killing themselves’.
Was it just those stats that caused you to write the play or were there other influences?
NM: In Manchester, there is an urban myth of a serial killer called The Pusher who, it is claimed, has killed over 60 young men by pushing them into the canals around Manchester’s Gay Village… And in Russell T Davies’ Channel Four series Cucumber - Vince’s Mum (from Queer As Folk) appears to one of the characters as a guardian spirit by the canal… And that’s where Jump was born.
Suicide is perhaps one of the most difficult situations for those concerned to deal with. Can you just outline the story you created?
NM: One night, Rob, a suicidal 40-year-old gay man, reeling from a break-up, takes himself down to the canal to end it all. He’s stopped in his tracks by the sudden appearance of an attractive young lad, Marc. Although it’s unclear what Marc’s motives are when he first strikes up a conversation, the lure of the water is replaced by the lure of a handsome man. However, all is not as it seems, as Marc begins to reveal the less-than-romantic reality of drowning in the murky Manchester canal.
What ensues, over three separate late-night encounters, is a battle. A battle as Rob fights to connect with someone he can’t have, and Marc battles the personal demons that prevent him from connecting with those he loves.
Potentially it’s a very heavy subject, but you’ve managed to keep it quite light. How important was it for you to incorporate comedy into the play?
NM: Comedy is always important. Especially when you’re dealing with big depressing issues like suicide, break ups and death. You want to give people hope, not send them on a downward spiral… And it’s important to me, that in my work, queer characters survive and find happiness…
That’s a positive stance, so what’s the message you hope to convey in JUMP?
NM: We are the heroes of our own stories… And Queer stories are so much more than coming out, drag shows and dying horrible deaths… We can live to fight another day - and we can find peace, freedom and happiness without having to die to achieve it.
Let’s bring the actors in now. There's a major twist in the play that occurs early on and we don't want to give anything away about that, but can you just outline the characters you play?
SDC: Rob is a 40-year-old that finds himself recently single; struggling to cope with the betrayal of the break-up, the newness of singledom (a lot has changed on the scene in 20 years), and the crippling loneliness, that was there in the relationship, but is now inescapable. It’s all too much for him to deal with alone.
Meeting Marc, the ‘young’ scally, down by the canal, the night he tries to end things feels like a sign. Ever the romantic, Rob desperately tries to ignite a relationship with someone he can never have, rather than face his demons and deal with the ups and downs of dating in the real world.
AK: Marc is a seemingly young, cocky character - almost arrogant - however, we see throughout the play that’s a defence mechanism. As someone who has relied heavily on his looks in life, he learns, from his unusual relationship with Rob, a valuable lesson about friendship and connection.
Both characters deal with difficult issues. What are the challenges that this play presents to an actor and how have you overcome them?
SDC: It was important for me that Rob and his despair didn't become ‘a burden ', by which I mean his lack of self-confidence and desperation doesn’t feel tiresome for the audience. The comedy that Nick has written into the scenes, along with the quick-witted, combative dynamic that these two characters develop from the start certainly helps us to feel that there is hope for Rob, that with help from the right person, he can find a way back to himself.
AK: I’ve learned more about the topic of male mental health and suicide from doing this play. Just working with this script has helped me with some of my own struggles, by feeling it through the characters.
Given the material, what's your experience been of doing this play been?
SDC: The original piece was 20 minutes long and was presented 2 years ago as part of Qweer Shorts - so it’s been a long, exciting, collaborative road to get the show to where it is now. Working alongside such a flexible and easy-going writer as Nick, and a supportive and sharp director like Scott has meant that this has felt like a labour of love for all of us.
As the actor playing Rob, and also the producer, it has always been a very important story for me. One I identify with on many levels. It was a story I really wanted to tell. ‘The scene’, such that it is, is still obsessed with youth and looks - but to quote the play ‘the looks don’t last, usually’, so I’m interested in exploring how we deal with life when these things are no more.
AK: I’ve really enjoyed the whole experience. Being involved from the start back in 2022, I’ve loved the experience of not just the tour, but also being able to develop the play itself, and the characters with the team - but also being on the road and seeing all the new places and venues has been a blast. We’ve had such lovely feedback from our audiences which has been really nice and rewarding.
What message would you like the people to take away from having seen the play?
SDC: Everyone is battling something, everyone has barriers; defences developed to protect ourselves from hurt and pain. Not dismissing someone first off, but giving someone time and space to open up, to slowly lower those defences, may in the end help you both.
AK: Talk more. Talk to new people. You never really know what or who you are going to find.
Thanks guys. Scott, it's a difficult and sensitive subject to handle, so what are the directorial challenges and opportunities in JUMP?
SLC: One of the main challenges of directing JUMP? is letting the audience know/giving them permission to laugh. Given that the play touches upon some very serious issues, they may not feel that they should or can laugh. Therefore, it’s about really placing where the first laugh lands. The play creates a brilliant opportunity through the way in which Nick has chosen to tonally unpack and present some heavy ideas, and it creates a space for the audience to have more open relaxed conversations after the performance about what the play addresses.
What was the main message you wanted to bring out in this production?
SLC: Don’t bottle things up. Talk to others. Don’t be alone.
That was quick. I suppose that’s the sort of clarity of aim and thinking that’s essential for a director. Setting aside the content, an issue for this production is that it’s being performed at several different venues. How does that impact the direction?
SLC: From the locations that I’ve seen the production performed in, it’s really fascinating how the space, but also how the audience, can really help shape how the performance feels and plays out. Some venues have created a more intimate, more delicate version of the play, whereas some bigger venues which have more physical distance might allow the audience to laugh. The comedy is tonally very northern and our audiences in the north have been more vocal. The exciting thing about this play is how it always feels different.
