Studio Production 2024
Studio Production 2024
This September, my sister Hana and I had the immense privilege of staging my new one-person show, 'We've Known Each Other Since We Were Ten'- a play I’d written as part of the National Theatre’s New Views playwriting competition - as a fully-fledged studio production.Based on a true story, the play sensitively discusses difficult themes and individual responsibility. With me as director and Hana as the sole, central character, we worked on the play over the summer. Mr Wakerell and Miss Strong built us an evocative, realistic set in a traverse configuration, which was a new challenge for both of us, creating the perfect environment to bring the story to life.
Working together as siblings came with its fair share of challenges. There were moments when creative disagreements felt especially intense, but it was ultimately rewarding as that dynamic pushed us to dig deeper and create something even more personal and powerful. Having Hana as the sole performer gave the play a special intimacy – her familiarity with the material meant she could embody the character in a way that felt raw and authentic.
It being a one-man show, we knew it was important to keep the energy up. The animation Hana brought to her role was key in keeping the audience engaged. There were several moments of carefully choreographed physical sequences which broke up sections of text to express the emotional weight of the story. This was something we worked on extensively in rehearsal, and it was exciting to see it come together on stage.
The audience responses were incredible; the show strongly resonated with many people and sparked a lot of conversations about its difficult themes. This has been very rewarding, especially as, for me, the primary goal of the play was always to raise the importance of the topic. And it’s been an invaluable learning opportunity. Writing the play was one thing, but directing it and seeing it staged and performed brought new perspectives on how a script evolves in rehearsal, how every element can shift the tone and mood of a scene and its effect on the audience, and how collaboration can elevate a story and create impact. I’m incredibly proud of what Hana and I were able to accomplish together, and I’m grateful to the Drama Department for bringing it to life.
Laila (SPGS 2017-24)
