A Thurston writer who took her own show to the Edinburgh Fringe wants to bring the play back to Suffolk.
Emma Hallewell, 22, who wrote her play whilst studying for her Master’s degree at the University of St Andrews, recently finished her run at the 2018 festival and has expressed hopes that she can bring the show to both Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds.
Waiting, which is a play about the recovering from mental health, was written during Emma’s final exams and was performed by an all female cast from around the world. Their run ended on Friday, August 10.
Emma said: “It was amazing. It was one of those once in a lifetime experiences where every day was just unbelievable.
“The first act is about a girl whose life falls apart and she locks herself in her flat and doesn’t come out, but then it becomes more about the recovery side of things with her friends trying to get her out of the flat and to open her eyes to the idea that she can get better.”
Emma’s play received great audience reviews and she hopes that people can take a lot away from the theme of the piece.
“It’s about mental health but it’s also about recovery,” she said.
“My main goal was to show people something about mental health that was authentic. There’s no magic fix in the play which was intentional.
“I really wanted to write a play that said: ‘There is no such thing as a lost cause, you can always get better.’”
The inspirational play was originally written with a man who suffers from an eating disorder as the lead, to explore a subject that receives little coverage.
However after holding auditions, Emma decided to use an all female cast.
She said: “When I met all the female actors I was blown away by them. I couldn’t not take them on so I changed the parts. The original play features male roles and I want to bring that one to Suffolk too.”
Emma plans to put on simultaneous plays, showing mental health and recovery from the perspective of different genders. She has already contacted the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds.
To look at pictures and audience reactions to “Waiting” go to the play’s twitter page @WaitingEdFringe.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here