Crestfall
In one sentence: a play about the brutality of patriarchy and the relentlessness of hope
How did it come about?
Actor, Marissa Bennett, brought me this play. I was captivated by the language and the absolute dexterity of Mark O’Rowe’s writing. I was so new to directing but I simply had to try working with this lyrical, horrifically dark, twisted text. It was 3 monologues back to back so I worked with the actors one on one and together we arrived at simple staging that made use of nothing more than a ladder in a white room - and that was about it. His play provided us a masterclass in the power of deeply embodied text. We created a very rhythmic, visceral and simple production that was an early attempt at working on the bodies of the audience — something that would come to define my work.
Crestfall played alongside another play, Purgatorio, as a double bill we called ‘Inferno’. I so admired the production of Purgatorio and what Celeste Cody did with it. It remains an influential show in my psyche - it impressed upon me how much one could achieve with imagination, creative problem solving and a damn good play. Celeste was able to divide the space with nothing more than a mesh curtain, which allowed the actors to sometimes see each other and sometimes not, depending on the lighting. It was a genius device.
The two plays spoke to each other in provocative and fascinating ways. It certainly scratched my itch to direct the kinds of plays you dream of doing in drama school — nitty gritty ‘real’ drama.
“These very strong offerings are the culmination of carefully considered work by skilled, hardworking theatre practitioners… I can’t really recommend Inferno highly enough” — Stage Whispers
Show info
Performed at L1 Studios, February 2016
Written by Mark O’Rowe
Directed by Jayde Kirchert
Stage Manager Janel Gibson
Producing Assistant Alexandra Suttie
Lighting Design by Peter Amesbury
Sound design by Frost Fire Audio
Graphic design and photography by Worth A Shot Productions
Cast: Freya Pragt, Marissa O'Reilly, Marissa Bennett
For more images, videos and info visit the Citizen Theatre website.
Image credit Tom Overend
