Director’s Reflections- TIKTBT
'Wow, what a powerful play. Very intense, two and a half hours went in a flash! A brilliant characature of modern human difficulties and how loving families go through so many emotions and eventually cope. I think I could watch it 10 times and still be unpeeling more complications. Brilliant casting and acting as usual. I think Abingdon Drama club should be playing to the West End!'
After all the hard work, and a postponement of the performance week due to a last minute recasting of one of the characters, this comment, from a member of the audience, was the best ADC could ask for. Thank you to everyone who came to see it, and the great reviews and comments.
I came across this play by accident, some time ago. As a director I am always on the look out for plays that interest me and I read a review that encouraged me to order a script to see if I liked it, and also if I thought ADC could stage it. I was captured by the brilliant writing at my first read through. One reviewer said it was 'a brave choice' for ADC and I am enormously proud of what we achieved.
The play resonated with me for many reasons. I find human relationships fascinating, particularly those within families. Coming from a family of six and being very much the baby of four sisters, I had witnessed the changing landscape within my own family and how my own place in the family affected my attitude growing up. My 'memories' were sometimes just stories my older sisters told me, or were formed by photographs I had seen, that were taken before I was even born!
TIKTBT looks at the complexities of family relationships and how what we believe to be true isn't always the reality.
I start every play I direct with a clear understanding of the words, and how it is going to look and feel. I like to design my own sets, as this often 'appears' in my head as I am reading the script. Working with the cast during rehearsals was an incredible experience. Not only did they commit to the story telling, they offered their own ideas, and we tried them out, playing with the words and movements; working collaboratively, which is how I like to direct.
The play is set in Australia, but I chose, as did Frantic Assembly, who performed it in 2016, to not use Australian accents. The story is not dependent on the setting, it is dependant on creating the story with integrity. The set was not naturalistic, the words hopefully told the audience enough about who the characters are and where they are. The hanging panels, suggesting areas of the house and garden, were brilliantly created by artist Peter Bellingham.
I can only say a big thank you to the amazing cast and all the incredibly talented and hard working people who contributed to staging this play.
This production was dedicated to the memory of Malcolm Ross. A very long standing, incredibly talented and much loved member of Abingdon Drama Club. He is missed.
Lin Crowley
Director and Chair of ADC
