Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann is a compelling and emotive verse novel that explores the emotions of a young girl as she faces bullying and domestic abuse.
Manjeet's critically acclaimed novel picked up a number of accolades including winning the Shadower's Choice Award from the Carnegie Medal 2021, UKLA Book Awards 2021, and was a Guardian Best Book of 2020. The book has been adapted for the stage with the production premiering back in 2023.
 |
| Manjeet Mann |
Combining physical theatre and mesmerising visuals and performed by a multi-talented cast this promises to be another landmark co-production made especially for young theatre audiences.
Ahead of the tour we sat down with author Manjeet Mann to learn more about the story and the production.
What can you tell me about Run, Rebel?
It features a teenage girl called Amber. Amber is desperate to live her own life on her own terms. However, her home life is far from perfect. The novel explores the conflict of cultures between her challenging and at times abusive family life at home and her school life full of friendships, teen crushes and a passion for athletics and throughout the novel Amber has to learn to navigate these two opposing cultures and develop the strength to grow and build her own identity in the face of these major obstacles.
Where the inspiration for the novel came from?
It is partly inspired by my own experiences growing up; the people, the places and the stories I was told, and it is partly inspired by my work in the community through my organisation Run The World. Run The World works to empower women and girls through running and storytelling. I started writing Run, Rebel around the same time as I set up the organisation and I remember writing it thinking, this story isn’t relevant, no one is going to find it interesting ,but working with these women, who were all survivors of domestic violence and seeing the women grow in confidence with every running session and hearing their brave, life changing stories, gave me the confidence to dig deep and share the story I wanted to tell because it dawned on me that this story is relevant and the issues it covers are not getting talked about and they need to be talked about.
It features a teenage girl called Amber. Amber is desperate to live her own life on her own terms. However, her home life is far from perfect. The novel explores the conflict of cultures between her challenging and at times abusive family life at home and her school life full of friendships, teen crushes and a passion for athletics and throughout the novel Amber has to learn to navigate these two opposing cultures and develop the strength to grow and build her own identity in the face of these major obstacles.
Where the inspiration for the novel came from?
It is partly inspired by my own experiences growing up; the people, the places and the stories I was told, and it is partly inspired by my work in the community through my organisation Run The World. Run The World works to empower women and girls through running and storytelling. I started writing Run, Rebel around the same time as I set up the organisation and I remember writing it thinking, this story isn’t relevant, no one is going to find it interesting ,but working with these women, who were all survivors of domestic violence and seeing the women grow in confidence with every running session and hearing their brave, life changing stories, gave me the confidence to dig deep and share the story I wanted to tell because it dawned on me that this story is relevant and the issues it covers are not getting talked about and they need to be talked about.
 |
| Photo by Pamela Raith Photography |
How did you approach the writing process for the novel?
As it was partly based on my own experiences I started by writing a list of all my childhood memories up till the age of sixteen. No more than a sentence for each one. I then went through each memory and wrote as much as I could for each one as a freewriting exercise. Once that was done I read through it all and it was clear which memories fit a story arc and which didn’t. I then started to fill in the blanks and ‘fill out’ the story. The final stage is going through and editing very badly written prose into verse.
When did you know you wanted to adapt it for the stage and how was that process?
I always hoped it would find its way to the stage. As an actress, I imagine everything I write having life in another form whether that be on stage or screen. I was lucky in a sense that quite a few people told me how they could see it working on stage, one of those people was my good friend and theatre director Tessa Walker. She spoke about how empowering the story is and how powerful it would be to bring it to the stage. We had worked together before so decided to get some actors together and do a week of R&D to see if it would work and the rest as they say is history…
I think the biggest challenge for me was realising that what works on the page doesn’t necessarily work on the stage. I naively thought it was going to be an easy process as I’d written the book. Tessa was instrumental in helping shape the adaptation as not only is she a fantastic director but she’s also a brilliant dramaturge. Together we pulled out all themes and beats of each section and stuck to the ‘anatomy of a revolution’ as a framing device (as it is in the book) which helped in giving me something I could hold onto when writing the adaptation.
How different is the process of writing for the stage compared with writing for the page?
I think the main difference is simply how much you can say. You can elaborate and describe things for pages and pages if you like in a novel, but on stage you can’t. You have to be precise, you have to move the story along much quicker, an actor can say so many things in one look or one movement, so there’s a lot you don’t need to write into dialogue.
The process for writing a play is also so much more collaborative. You work with a dramaturge a director and actors through R&D phases to help shape the story. A novel, although you work with an editor is a lot more solitary.
 |
| Photo by Pamela Raith Photography |
Well, the target audience for both book and play are teenagers. It’s a young adult book and Pilot theatre are renowned for their YA adaptations. So that is something I have had to be mindful of throughout both writing processes. You have to be mindful of their sensibilities, and what they are ready to hear and see and take in.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
Well, I always wanted to be an actress. I still am an actress. I feel as though I fell into writing. It started as a means to get myself noticed as an actress. I wrote a solo show in 2016 and instead of more acting work coming my way, more playwriting commissions came my way and it just started to snowball from there. I’ve only recently started to take myself seriously as a writer, it felt like a happy accident for a long time.
What would your advice be for anyone who wants to be a writer?
I would say keep a notebook with you wherever you go. You never know when that idea is going to pop into your head so you need a pen and a notebook handy to quickly jot it down. And something that’s really helped me is free writing in a journal or you might call it keeping a diary. So free writing is when you write continuously without stopping. You don’t judge or edit what you’re writing. Some people do this and give themselves a little timer, like 5 or 10 minutes or what I do is I give myself 3 pages. I do it first thing in the morning. This is a method I’ve taken from Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way. I think it’s really important as a writer to have some writing that is just for you that no one else will ever look at it, it’s not going to be graded , you’re not editing it, it is just for you. Not only is it great for mental health but it’s also great for getting rid of the fear that can sometimes cloud your writing. So, when you do sit down to write your story you’ve already written a few pages, you’ve already worked that muscle in your brain and I find that makes the task of sitting in front of a blank page a lot less scary. It makes you less self-conscious about your writing.
What keeps you inspired?
I always say writing is an art form so get curious about all other art forms. I get a lot of inspiration from museums, exhibitions (particularly photography exhibitions), films, theatre cabaret etc. I try and consume as much as I can.
Also, I think good writing is inspired by good reading. You can learn a lot form other authors and their books. I’m constantly looking for inspiring reads, they open up your mind to different worlds, cultures, communities, reading makes you more empathetic to people’s lives and experiences. Also, you learn the craft of storytelling through reading. You see how different authors have executed their story and all of that learning can become part of your own toolbox to help you write your own book.
And finally, lots of walks. I take myself for a walk about 3 times a day. I used to think that writing was all about being chained to your desk but I’ve since realised that it’s actually about having lots of breaks.
What do you hope an audience member takes away from seeing Run, Rebel?
I wanted to write for my teenage self. The teenager who felt quite isolated and voiceless, and therefore the adult me is passionate about empowering women and girls any way I can. I hope that those who read this book will hear it as a rallying call for anyone who has ever felt powerless. Amber is a strong and complex character who wants to live her life on her own terms, and I think that is something we can all get behind. Ambers story is as relevant today as it was when I was growing up and I hope that the story, struggle and resilience of Amber and her mother, has an impact on audiences.
Run, Rebel opens at Theatre Peckham from 26 September – 4 October and then tours till 9 Nov. For further details visit https://pilot-theatre.com/production/run-rebel-2024/
 |
| Photo by Pamela Raith Photography. |
Post a Comment