SUNLAND - Interview

SUNLAND is a world on the edge of extinction. Four friends, stranded on a Thai beach resort, seemingly wait out their final days before an asteroid collides with Earth. Orbiting above them after escaping the impending destruction, the Arc space station, contains the "best", brightest, and richest of humanity. Those back on Earth attempt to continue their lives, seeking solace, comfort and above all - hope.

SUNLAND is staged as part of Bitesize Festival at Riverside Studios this July.
 

Ahead of the run we sat down with Madeline Whitby (Writer/Designer), Madison Cole (Director), 3 members of the cast - Lily Walker (Charlie), Rebecca Goddard (Yael), Gigi Downey (Producer/Role of Fran) and Alicia Gilmartin (Assistant Producer) to learn more.

What can you tell me about Sunland?

GD: SUNLAND is an unapologetic, vibrant call to action about humanity's role in climate change; it paints what our world could be if we don't take better care of our planet.

MW: SUNLAND is a play about four people waiting for an asteroid to hit earth, but underneath that, it's about growing up in the climate change era. It's about mourning the life you thought you would have. It's about whether having children is an ethical choice. But most of all, it's about loving one another in the face of terror, and it's about maintaining hope against all the odds. 

What inspired the creation of the piece?

MW: The piece was inspired by a conversation I had with my mum about having children. For me, a massive concern about having kids is bringing them into a world that may experience climate collapse, but for her that wasn't even a question. That, and feelings of helplessness and anger at the lack of action to combat climate change.

How did you approach blending the themes within the show?

MW: There's a lot of themes in SUNLAND because the climate crisis impacts every facet of our lives. I approached it very cautiously, because it's easy to get lost in the web of issues climate change is causing, and pared it down to what worked together to tell a good story. That's how I landed on natalism as the main theme - whether or not you want kids is something I imagine everyone has thought about! 

Why do you feel now is the right time for this piece?

MW: To be honest, the right time for SUNLAND is 20 years ago, when action against climate change would have been much more efficacious. But I think I'm part of the first generation raised in a climate conscious era - we don't need huge amounts of awareness campaigns, we need action. And SUNLAND is a call to action, I think. I don't know, I hope it is. Come and see it and tell me what you think!

What can you tell me about your character?

GD: Fran is fiery, deeply caring and bubbly. She goes through a huge amount in the play and I’ve loved finding her resilience. Her story is deeply poignant at our current political age, and I hope those who are female bodied especially find resonance with her arc.  

RG: Yael has a very strong sense of justice within the world but she never speaks before thinking. She cares about the environment and feels connected to the Earth in a way that is personal to her. This makes her suppress the horrible thoughts of impending doom in order to enjoy her final moments with the Earth in serenity. 

LW: Charlie can never be set in peace, there is always something wrong. She may be the definition of devil’s advocate.

How have you approached bringing your character from the page?

GD: We worked with brilliant movement director Dan Hardwell who through explorative exercises and free dances, helped us find deeper connections to physicalities we began finding with our director Madison Cole. For Fran, this has been really key to help find the contrast between her natural relaxed gait, to how she transforms to become the opposite later in the play.

LW: As a character whose behaviour is constantly questionable it has been really important to understand Charlie’s internal world to try and understand her actions. Finding her physicality when she is alone versus in front of other people has been very helpful for exploring the way she wants to be perceived socially and what that conceals emotionally.

RG: It’s super exciting that these characters have never been seen or done before so I have had a lot of freedom to explore who Yael is and who she is in relation to me. I really love using the Uta Hagen questions to explore my character and then I use those to write a biography and a ‘day in the life’ for them before bringing them into the rehearsal room to find how they move and interact with others.

How would you describe the play in 3 words?

MC: Urgent, poignant, thought-provoking!

LW: uncertain yet hopeful 

RG: Comedic, thoughtful, dark.

What was the first piece of theatre you saw that had a big impact on you?

MC: Watching the 1964 West Side Story movie at 6 years old. From that moment I knew I needed to work in this field.

LW: I remember seeing ‘Billy Elliot’ when I was younger and thinking that was really amazing.

GD: The one that changed everything was A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Bridge Theatre (the original production, but go see its return there this summer!) The aerial skills, youthful dynamism to the text and the fab immersive direction really opened my eyes to what was possible in a theatre space!

RG: Emma Rice’s ‘Wise Children’ had a huge impact on me. It was a big shift from theatre just being fun and whimsical to it also being thought-provoking. It’s easy to get bogged down in that darkness of a piece and miss the moments where you can have a bit of fun. As people, we always try to make light of hard situations because it’s uncomfortable to think about so even the darkest of times, we find a way to laugh and forget about it.

What keeps you inspired?

AG: The extraordinary passion of my collaborators to make new, bold theatre. It can be hard trying to balance life, normal employment and one’s creative work. But when you enter a room as electric as ours it makes you never want to stop making theatre. The sky can and should be the limit with people as amazing as this company.

MC: Working in my day job at renowned fight/intimacy direction company Rc-Annie Ltd. It is so inspiring to watch theatremakers working consistently at such a high caliber to ensure safety and comfortability of the creatives on major productions. I am honoured every day to be small a part of that supporting that work in making the UK a safe place to make art.

What do you hope an audience member takes away from seeing the show?

AG: I hope the audience is left with a sense of responsibility. We’re living in a world that is rapidly changing and the drastic climate shift is apart of that. Facing what could be our reality in the near future through this writing & having even a single person walk away knowing that we can take preventative measures to save the next generation is the best result to me.

Where can readers see the show?

AG: We open really soon! 14-20th July at Riverside Studios’ Bitesize Festival & then we hop over to the Lion & Unicorn Theatre for Camden Fringe from 28-30th July! Tickets are from £8!

Tickets are available from https://riversidestudios.co.uk/see-and-do/sunland-176941/