Next Door But One recently toured their show She Was Walking Home through local schools, theatres, and universities, and I had the chance to sit down with the director of the show Kate Veysey.
Where did the inspiration for ‘she was walking home’ come from?
Following the murder of Sarah Everard, Matt, who’s the artistic director of Next Door But One, and I had a conversation about the way that it was reported in the media and our anger about that. The focus was very much on what Sarah Everard did or didn’t do, so the fact that she was wearing a bright coat, the fact that she was on the phone to her boyfriend, the fact that it was daytime. All of these things that, as women, often if you are attacked you have to argue against. And also thinking about what the media angle was, it wasn’t focused on the perpetrator, the person that attacked her, it was very much focused on her choices. And actually, the one choice that was made that was the bad choice was the one that he made. So we talked about that and it wasn’t meant to be a work chat, it wasn’t meant to be a planning meeting, it wasn’t meant to create a piece of work, but out of that anger came a funding bid. So we talked online about it overnight and then the next day we put in some funding for it.
And initially, it was a big call out to women in York to share their stories, so that could have been through email, phone call, or it could be us meeting them. We tried to be as accessible and as open as possible and the idea was that they would share those anonymously, and then those would be worked into a piece. We had 33 Women who shared those stories with us, and in quite a lot of detail in lots of cases. They talked about the impact it had on them afterwards and how it made them feel and we worked with a playwright, Rachael Price, who then weaved those 33 stories into four monologues. So each of the monologues is not one woman’s story. It’s not verbatim, it’s a piece of testimony theatre, but based on those 33 women’s stories. And so those four audio stories were QR codes set up all around York, and also on our website, so you could listen to them while moving around York or just at home with audio, because of course it was a pandemic.
And then when the world started opening up, we went on a live tour. We did community spaces, like libraries, pub gardens, and universities. Then, in the third stage, we created a filmed version to go into schools with an education pack and safeguarding around that. And then this stage, which is stage four, is a live tour of schools and universities. So in most of the venues, we do a show for the people that attend those venues, so whether that’s university students or school students, they have a show that’s earlier in the day and then we have a public performance in the evening that anyone can access.
What was the transition like taking SHE from an audio tour to a live performance?
Well, because of lockdown, even with the audio stories, the four actors never worked in the same room. So we had to invite them in, we had to be at a distance, we had to clean all the equipment, all of that stuff that we knew and loved in those days. The first time we had the four actors in the room was kind of day one all over again, because we were looking at the staging and that was different from the audio. And we had to go into a week of really intensive rehearsals where we had to fully think about the staging of it, but also the content of it as well. So there were a lot of challenges. We had to make sure that our actors were safe at that stage and then we were thinking about the audience as well.
What are the challenges that come with having a cast embody such moving stories and was that something you had to consider in the process of making the work?
The fact that it’s real testimonies comes with a responsibility to respect that material and use it in a way that respects the fact that people have shared it and shared the truth of it. But also, in terms of the way that the actors are working, the stories are quite triggering, and as a company we’ve all experienced various things ourselves as women. So I had to work very hard as the director to consider how I set the exercises and how that took it away from the individual at the right points so that people could share, but there was no pressure to do so. And we were focusing first on the logistics of the monologues and then as that went more into detail we had to make sure that people felt safer to progress in terms of the characters and what actually happened. So there were exercises I did, taking places where some of the characters experienced physical abuse and mapping that out on Gingerbread Men drawings. Because that actor needed to know where those two people were that were basically attacking her so that she could stage it right. But actually, we had to put things in place to make sure that she was able to do that and then remove herself from the situation. So we had a well being officer who’s worked throughout this project, that’s something that next door but one would do for every single project that we do. That was really integral in the way we worked and making sure that the actors were cared for but also myself and the producer as well.
Were there any unexpected challenges you faced as the director of SHE?
Yeah, I mean, we’ve faced a little bit of online abuse from a man in one of the versions and that was unexpected, and was dealt with very well by our chief exec, but I really didn’t expect that would happen. And although it’s not a challenge, the amount of disclosures that we’ve had from people in our audiences was something we thought might happen. And we put things in place, especially in the schools and the universities to make sure that there was pastoral care in the room that would then take that onwards after we’d left because we didn’t want to leave people with that. And obviously there’s links in our programme as well about organisations that can support. We wanted to make sure that once people shared things with us that there was someone there to continue that conversation after the company had left. So we’ve had a lot of that, and I think that says a lot about the strength of the writing and the piece and the testimonies in there. But also the fact that this problem is not fixed, it doesn’t go away. It does resonate with people. I was running a workshop this morning here at York St. John and people relate to the content and can see it in their lives and it’s starting conversations, which is what we want from it.
I know in this tour you’re taking the show between schools and universities and venues like York Theatre Royal, but what’s the difference been like between different audiences and different institutions?
It’s been really varied. The schools that we’re going to are secondary schools, sometimes there’s a varying amount of sharing that’s been happening before we come in so some school audiences didn’t know what they were coming into. We have a disclaimer at the start that explains what it is that they’re about to see and explains that people can come in and out of the room. But you know, it feels very different to have an audience of 160 young people in that space, and the conversations have been wonderful afterwards. And then working with universities has been brilliant. The workshops that we’ve had in both of the universities around this have been really exciting. Especially in terms of content and university students bringing an amazing amount of knowledge into that space of theatre making. And then York Theatre Royal was very much a public audience and in a traditional theatre space, which again was different.
What, for you, is the most surprising response or result you’ve had from a performance of SHE?
I think it is in the responses of some of the men that have seen it, and the boys. So we’ve had a boy saying “I’m not going to call ‘x girl’s’ name a *beep* anymore because I didn’t realise it might upset her.” And we’ve had male members of the audience saying, “actually I hadn’t realised that my behaviour might be read as threatening so me walking around with my hood up, me walking close to someone, catcalling, all of the things that we address, I hadn’t realised how upsetting that would be or even that it would be read as upsetting. I just knew I was safe and that I wouldn’t attack her so I figured she’d know that.” So it has been really positive when we’ve had comments back from the audience saying it has changed their thinking in the way that they’re gonna go in the future.
What do you think is the next step for SHE or where would you like to see it go next?
I would love for it not to be needed. Ultimately, I would love for it to be a piece of theatre that runs out of need, because actually people don’t recognise it in themselves or their communities or their friends’ experiences. And what we’re trying to do is work away at the root of the problem early on, so it’s not about women carrying rape alarms, or carrying their keys between their fingers. But what we want is for it not to be relevant. And actually I’d like to make a show for kids instead. That would be lovely. A show about something lighter, which brings lots of joy or a feeling of magic, something different. But the reality is, I think it’s going to be needed. And we’re already putting in for funding for version five because it continues to be a problem and audiences everywhere are continuing to recognise it and need it and need those conversations at the moment.
And my last question, what advice do you have for students and recent graduates trying to enter the creative industry?
It’s going to sound cliché, but see as much theatre as you can but also try and make connections with the people that are making those bits of theatre. So, if you’re interested in producing, you could introduce yourself to a producer in advance of going to see something and say, “I’d really love a quick chat before or after the show.” People will make that space and make that time for people that are coming into the industry because we had that and we’ve been lucky to have other people support us. So don’t be afraid to ask, the worst thing that people can say is “no I’m not there that night” or “I haven’t got time”, but actually that will open doors and show enthusiasm and research for the work. So it’s not just a kind of, “oh yeah, I’ve heard of this. I’d like to come see your work” but actually “I saw this piece and it really inspired me. Have you got any opportunities that I might be able to access if you’ve got any training?” So try and open doors for yourself, but also ask questions. I think it’s about seeing the work and then reflecting back on your own practice. So if I see something, there’s bits that I want to magpie out, but there’s also bits that I’m like, Oh no, I would have done that totally differently. And then, explore that and think of, well, why didn’t that work for me and what was it about it? What could they have done differently? And having those conversations after shows about what your learning is. So I think those are two general things that you can do. But also be brave if it’s something that you really want to do. Like, there’s no way I would have thought when I was finishing university that I would be a professional director and paid to do that. It happens and I’ve worked really hard to do that, and I’ve not come from a theatre family. But if you work hard, and you’re kind to people on the way through that journey, people will give you work and want to work with you.