EDINBURGH 2017: BWW Q&A- Brutal Cessation

Tell Us A Bit About Brutal Cessation

Brutal Cessation is the story of a relationship that's breaking down. It's about the fine line between boredom and violence and the way we dispense punishment and accept blame. It's about how we will often say anything to avoid the one thing that's bothering us. It's an exploration of victimhood in relationships - in this case a cis heterosexual couple - and whether we're inherently biased based on whether we fill that masculine or feminine role. Are those stereotypes set up against you from the start? How do we feel when they're challenged?

What was the inspiration behind the play?

I wrote the first scene whilst in a relationship that wasn't working last year. I found myself absolutely astonished by my inability to voice what was wrong and wrote the scene out of pure frustration. I'd been keen to work with Bethany Pitts for a while when the opportunity arose to scratch Brutal Cessation, then A Church in the Field, with Fine Mess Theatre. We got actors in a room and worked it to the bone, only to realise that three days wasn't enough and that there was more there to be said.

Somehow scratching the piece made it necessary to write the rest of the story. In developing the play, I was also drawing on an experience in 2015 when I took a sexual assault case to court. While the play is in no way about assault, the crucial element that I'm keen to throw wide open was the fact that once you are in that criminal process you are referred to as 'the victim' until officially named or introduced. It was only when it was all over that I realised the extent that I internalised the word, making being a victim a part of my identity, and I wondered how that would sit with me if I were male. Would there even be any difference at all? I began to notice how becoming a victim had seeped into other parts of my life, both professionally and personally. I found myself instantly crumbling to avoid conflict. In writing Brutal Cessation, I found myself tapping more and more into those feelings of frustration and hung them out across the backdrop of the relationship to watch them play out in full.

Why is it an important story to tell?

When people have asked myself and other members of the team what the show is about it nearly always draws a look of recognition. Even if we haven't experienced it ourselves, we all know couples who we feel shouldn't be together, or are destructive for one another. The fear that comes with not feeling free to speak around people we love is something we can all understand even if it's not a reality (and hopefully it isn't).

It's also been incredibly eye-opening how many men have come to us to talk about their experiences of either emotionally or physically abusive relationships, often at the hands of women. I'll never know why we aren't more afraid of women. Watching the actors (Alan Mahon and Lydia Larson) in research and development has forced me to confront some of my own systemic sexism that I thought I'd long banished and I still can't quite place how I feel. I feel we're good at talking about not talking, but not dealing with not talking which is why I feel now is the time to put Brutal Cessation on.

What sets it apart from other shows at the fringe?

Our actors are going to swap roles throughout the show - it was a creative decision very early on as I really want to look at gender and how gendered our dialogue is. I've found it exciting to watch - the minute you think you know where you stand the scene is flipped and your opinion shifts and it's hard to get a grip on your moral centre. And hopefully there are some laughs along the way. There's no set. Just a couple. And a room. And a hammer.

Timings and ticket information for Brutal Cessation are available on the edfringe website.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Pitt

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