Guest Blog: Actress Catherine Lamb Talks Jack Thorne's BUNNY

This play could be set on the outskirts of any UK city today. A bleak place, lacking identity and suffering from divided and waring communities. Our awkward and self-conscious sixth former, Katie, finds herself crossing these social boundaries as she ends up in a Luton she doesn't recognise. One which doesn't belong to her.

What is really telling about this story is that no one, including Katie, understands how she ended up here. Circumstances unravel and she gets carried along, never thinking to question what is happening. It's almost as if she doesn't see saying 'no' as an option.

Now, more than ever, the theatre must explore stories where women are made to feel powerless, inadequate and submissive. It is so important to be staging productions which help us to identify with the state of our nation and force us to question certain aspects of our society.

I think it is also very important to be staging 'coming of age' tales. It encourages young people to go to the theatre and it allows young people to see themselves reflected in the arts, which so important. This play, in particular, perfectly articulates the desires, fears and challenges of growing up today. It is a funny and thought-provoking one-woman show that creates a powerful youth voice in Britain now.

Jack Thorne cleverly examines where these divisions come from and hints at how these barriers could be broken down. We see the world of the play through the eyes of an 18-year-old Caucasian girl, whose own racism, though buried, surfaces in some uncertain circumstances.

What's interesting is that every time a character becomes aggressive and offensive towards a character of another culture it is a direct result of feeling afraid or threatened. So perhaps Jack Thorne is suggesting that as soon as we stop being afraid of one another we may all get along a lot better. That with some understanding, empathy and dialogue, there is a lot that can be achieved.

Watch a trailer for Bunny below

Bunny is at White Bear Theatre 7-25 March

Photo credit: Romana Patton

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