Lockdown. But this time the pandemic is social media. Set in an alternate world, Roast Me is a new play written by Tom Holt and is being presented by AIM Theatre.
The play follows four young adults across multiple timelines trying to navigate the consequences of a new social media trend where people invite strangers to roast them online. The nastier the comment, the greater the likes. It eventually gets out of hand; a national lockdown is enforced with people being implored to mask their faces to reduce the risk of unwanted photos being snapped and uploaded for digital ridicule. In a world where phones are more dangerous than guns and keyboard warriors run the show, the social commentary of this piece is really interesting.
There are many elements which at a first glance feel far removed from reality but then you realise they aren’t that far from the media-saturated society we live in today. Nastiness online is so common that it’s easy to pass it off as banter when a comment is enclosed in ✨ sparkles ✨ or has /j on the tail end. Roast Me magnifies this and (although in a very dramatised manner) illustrates the dangers of social media. With this in mind, this piece of theatre has great potential to become a touring production which visits schools to share its important message. Tom Holt’s writing style is colloquial and each character has a distinctive voice which would allow young people to connect with the story.
The choice to tell the story in a non-linear fashion was interesting and kept you on your toes, however, it wasn’t always clear which timeline we were in. At one point the protagonist who was determined to save the world in one scene was in the following scene laughing at someone else’s misfortune after being roasted without their consent – a very abnormal change in tone. It wasn’t until later it was clarified that the second scene was set in the past. Perhaps the use of stagecraft, such as a lighting change or clear costume/set pieces to denote we’re in a specific timeline, could clarify the setting. In a few scenes, more time was spent as an audience member trying to work out where we were rather than hearing the message of the piece. The direction by Jordan Scott Turner marries well with Holt’s writing and there was a very clear vision in place – the choice of a character’s mask connoting their status in the online world was clever.
Harvey, played by Conor Joseph, is named as the one to blame for the Roast Me pandemic. Joseph played the role with innocence in the past and wise, determined energy in future; balancing both well and showing great character development. There was so much light in his performance and fun moments of comedy. AJ Greaves as Charlie did well to portray a character who is simultaneously unlikeable yet amicable based on where we are in the story. A very thoughtful performance which generates discussion about how and why people use social media differently. Lucy Doyle as Charlie (yep, there’s another one!) has a particularly tender scene to navigate surrounding her character’s mental health and approaches it with beautiful poise. You understand her motivations later in the piece regarding her relationship with Charlie and although her choice may not be one you agree with, you believe why she’s made the decision rather than it just being a lovestruck cliché. Lily played by Ayesha Sharma is brutal and dry, a real contrast to the rest of her friends. Sharma is totally convincing in the role and earns a fair few laughs with her delivery. Stefanie Swan and Joe Wiltshire Smith serve as the play’s ensemble doubling as different characters. It’s through them we find the connections between the lockdown reality we all went through and the dramatised version in this story. Swan delivers a monologue about lockdown dependency which we can all probably relate to in some way and Wiltshire Smith has a sensitive moment about living life in the public eye as well as playing a fun bumbling caricature of a politician.
AIM Theatre is a new professional theatre company directed by Joshua Bennett and co-produced by Georgina Bessey working to showcase up-and-coming talent whether they be actors, writers, directors, stage crew, etc. For this production for example they had East 15 student Beth Martin as their stage manager. The aim is to hopefully give artists a platform and exposure to grow their careers. This year they are premiering their first professional London season and no doubt have a very promising future ahead of them.
Roast Me is an enjoyable and thought-provoking piece which has great potential to develop into a larger-scale production. Running at the Union Theatre until 22/01/23 and you can book tickets here.
Before we get into this week’s post properly, today as I write this (09/02) is the four year anniversary of me publishing my first blog post! I started writing four years ago as something to do whilst I was spending my days sat in my school library recovering from my accident. Genuinely, that was the toughest and loneliest point in my life so I decided to start writing to give myself something to focus on. Little did I know what this blog would become and how much I would love writing. Thank you all for taking the time to read my work, it really means a lot to me and I hope you enjoy reading! ❤️
Last weekend I put a poll on my Instagram for what post people would like to read this week and the overall vote was for self care ideas which go beyond the standard ‘do a face mask’ or ‘write down how you feel’. Both of those are totally good ways to practice self care, however, there is more to it than just putting your feet up. Self care is about taking time for you to maintaina positive lifestyle. Now more than ever it’s so important to practice self care. Lockdown has created a belief that because people are at home it can mean they’re around to get back to your messages or be around at the drop of a hat. Newsflash! Just because we’re at home, there are still 24 hours in a day! People are probably still working their normal hours from their dinner table instead of the office – if not more hours in order to sort out any potential teething problems with technology.
Just because we’re at home don’t feel pressured to use anymore time than contracted/necessary. Boundaries are so important, even almost a year into this madness it’s still something I’m personally still trying to master! But, self care is something which should not be skipped or compromised. Even if it’s a few minutes a day, here are a few ideas of things you could try to take some time to perhaps take care of your own well-being.
Make Something
I know this is a stereotypical one, after this there will be some different self care practices! I wanted to highlight the good that making something, specifically crafting, can do for our mental health. Making/crafting something has the capability to release dopamine chemicals in the brain which makes you happy through seeing the end product you create as a reward for the work. Personally, craft has been the thing which has kept my head screwed on during the past year. Whether you paint, sculpt, knit, draw or any other means of creating, the benefits this can have on your emotional wellbeing is incredible. It is also likely to be a different way to use motor skills in the hands. We spend so much of our days typing, scrolling and clicking using our hands in only a few ways. By using your hands in a different way to create something gives your fingers a break from the movements you’ve been doing all day. The amount of friends who when I asked “when was the last time you held a pen?” stared at me, unable to pinpoint an answer, was very telling of the amount of time we spend on devices.
I love a craft order!
Press The Mute Button
Technology and social media are both great things but in moderation. Sometimes though it can be a bit much and we spend time feeling overwhelmed by what we’re seeing to the point it becomes monotonous. Take ten minutes of your day if you find you’re in this position to go through and mute anyone or any account on social media which whenever you see makes you sigh and feel a bit down. People you subconsciously compare yourself to, people who constantly are posting photos of their food, people whose posts which just makes you go ‘ugh’ when you see them… the list goes on. It sounds mean, but if the content you’re seeing on social media is not what you want to see, act upon it. Blocking people works too, but the mute button is fantastic because if you end up muting someone you know, you can still keep the peace between you as there’s no ‘why did you unfollow me?’ fiascos. Taking that time to look at people’s profiles to mute them might make you feel a bit weird if they’re people you perhaps have a tendency to compare yourself to but once that’s done and you don’t see their posts everyday it is the ultimate form of self care because you are putting yourself first.
It is also really good to also take the time to turn off the internet. The other week I was expecting for some news which didn’t warrant an email reply on my part but the anticipation of waiting for that message to come through put a spanner in the works for my day as I was really anxious as a result. My solution was to turn off the internet, bake a cake and then watch a film. I didn’t think about the news and when I eventually turned on the internet later I wasn’t fussed when I saw it ‘ping’ in my inbox. I turned an otherwise anxious day into a self care day where I did things for me. I appreciate not everyone will be able to distance themselves like this from responsibilities but finding your own balance within this is really important.
The cake I made on the day mentioned – not the most aesthetically pleasing but tasted good!!
Talk to yourself
This is one which on the surface seems like I’ve lost the plot and have missed human interaction too much throughout lockdown! However, taking the time to talk aloud to yourself is something I find quite beneficial. We have so many things rushing around in our heads right now so by physically verbalising those things helps get it off the chest. Sit down and just talk. Sit in front of a mirror and ask yourself some questions about how you’re doing, or, recount a really special day in your life, perhaps imagine a scenario you are excited for, even just speak the stream of consciousness you might be feeling. Either way, physically speak aloud to yourself. This time we’re spending at home is often perceived as a time to better yourself and complete all your goals. I believe that instead this time should be used to understand yourself and how you ‘tick’. By talking to yourself you can get to know yourself in a different way.
It is also quite a handy thing to practice if you’re going to be presenting anything on video calls because it means you get use to the sound of your own voice ringing around a room for a long period of time. Personally, talking to myself has helped me by allowing me to mull over options with my work at the moment and after I feel like I’ve got it out of my system. Of course, keep speaking to family/friends but talking to yourself can actually reap some benefits.
Sit in front of a mirror and have a chat with yourself!
Don’t Rush
Most importantly when it comes to self care, don’t just throw it into your day when you can’t reap the benefits. Find the best time where you can focus on yourself and the ‘task’ at hand. It doesn’t need to be a huge portion of the day, little but make sure it’s as often as you can. Even if it’s just your lunch break where you put your phone aside for half an hour to have something to eat and take a step away from your work. Taking time for you isn’t lazy, it shouldn’t be guilt ridden, it’s important so don’t rush it.
Please take care of yourself, the world right now is a weird place so make sure to not neglect yourself. ❤️
When lockdown began I was in the middle of my drama school audition circuit which then dramatically changed when all recalls moved from in person to online. Initially I was anxious about the process because it was quite a while until I heard from the schools about their plans so the unknown was daunting at first. Once I knew the plan, all was fine, but after that things just stopped. I had nothing to work towards, which as someone who always feels the need to work towards something, this manifested itself in a very anxious and otherwise describable as ‘broken’ time which I spoke about in this blog post here which might be worth a read before you continue with this post (but isn’t essential!).
The musical theatre discipline I’ve always had an affinity for was singing. I was singing in school choirs well before musical theatre came on my radar and it’s been what I’ve been having lessons in the longest. But despite being something which has given me so much joy over the years, the past few months have been awful if I’m totally honest. As someone who would normally be singing for roughly half of their day be it in a lesson or just because it was something enjoyable, what I did in lockdown was very different. Between the start of May till mid-August, I only sang three times, for less than an hour, and each of those times ended in tears, some of them also resulted in me being physically sick due to anxiety. It was a really strange thing to experience but with time I came to recognise that, deep down, not only did I still love singing but I knew had to find a way to feel positive about it again.
When I asked this week what blog post people would like to read I had an overwhelming amount of people not only asking to read about getting through the fear of singing but also so many people had stated they too had felt something similar. The fear of singing stemmed from the fact that I felt really upset watching the industry I adore falling to tatters due to the lack of support given through lockdown. Even before this time however, I used to feel quite anxious about singing in certain environments. I’ve always stood by the fact that I could happily sing in front of a huge crowd with nothing else other than a few excited butterflies compared to if I was asked to sing for a group of ten people. It’s bizarre and almost backwards but with time I’ve worked through this however the past few months has resulted in me learning to love using my voice again. Here are a few things which helped me through this.
1. Choose to sing material which makes you feel like you but also pushes your comfort zone in a healthy way.
When you don’t feel like your usual, happy, “sing-song” self, pick a song which makes you feel like you. This could be stylistically or emotionally so if you excel when singing legit style music pick something which feels good to sing in your voice. If you have a knack for telling stories through pop ballads, start playing with a song which gives you lots to work with emotionally. Whatever song you choose it should simultaneously should feel familiar in some aspects but you also want to push yourself a bit just to see where you stand. I personally love a good belt so I picked a song which had a similar range to material I was comfortable with but I challenged myself by having more high belt technique work to practise. It has been tough but it’s reassured me that not only can I do what I was able to do before my break but I’m also able to work on new skills too.
2. Have an open discussion with people who will support you.
For me this has been some of my closest friends, my parents and my singing teacher. When I was thinking about getting back into singing lessons I put off emailing my teacher for weeks but spent ages umming and ahhing over it with my friends who understood the dilemma I was in. Some of my friends really didn’t seem to understand why I was feeling so anxious about doing something which historically had been so ‘simple’. They didn’t mean to cause upset but when in this sort of state I’ve always found it valuable to distance myself from opinions which otherwise could get into my head negatively.
Eventually when I started lessons and was totally honest with my teacher about how I felt. She understood how I’d been feeling and helped me work out what specifically in my world was making me so uncomfortable. Without her help to rewire thing emotionally as well as reassure me that things hadn’t fallen apart technically, I wouldn’t be confident at all.
Sorting my new song ideasHave open discussions with people
3. Get a completely new approach.
My routine pre-lockdown was to have a lesson once a week with my teacher mentioned above as well as a bi-weekly lesson with someone else and also studying musical theatre at college Tuesday – Thursday. When the world changed in March, my schedule naturally changed too with me no longer working towards musical theatre and taking much needed respite from it all. Then when the world changed again a few weeks ago and studios reopened, I began to build a new timetable for a new era.
Although I’m with a teacher who I’ve been working with for a year now, we’re having lessons in a brand new studio. I have really been enjoying the commute as it’s to a part of London I’m not in very often. This fresh start may seem random, but really helped me separate the feelings I was having pre-lockdown (as I was having a bit of a mare confidence wise before this all kicked off) to these new ones. I’d left the negativity behind. If you can’t get to a new studio, perhaps try rehearsing in a different part of your home at a new time of day, the same principal can apply. When building my new timetable it was also important to build a new mindset. Singing was no longer something I had a looming end goal with, I don’t plan to audition for drama school till the new year so I’m using this time to enjoy my work more than ever rather than being stressed about having a time scale to adhere to. I’m spending much more time playing with new material I wouldn’t have touched historically as I would’ve been too stressed out working on audition repertoire.
Doing something you love in a new way is potentially a great way to start afresh and, personally being a creature of habit, having a routine after months of just scraping by is wonderful – I had a lot of fun planning it, but that’s just my inner organised nerd talking!
4. Share progress with those you love.
I hate singing for small groups. Honestly couldn’t think of anything worse. I’m totally fine with singing in front of large crowds, I’d have excited butterflies but that’s it. Smaller numbers, say fifteen or less (excluding 1-2-1 lessons), just makes me really nervous. I think it’s because I can see everyone’s reactions in a smaller group I feel much more conscious, especially if it’s a group of people I know really well such as my family. However, since starting back with lessons I’ve shared a few clips of things I’ve worked on as well as pieces I have suddenly had a surge of confidence to have a play with. The people who have seen these clips are people who make me feel good about myself when I’m low and they’re also people whose opinions I value so hearing what they have to say is not only a confidence boost but gives me something new to work on next.
I’m not the sort of person who typically would share videos publicly of me singing online (there is one singing video on my Instagram which honestly I planned to put up a month in advance and it sat in my drafts for ages..!) but this, for me, is the next step for getting my confidence up – sharing what I do with new people. I want to work through this but I’m terrified to do so and it’s not going to happen for a while but when I feel the urge I will because I really want to give it a go!
A new routineSharing with my best friends
5. Don’t beat yourself up.
If you haven’t been yourself for a long time, try not to sit there belittling what you’re capable of. You’re just not in your usual headspace or have the same confidence levels so don’t make life harder by being your own worst enemy. Also don’t feel bad if you’re not ready, I was given an opportunity over lockdown to be a part of a virtual concert where I’d sing a few numbers but I put it off and eventually cancelled out of anxiousness. I thought that doing this concert, having something to work towards would mean I’d snap out of the way I was feeling. I was offered the concert in April, I didn’t start singing till August.. that is absolutely fine and is also the most healthy thing, mentally and vocally.
My teacher told me something on my first lesson back which has really stuck with me not only about why things have slipped a bit technique wise over my break, but also how I talk to myself emotionally about my work. The voice is a muscle which needs to be trained. Like any muscle, if it’s not exercised it loses strength so it’s inevitable that some elements of my voice feel different as they’re rusty. With practice, all muscles can return to peak performance but it’s also okay that sometimes training slips – it’s about getting back on the horse. This is something I have been told before, but hearing it again when I did was really important. Emotionally this analogy has helped by allowing me to separate my voice from me. Any art form is incredibly personal, especially singing when it comes directly from your body/face! It’s your singing voice. But when things go askew it’s natural to feel down that you are ‘failing’ but in reality no, it’s a muscle which needs work rather than a personal, emotional, part of you that has faltered.
Singing is something which was exceptionally hard to work through the fear of. I still wince at a few things in my lessons (my teacher told me to riff last week, I really wasn’t a fan of that request but we had a giggle about it!) however I am the happiest I’ve been in a long while. I’ve had quite a few things change in my world for the better with things such as relationships, medication and routine but one of the most positive changes is going back to singing. Feeling like Abi once again. ❤️
Love Screens is a collection of three short plays which is being presented by OPEN Ealing. The plays written by Nicolas Ridley and directed by Anthony Shrubsall highlight the moments in life which can alter relationships forever. The plays each have a different focus on what changes the dynamics between people which are very relatable. Moments such as lockdown, the passing of time, and, another person on the scene, each being the themes which dramatically change the relationships of the protagonists of the pieces.
Besties – performed by Sophie Morris-Sheppard
This monologue introduces the audience to Claudia, a woman who lives in her own bubble – both in a figurative emotional sense, and also a literal sense regarding social distancing measures. She is pondering various relationships in her life which during the era of lockdown have each changed in ways she didn’t anticipate. When Claudia realises the extent of the changes, she is left trying to figure herself out and adjust where she stands. Morris-Sheppard gives a very balanced and personal performance as Claudia.
The Trees of Nature – Calum Wragg-Smith and Isabella Inchbald
Daisy and Simon had always been friends, but with time, their relationship became tumultuous when there was thought that their friendship could have potentially one day been something more. The story of growing together as well as growing apart is authentically told by Wragg-Smith and Inchbald leaving the audience simultaneously rooting for the pair but also hoping nothing drastically changes. With all the cards on the table, the two reflect on a long history which might have meant more to one person than the other…
Four Sides of a Triangle – performed by Samantha Parry, Alexander Jonas, Sarah Lawrie, Stephen Omer
A relationship between two people always tends to have the opinions of other people ringing in their ears. However, what happens when the opinions of a best friend and also the man who believes he is owed thanks for bringing the couple together, get involved? Four Sides of a Triangle is a very peculiar yet engaging tale told beautifully by the actors involved.
Love Screens premieres TOMORROW, Friday 11th September 2020 at 7.30pm. You can book tickets at the link here where the proceeds of the event will be split between the actors, other creatives and OPEN Ealing meaning it is a fantastic way to support the theatre industry whilst enjoying a brilliant piece of work. There is also a post event Q&A with the writer and director which would be great to check out if you’re interested in how work is being produced in these strange times!
The Deskbound Dramatic 