Empty
Role: Director
Performances: Waterloo East, London (2017)
Collaborators: Anne-Sophie Marie (Writer), Daniel Julian, Carmina Bernhardt, Paul Rodgers
I met Anne-Sophie at a Young Vic writer/director speed dating event. I asked to read some of her scripts, then she invited me to direct this one - a dark comedy about someone in therapy for an eating disorder.
I like dark comedy. I like work that engages with the world around us. I really liked this piece. With our wonderful cast, we created a piece that shifted between reality, fantasy, and memory, naturalistic theatre and absurd religious ritual, and got plenty of laughs on the way.
The durian fruit scene will remain a glorious memory. If you don’t know what a durian is, imagine a pineapple that reeks of trash. And then imagine Anne-Sophie utilising all the comic potential of that fruit. It was wonderful.
"My mother stole her first camembert before she could even walk..."
- Empty, Anne-Sophie Marie
