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Michael Cox speaks with Random Accomplice's artistic directors Julie Brown and Johnny McKnight about their theatrical 'daily roundup' of events during the Commonwealth Games.Michael Cox: Just to make this official: we are recording.
Johnny McKnight: And we’re live!
Julie Brown: This is good practice because this is what we’re going to be doing for the next ten nights.
Michael: So, I guess the first question is: why the hell are you doing this?! It’s going to be a new play every night, right?
Julie: Why the hell not, we say?
Johnny: In all honesty, when we talked about doing something for the Commonwealth Games, we knew we didn’t want to do a show about sports or national pride. And then we thought ‘what could we do that would suit us, something that would be funny’. So we came up with a news drama set in a news studio. And then we talked about who might write it and we wondered what kind of play would hold up and be satisfying enough. Then we thought, ‘maybe it should be a totally disposable play?’ and it wouldn’t need to be satisfying—it would just need to be for that day. Something like a soap opera. And then it started getting bigger and bigger.
Julie: Then we started to dream…
Johnny: Uh huh. We started to ask ‘who would write it?’ We thought about getting people in on the day, rehearse it that day and then just go on. And it then grew arms and legs and we never thought about what we were really doing until now!
Julie: And now we’re doing it.
(Both burst into laughter.)
Julie: You’ve been calling this our 100m final. It’s like you're building up and building up…but ten times!
Johnny: An athlete trains and then doesn’t know if they’ll make it into the final and all that. And this is an acting version. It’s a different lead writer every time and different daily writers all the time. So, no two shows really have the same feel. And it’s barking! When we were talking about it, we said: a kind of Sunset Beach vibe—anything can and will happen.
Julie: And even though that sounds mental, you can still come to all ten and you’ll see the through-line of it. You still get a story all the way through.
Michael: So, it’s a soap opera?
Julie: Yep!
Johnny: It’s absolutely soap opera, with the cliff-hangers built in, and you’ll see through the ten a love affair blossom.
Julie: Several!
Johnny: Yes, several.
Michael: So, are these subplots already plotted out? You know what happens when?
Johnny: Yes. We’ve been rehearsing the soap opera content, and it will go into a news broadcast that gets written on the day. So whatever they present in the newsroom is the stuff we don’t have at all right now. That’ll just happen.
Michael: Oh. So you’ve got a structure you’re hanging this on…
Julie & Johnny: YES!
Johnny: A structure so we know the plot line. We knew we needed a structure: who’s doing what when, but whatever goes into the news can be as mental as we like.
Johnny: We started storyboarding it like on TV.
Julie: We’re dead specific about what we’re telling and the points we have to hit.
Johnny: It’s been fun, because it’s like we’re running a TV show. But it’s mental. Just get it up, and get it off!
Michael: Do you have any rules for the daily changes?
Johnny: We’d like to have a run before an audience comes in, so I’d say 7pm is the latest. But, if something happens it’s going in!
Julie: It’s got to.
Johnny: And it won’t matter if it dies, because it’s a brand new show tomorrow and we can fix it. And no matter what, it’s going to be mental!
Michael: Let’s rewind a little bit here. For news, do you have sources you’re relying on?
Julie: Nope. Carte blanche. News websites, Twitter. Anything. And there is the possibility there may not be a lot of news on a given day.
Michael: Any contingency plans if something doesn’t quite hit on the day?
Johnny: Nope. We’re just going to make it happen.
Julie: We’ll just tell the cast: just be funny.
Michael: Is that your direction? Just be funny.
Julie: And ‘be funny…NOW!’
Johnny: In terms of tone, we want it to be fun and daft and celebratory rather than heavy, political and snippy. And, it might be a total disaster but at least we’re all going to have a laugh.
Michael: With the soap opera plot points already set, is there a night you’re looking forward to more than the others?
Johnny: We keep getting asked that question. We all like different episodes because different things happen. There’s one I really like because it’s a Frozen [the Disney film] theme, and I love watching that.
Julie: We call that our ‘panto’ edition.
Michael: There are themes to each performance?
Johnny: We have titles for each one. So, we have: introduction, repercussions (after the opening ceremony), disability, drugs, heatwave…
Julie: Forgiveness, gay…
Johnny: …loosers, wedding and…
Julie & Johnny: Hostage!
Johnny: So, they’re wildly different every night.
Michael: Sounds great, but you’re both insane for taking this all on.
Julie: Aye, but everyone’s totally up for it.
Michael: One last question. With all of the possibilities for a show like this, why do it at The Arches?
Johnny: Well, there are a few reasons. First, logistically. It’s too big a show (to not be in a theatre space). And The Arches were really keen on us coming here. And Julie and I did our first show here, so it’s a bit nostalgic. And it’s theatre. We never saw it as a 7.30 show. It’s a kind of pissed-up cabaret nightish feeling, and that feels like something at The Arches.
Michael: By being at 9pm, it really can be a bit naughty.
Julie: I have no idea which show to tell my parents to come to.
Johnny: Well, there’s no nudity…
Julie: Yet!
Johnny: But all of the characters are obsessed with sex. If you were doing your Stanislavski, everyone’s super-objective is to get a ride.
News Just In performs at The Arches at 9pm from July 22 to August 2. No performances on the 23rd or 27th.
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