The Whisper Comes Before the Plant opens Thursday 13th August at the Hen and Chickens Theatre, exploring what would happen when an awkward English woman shares a flat with a loud Australian backpacker. Learn more about what you can expect:
1: What was the initial spark for writing this story?
My best friend lives in Australia and I went to visit her last year and fell in love with the Australian humour. Everyone I spoke to was so kind and they all had amazing travelling stories which gave me the idea for Timmy’s character. He is amalgamation of many different people I spoke to, all of which had a hunger for exploring the earth.
When I came back to England I wondered what would happen if a free spirit like that was dropped into the city of London where life moves a lot quicker. I knew it would present challenges if a person who is as tightly wound as a Faith would have to share her space with someone who has no need for boundaries like Timmy.
2: The play explores OCD and agoraphobia. Is this based on a real-world scenario?
Acrophobia is not something I have ever struggled with but I definitely have traits of anxiety led OCD. It has always fascinated me when we allow our internal struggles to determine our actions and how powerful those thoughts can be. As a playwright, I am always looking for ways to challenge myself and setting a play in one room is a brilliant writing exercise. It forces the writing alone to keep the audience’s attention so a character having agoraphobia plays into that.
3: Faith is a complex character. How did you approach making her both funny and authentic?
Faith is someone who has a lot of baggage as most of us do. A lot of the time we have to choose when to put that baggage to one side so we can continue with our lives but in Faith’s head this isn’t something she knows how to do. She uses her sharp wit as a defence mechanism, creating a fast paced back forth with Timmy. Despite herself, she enjoys the banter and is always trying to have the last word. Having said this, she is still deeply troubled so at certain points in the play this results in an explosion of anger as Timmy continues to push her to open up.
This balance is what creates her authentic state of mind. Someone who is desperate to connect but can’t see through her own anxieties from the world around her.
4: The play finds humour in difficult situations. How did you strike that balance without undermining the seriousness of the subject?
I think the two characters stark differences is where the comedy comes naturally. You have Timmy who is used to sleeping in a barn on a hill in rural Nepal and Faith who has spent the last five years of her life working 50 hours a week in a London based office job. They continuously butt heads and misunderstand each other. This does not take away from Faith’s ongoing struggles in her life but offers brief moments of relief as she learns how to co-habit with an Australian backpacker. Timmy helps Faith to realise certain things about herself and highlights that sometimes people’s differences can bring people together.
5: What does Timmy bring into Faith’s life that no one else could?
I believe Timmy has a perspective from travelling the world that Faith and the people around her have been lacking. He is not terribly sentimental and shows Faith how to stop thinking about the future and try to focus on the present.
He also allows her no time to adapt to his presence or build up walls. He instantly wants them to be best friends which Faith hates at first but he does not give up on her like the other people in her life have done. Timmy is a people’s person and sees that Faith is struggling. His consistency is what sets him apart.
6: What has been the most enjoyable part about creating The Whisper Comes Before the Plant?
This is my first comedy I have written. I think aspects of my previous work have always had humorous moments but I really set out to create a piece that will make people laugh from start to finish. So I have enjoyed getting to not only watch the comedy take place on the stage in rehearsals but also getting to bring Faith’s character to life and find the dynamic with Louis who plays Timmy. The dialogue is very fast and I have enjoyed playing with the timings to discover different ways to make the audience laugh.
The Whisper Comes Before the Plant opens Thursday 13th August at the Hen and Chickens Theatre. Many thanks to Nia Braidford for answering our questions. Book your tickets here!
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