Our Ghost Drinks Matcha arrives at the Etcetera Theatre on Thursday 15th October, introducing audiences to the perfect gay couple who notice something off about their new paradise. Learn more about what you can expect:
1: What inspired the idea behind Our Ghost Drinks Matcha?
I came upon this article earlier this year stating that Reform UK is the biggest party with Gay and Bi men in recent polling. It said that 25% across all age groups from this community was backing the party. I was shocked by this and wanted to write something regarding that subject. Meanwhile, I also really wanted to do a ghost story as I’m a big fan of horror. The realization then came to me to put the two subjects together to create this show. I write from titles. A title for a show pops into my head and I start thinking about how the story will be formed. Then the title ‘Our Ghost Drinks Matcha’ came in and I started writing.
2: Where did the characters of Adam and Steve come from?
Of course their names are a take on the conservative slogan ‘It’s not Adam and Steve, it’s Adam and Eve.’, commenting on the bizarreness of a gay couple following a group that could turn on them at any time. I wanted to work with that but I still was doubting how to create their dynamic. Then, as if I had conjured them, a gay couple walked into the bar that I work at. They had these pink-ruffled cardigans on and had this theatrical energy. My kind of people, I thought. I started talking with them and they revealed they had just come from the conservative Unite The Kingdom-march to protest immigration and muslims. They had just been expelled from another bar for spewing racist remarks and were drunkenly telling me. There they were, Adam and Steve. Right when I started writing this play. They proceeded blurting the most horrible statements, some of which are verbatim in the play. But what struck me most of all was that they were unhappy. They were screaming at each other multiple times, displaying their dissatisfaction with the other and for what I could assume, themselves.
3: Is there a particular scene or moment you’re most excited for audiences to see?
I’m very excited for the ending of the play. I’m hoping that it creeps up on people. Even though this play is a somewhat satirical version of these three creatures(Adam, Steve and The Ghost), I hope the audience realises by the end that this matter is serious. If marginalised groups start dumping on other marginalised groups a domino-effect will occur causing all these groups to fall. The ending is very much written as a realisation to the audience that this matter is no fun and games. It will also question what the main horror-element of the show is. Is it the ghost or the humans it haunts?
4: The show explores being part of a marginalised community while holding political views that might seem contradictory. Why was that something you wanted to explore?
I had started to write the play and was very entranced by this idea of political beliefs coming from nurture vs nature. What has been taught versus what has been discovered by yourself. The thing is that this could be applied to any group, not just gay men. I feel like when I see examples of this in our media I am quick to condemn these people. Why would you do that to your own community and to others? What I wanted to do with Adam and Steve is give them actual reasoning for their beliefs so we, as an audience, can understand, not agree, but understand where they are coming from. I want to open a conversation and not only explore the lives surrounding these people and what’s led them to have these views, but also confront them and bring awareness to how damaging this kind of behaviour can be both to other communities, their own community and the individuals themselves.
5: What does the ghost represent to you?
It’s difficult to say without spoiling the show a little. I will just say that the show, next to the themes of the contradiction of marginalised people holding conservative thoughts and codependent relationships, is also about the act of performative politics. Who do we show our politics to and how much currency does that buy us in the current political climate? I think all the characters, including The Ghost, will find themselves wrapped in the dilemma.
6: What has been the most enjoyable part about creating Our Ghost Drinks Matcha?
I think the most fun of writing the play was taking traditional horror-elements and putting them in a political gay story. The show therefore has the beats of a regular ghost-story. Since the show has political elements, it was also fun to come up with political or satirical material that didn’t feel outdated. Therefore I had to change it continuously to make it still feel recent. The most fun about actually creating the show is in learning how others see these characters and interpret the small world that is in the play. This has led to very interesting and needed conversations to make the show feel like it goes for it while maintaining its balance between comedy and drama.
Our Ghost Drinks Matcha opens Thursday 15th October at the Etcetera Theatre. Many thanks to Julian Verburg for answering our questions. Book your tickets here!
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