BAFTA and Olivier award-winning playwright Debbie Tucker Green’s drama ‘trade’ about relationships, power and sex tourism, is coming to The North Wall on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The compelling drama is being brought to Oxford by the dynamic theatre company New Perspectives and directed by Jack McNamara.
“we just want to get the word out there and make sure people come to see it, because it is such an extraordinary play “
It features three previously unrelated women all visiting the Caribbean for very different reasons – or are they?
The accolades speak for themselves, (the play premiered in 2005 as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s New Work festival) and as a big fan of Debbie Tucker Green’s work he was delighted to tour ‘trade’ for the first time.
“We are taking it to every nook and cranny hecause it is such brilliant story-telling.
“It’s not just about sex but about how we behave abroad, how we project ourselves and the experience we have when we go on holiday, how we can lose sense of ourselves and our standards when we go away.
“As everyone goes on holiday it’s something everyone can relate to, even if they are living a life of luxury for two weeks while those who live there have little money, so it’s also about the contradictions and confections involved in that.”
“More than that it’s the quality of the characters in ‘trade’ which stand out, because they are so clear, brilliantly detailed and intense, because these three actresses are electric.
And yet, while the play’s reputation proceeds it, touring something of this genre is still challenging: Jack says: “There is a genuine waking up to a new wave of art and culture in the past 10 years certainly, and more support in the industry for plays like this, but it’s still a challenge to take work like this out on tour, regardless of its calibre. But we like a challenge,” he laughs. “So we do it anyway.”
HIs enthusiasm certainly stems from the playwright herself. So what is so inspiring for him in Debbie Tucker Green’s work?
“She has such control over the language, that it’s like a musical because she writes and controls every sound and every length of silence with a wonderful sense of rhythm. In a way it’s like conducting a piece of music,” Jack adds.
“Which is why it’s only 50 minutes long, because it is so intense and dense that no one feels short-changed, because Debbie Tucker Green never skirts around the edges.
“And yet it’s very relatable and funny. So we just want to get the word out there and make sure people come to see it, because it is such an extraordinary play, so exciting and fun for any theatre or literature lover.”
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‘Trade’ is at The North Wall on October 15-16.
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