Feature: Drama and Theatre Arts, Sarah’s Story

Since graduating in Drama and Theatre Arts at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, in 2011, Director Sarah Marr has been working on several high profile projects including a new production with her company, Resolve Theatre. Here she talks about her new show The Cost of Living, which has just finished a successful series at The Rag Factory, London. “It has been a rewarding and challenging process as everyone involved is working for free around other work”, said Sarah. Volunteering on the show in between other jobs was no easy feat and required a genuine interest and passion from all involved. Sarah explained, “We did it because we believe it needed to happen. It was a bit of an experiment on my part to discover whether it was possible to make a theatre show and have it put on in London with no reviews, no script and no funding – instead just and idea and a dedicated team.” So, what inspired the show? Sarah notes the importance of the show being based on current affairs and something the audience could actually relate to. She explained, “The idea was to shine a light on anyone who has worked on a minimum wage, £2 short of the national Living Wage, and bring an audience together to debate what is more important - living, or the price you pay for the privilege?” However, the process of continually adapting a script to ensure it reflects accurately the world around them hasn’t been without its difficulties. “It has been challenging to work on an ever-changing script that is constantly responding to news and public comment, but it is really important to us that the project inspires people to laugh at the truth, talk to each other and question the world we live in”, Sarah added. The show has been in development for the past year as Sarah and her team worked tirelessly to put on the best show possible. She said, “We have tested the script and shown parts at scratch nights to enthusiastic audiences in south east London over the last six months before scriptwriter Chris King and I decided to produce the play in full when The Rag Factory opened a free submission season this year. “This is the first production I have led for my own company. I have worked previously with Ballast Theatre Company and have assisted independent directors in London but when I had the idea that initiated the production I decided I needed to build a new team specifically for the project and join us under the company name Resolve Theatre.” It was fellow graduate Sam Dean who got the call; after she and Sarah met while both students at St Mary’s. She recalls, “We had been looking for an opportunity to work together again. We also intend to work more with Resolve Theatre after The Cost of Living and to continue discovering new ways of using the theatre to understand and engage in the world around us.” St Mary’s offers a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate Drama courses available to study in 2015. For more information, visit the website.