Interview by Lou with Linus Karp on The Fit Prince (Who Gets Switched On The Square In The Frosty Castle The Night Before Christmas 2 December 2025 – 3 January 2026 King’s Head Theatre, London
Welcome Linus Karp to Bookmarks and Stages. Thank you for the opportunity to interview you. They have a new show this Christmas running from 2 December 2025 – 3 January 2026. See further details, plus a link after the interview. First, here’s the synopsis of what it’s about, then there’s an entertaining and interesting interview about the play, its created location, subversion, Christmas films and so much more…
Panic! In Swedonia. The King is dead, and the Prince in line to the throne is unmarried – if he doesn’t find someone soon, he must forfeit the crown! Meanwhile, in New York City, baker Aaron Butcher is butchering his career as a family baker. His puppet colleague, the ever-optimistic Jenny Puppetson, secretly enters him for a mysterious royal commission in the faraway land of Swedonia: Aaron has been chosen to bake the wedding cake for the Prince himself. Extremely reluctantly, and mostly to spite his ex, Aaron accepts. Maybe a commission in a suspiciously familiar, completely fictional country will fix his problems… Audiences are invited to Swedonia – the perfect setting for the ultimate queer parody of all those Netflix and Hallmark romcoms you love to cringe at; the chaotic queer cousin to them all. Written by and starring Linus Karp and Joseph Martin, with original music by Golden Globe–nominated songwriter and producer Leland (Troye Sivan, Charli xcx, RuPaul’s Drag Race) and multiple surprise cameos, The Fit Prince is a joyous subversion of heteronormative romcoms and a love letter to Karp’s native Sweden.
Without further ado, let’s find out what was said:
What inspired your play?
Joseph and I spent Christmas 2022 ill with covid. For close to two weeks, we watched endless Netflix and Hallmark holiday films. We felt like we wanted to put our own awkward prods spin on one of those stereotypical storylines, making it queer to the max. We added A LOT of audience participation, cameos from many of our fave people, some catchy musical numbers written by Leland and, of course, some beautiful puppets.
The play is said to flick through the Net of traditional holiday movies, bringing all their Hallmarks together in the signature awkwardprods way. How did you go about weaving the feeling of those types of films into your play and what attracts you to this type of comedy?
There is something really fun in embracing clichés and predictable moments and then create surprises around that. It’s also fun to take what is traditionally heterononormative stories and make them queer.
The play is set in the fictional place in Swedonia with a prince who is next in line to the throne and is yet unmarried, which poses a problem. It sounds a bit fairytale like, what inspired this part of the premise in your play?
We wanted to create a fictional world, that’s to some extent removed from reality. Being Swedish, it felt really fun to play with people’s ideas of what Sweden is in creating that world – making Swedonia equal parts a fantasy land and a love letter to Sweden.
There’s a lot of playfulness in the names, Aaron Butcher and Jenny Puppetson, what were the discussions like when coming up with those names?
I thought Puppetson was a really funny name, Joseph wasn’t sure, but I put it as a placeholder in the first draft, and soon enough we both loved it. Because Aaron’s a baker it just felt very stupid that his surname would be Butcher, and we love stupid.
There’s romance and a bit of subversion, can you tell us a bit more about that?
Well, it’s Christmas. And at Christmas you tell the truth. Which is that love, actually is all around. So it felt natural to incorporate that into the story. The people need more queer love stories.
What are some of you favourite Christmas films?
Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square, The Christmas Prince, The Princess Swithch, A castle for Christmas, The Knight Before Christmas – Josh Whitehouse who is the romantic lead in that film actually makes a video appearance in Fit Prince. And the show also sees a tribute to the Queen of Netflix Christmas movies – Vanessa Hudgens.
What do you like most about Christmas?
Personally, I never feel like it’s Christmas until I’m performing our show the Fit Prince at King’s Head Theatre.
Where can people find out more about and follow your play
Head to your favourite social media and follow @awkwardprods to find out more about Fit Prince, and our other shows; Gwyneth Goes Skiing and Diana:The Untold and Untrue Story
The Fit Prince (Who Gets Switched On in the Square in the Frosty Castle the Night Before Insert Public Holiday Here) is at King’s Head Theatre from Linus Karp and Joseph Martin, with original music by Golden Globe–nominated songwriter and producer Leland . Tickets available HERE
Interview with Actress, Joanna Holden on the play Countess Dracula, A Gothic Comedy Premiering at Camden People’s Theatre 29th Oct – 1st Nov 2025 see further details after the Q&A
Interview by Louise Cannon (Lou), Bookmarks and Stages
Countess Dracula is primed and ready for Halloween. Just what does this fabled creature have to do with the Menopause? Inspired by Bram Stoker’s famous Dracula, the play turns everything on its head as it promises to explore it all in a uniquely entertaining way.
I recently had the privilege of asking some questions about the play to Joanna Holden. First, here’s a little bit about her working class background and what she’s become renowned for, then we shall begin with the questions. After this, you will find a link to how you can see this play at Halloween.
Joanna Holden is a renowned performer with over 25 years experience as an actor, director, clown and facilitator. Born and raised in a working class family in Scunthorpe, despite a career spanning the globe she has never lost her northern roots. A long time collaborator with Told By An Idiot and John Wright she has also worked with Directors such as Roxana Silbert, Stephen Daldry, Cal McCrystal and Angela De Castro. In an extensive career Joanna has worked with companies including Cirque du Soleil, Kneehigh, The RSC, The National Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Hull Truck, Soho, The Royal Festival Hall, York Theatre Royal, Theatre By The Lake, Bolton Octagon, Northern Stage and Sheffield Crucible.
What attracted you to the role of Countess Dracula?
The idea that a woman could play one of literature’s most terrifying characters and express that cold blooded, dark, evil soul was exciting to me, especially as a woman of 57. I might not have lived thousands of years, but there’s an awareness of the years I’ve lived, if that makes sense. Going through the menopause, other Dracula characteristics resonated with me: an acute sense of my mortality, a fear of ageing and feeling like the living dead, and the horror that is the menopause for some women. The lack of sleep, what can I do with that nighttime wakefulness and the madness that comes with it! On a more positive note, it has also been interesting to explore the power that Dracula has over his world and the people in it, at a time when I felt I was losing power in my own life. What delight can I find in that, and what lessons can I and we, the audience, explore in that!
There have been many adaptations of Bram Stoker’s original creation of Count Dracula, from stage to film to even a cartoon on TV when he’s a duck. What drew you to the classic book and then to put a whole different spin on it, and do you think Bram Stoker would approve if he was alive today?
One day I was slumped on the underground, holding up my chins, contemplating my tiredness and lack of libido. Who was this person I didn’t quite relate to? The thought of sucking young men’s blood for their testosterone came into my mind, weird as it may sound, and I started to contemplate the idea of a female Dracula allowing her rage, her appetite, her need to survive to be let loose on the world. I started to read the novel and also spoke to other menopausal women who seemed to relate to this comparison, and so began to explore the role of Countess Dracula through the gaze of a menopausal woman. The Dracula or vampire myth is a fertile genre to be played with, adapted and explored, and it continues to fascinate us, which is why I guess there are so many adaptations. I think women in Bram Stoker’s time were viewed, unfortunately, very differently. I would hope Bram would be open minded enough to be excited by the idea!
Do you feel plays that re interpret a classic character draw not only something different from the original text, but draw people to be curious about it again, whether they already know it or are newcomers to it?
I think it draws out recognisable elements from the text and observes them through a different lens for a new audience, using those elements to explore a new angle in an ever changing world. Dracula is in all our psyches, everyone has a notion of who he is and what it’s about, so we are given a head start there and are able to subvert this to say something new. I hope that makes sense. At the same time, the piece should also hopefully stand alone, whether you have read Dracula or not.
The play confronts the menopause and all that it can bring, its rage, sadness, madness and humour. What do you hope to get across to the audience with this essential topic and mixture of emotions?
Half of the audience will go through this or will have been through it, and the other half will have mothers, lovers, etc., who will experience this transition in one way or another. We ran some workshops in Scunthorpe with menopausal women, and they had so much to share and say. They all had different journeys, but there was an overwhelming sense of the need to share, to laugh, to talk, to cry, to be open about their fears, and the sessions were so cathartic. I hope that we can find some of that in our show. It is a journey, and you are changed by it, so how do we embrace that, find acceptance, and at the same time harness the power that comes with the experience?
I have no idea if you’ve been through menopause yourself or not. If you have, is there anything in the play you could relate to, or what research did you feel you had to do so the message was authentic?
I am post menopausal, as are many of my friends, and of course on our team there are partners of menopausal women. The brain fog, the memory loss, the lack of self esteem and confidence, the questioning of who you are, the being disappeared and wanting to disappear, the wanting to shout expletives, they were all there whilst making the show, so they’ve become part of the show. And also, the delightful opportunity to play Countess Dracula with all her power and not give a monkeys what the world thinks!
This adaptation playfully interrogates society’s treatment of ageing women. How is the playful nature achieved, and how important do you feel it is to bring humour to quite serious topics?
I guess we know that it can be a difficult journey, but we don’t want to go to the theatre and see exactly our own lives. We want to be able to laugh at the ridiculous elements, the mad situations when you can’t remember a name, or you’ve put the TV remote in the fridge, or you’ve set off somewhere on the wrong day for the wrong meeting. Through entertainment, we can find a united laughter of recognition and community.
What do you like about Halloween, and do you have any traditions or superstitions you follow?
The opportunity to be naughty, to be outside of etiquette, and to trick or treat, and the opportunity to scare and be scared. It’s the end of the summer, and the dark nights are coming in, with the exciting fear of what happens in the darkness, whether there are ghosts and evil spirits in that darkness. I like to have a tin of sweets by my door for the youngsters, but I can’t fit into my skeleton costume anymore!
Where can people follow you on social media?
@ofthejackel on Instagram is the best way to keep up with everything that is going on with the show.
Countess Dracula will run at Camden People’s Theatre from 29 October – 1 November 2025. Ticket link is HERE.
Interview with Phillip Arditti and Nina Bowers on Stage Play – English Kings Killing Foreigners and more… Soho Theatre, London Tuesday 16th September – Saturday 18th October 2025
interview by Louise Cannon Bookmarks and Stages
I had the pleasure of interviewing Phillip Arditti and Nina Bowers about their new play, English Kings Killing Foreigners. An eye-catching title if ever I saw one, which we discuss as well as the topics of the play and what it’s really about – Shakespeare’s Henry V. We also take you a little bit behind the scenes to the rehearsal room, the state of the Arts, working with Olivia Coleman and Jed Mercurio in other plays and more…
As an Actor Nina has performed in a wide range of projects at Shakespeare’s Globe, The Kiln Theatre Royal Stratford East, The Gate Theatre, and the Barbican. Credits include: all 19 Characters in Anna Deveare Smiths’ Twilight Los Angeles 1992 directed by Ola Ince and Rosalind in As You Like It at the Globe in a “standout performance” (Time Out)
Alongside acting Nina writes and makes work that has been performed at The Yard, ICA, Camden People’s Theatre.
Having grown up in the Jewish community of Istanbul, Philip moved to London and trained at RADA. He first became known for his portrayal of Uday Hussein in the HBO/BBC mini-series House of Saddam.
He has since played leading and supporting roles on stage and screen. Most recently in Jed Mercurio’s Covid drama Breathtaking andopposite Sheridan Smith in No Return, both for ITV. He was a regular at the National Theatre between 2008 and 2018 and was part of Michelle Terry’s Globe Ensemble through 2019 where he played the title role in Henry IV.
Upcoming: Philip will return to The Spy Who Came In From The Cold for its Soho Place transfer this winter, following a sold out premiere at Chichester in 2024.
What inspired the title, English Kings Killing Foreigners?
Great question! Well we wanted something bold and brash and a bit clickbaity. Doing a show about Shakespeare’s Henry V could sound a bit blah and boring. But the show is the opposite of that it’s this wild edgy dark comedy and we wanted the title to reflect that and make a statement. Also the play is really about the process of actors who are having to assimilate in different ways to Englishness and asks the question; does the foreign part of you have to die to make way for Englishness? To be accepted? So the title is a nod to that.
– The play is inspired by your real-life experiences of starring in several productions of Henry V, including one at the Globe Theatre where you first met. How do you feel those experiences have influenced your working relationship together?
This play really wouldn’t exist without us meeting at the Globe. It was an amazing experience, one that is so uncommon now, to have a company of ten actors do 5 plays together over the course of a year! Being together and living with Shakespeare’s History plays for that long allowed us to have long discussions about what his plays meant for us that we wouldn’t have had otherwise. We’re so grateful for that time and space, it’s so rare to get the space as freelance actors to reflect deeply on the work that you’re doing and your relationship to it.
– How did you choose which experiences to put into the play and how did working together assist in you creating and making the piece evolve into a brand new play?
Very few of our real experiences are in the play, but the events in the play have roots in our real lives if that makes sense? It’s kind of like fanfiction of our lives. Our approach to writing is about taking a very small moment or comment from our lives and then expanding it into a full drama. Kind of the opposite of de-escalation. We look at tiny moments where we may have felt, something was strange or interesting or funny and we push it to the most extreme. Then once we had all these great moments and scenes, we started knitting them together and the play grew really organically from there.
– The synopsis says: “… English culture with a frank and bold criticism of the institution of Shakespearean theatre in the UK…” How do you view Shakespeare, what are your feelings towards him and his work?
When you approach Shakespeare there’s two things you’re talking about; there’s the actual plays and then there’s the brand and the cultural resonance that Shakespeare has. Which is a legacy that is tied up with elitism and British exceptionalism. We’ve both had great experiences with Shakespeare and difficult ones, some of the parts we’ve gotten to play in Shakespeare are really liberating, and powerful. But we also think it’s worth being critical, especially when it comes to the ‘problem plays.’ Shakespeare isn’t going anywhere and as a fixture of the culture he can take some robust interrogation.
– With cultural identity being a hot topic just now, how did you set about turning what can be a heated debate into a piece of comedy and why do you feel this is important?
There’s plenty of anger and commentary when it comes to the topic of identity but there aren’t as many spaces to laugh about it. Both of us have many intersecting identities, cultures and have lived in different places, and when you’re in the position of being many things, you really can see the absurdity of rigid classifications of identity. Absurdity is a great source of humour, and humour is a wonderful way of highlighting absurdities so it’s a perfect match for us. The show gives space for people to laugh while also maybe feeling challenged and uncomfortable and we think that’s really powerful to have those things together. It allows people to engage in a different way and make discussion feel possible.
– There’s a glimpse in the play, within a play of the micro-aggressions within the rehearsal room, is this based on what you’ve experienced and/or witnessed? In what manner have you added it into the play?
We’ve both experienced our fair share of microaggressions in the rehearsal room but the ones you see in the play aren’t necessarily things we’ve directly experienced. Or some of them we have experienced outside the theatre world, it’s a real mix.
– What do you hope people take away from English Kings Killing Foreigners?
We hope people feel like they have more space to process the current political moment, we’ve had lots of people reflect that back to us after seeing the show and that’s been so amazing.
– Philip Arditti, you’ve previously worked with Olivia Colman, Omid Djalili and Gugu Mbatha-Raw amongst other famous, well-known people, what was that like and did you learn anything new or find yourself being influenced by them? Did they divulge whether you influenced them in a positive way in their careers?
Yes, all of them had such humility and authenticity which is inspirational, it must be difficult to hold on to a sense of self when surrounded by so much attention, so I’m always struck by how they manage to do that, I’m in awe. I’m so grateful to them that they came out to support a fundraiser I put together in 2023 for the earthquake in Syria.
– Philip Arditti, you acted in Jed Mercurio’s Covid drama Breathtaking, which was very moving. What emotions did you feel acting in a drama with such immediacy with a topic that affected the whole human race in varying ways?
It felt like it was a really important story to tell, what the health care frontline staff went through. The extent to which they were abandoned by the high echelons of power is really shameful and being part of telling that story in a small way felt important. Those people literally risked their lives to care for covid patients, and no amount of celebration would be enough.
– Nina Bowers, you were credited as all 19 characters in Anna Deveare Smiths’ Twilight, how did you ensure all of them were different from each other and remember your lines, accents for each one?
Well I had a great accent coach Hazel Holder to help me. Also, all of the people I played were real so I scoured the internet for footage of them and if I couldn’t find someone I’d find footage from the time (the play was set in the 90s) and try to model that person off of someone else. I also drew every one of my characters and had all the portraits pinned up in my dressing room, I used colours/styles that meant something for each person, the pictures were like little portals into each character. I also used key phrases and poses for each character.
– You’ve appeared on many stages many times, especially Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, how does it feel to have the experience of walking in the footsteps of so many thesps, dead and alive, with all that history running through a building and across the well-trodden boards?
One of the great aspects of our profession is camaraderie across generations and we have always cherished working with older actors, and being part of a long line of storytellers.
– Arts funding is increasingly under scrutiny and threat, theatre tickets in mainstream theatres, in some cases, astronomically pushing audiences further away from trying out new writing and actors, how do you feel this is affecting the future of theatre, what do you think the personal cost is to both audiences and actors/playwrights and all those behind the scenes and do you see a brighter future?
The structure of the buildings that we work in, the ecology of having loads of producing houses, was set up when there was more funding for the arts. Currently it feels hopeless because there aren’t the resources to keep that system going, and the expectation of the theatre community, including audiences, hasn’t shifted to accommodate that reality. However, we are hopeful that new structures will develop in response to these economically and politically challenging times. If we respond to the moment we are in, the work is bound to be exciting.
Interview with Abigail Hood about the theatre play – Monster
by Louise Cannon – Bookmarks and Stages
Welcome Abigail Hood to Bookmarks and Stages, thank you for your time. What has been created is an insightful interview as we delve into writing and performing a play with a full cast. We also delve deep into the play’s themes that deal with trauma and abuse, touch upon the research and a real case and self-care and more… There are great photos to show you, a little about the play and then onto the interview itself and how you can go and see this gripping, challenging sounding play. There will also be post-show Q&A sessions with representatives from Advance on Thursday 2nd and Thursday 9th October at Seven Dials Theatre. Please see further details after the interview.
Abigail Hood, Lauren Downie, Lisa Ellis, Steve Hay, Sarah Waddell, Kevin Tomlinson
Set in Glasgow in 2006, and following a story spanning two decades, Monster follows Kayleigh ”°Kay”± Grey, a teenager prone to trouble whose fierce loyalty to her best friend Zoe often tips into dangerous retaliation. When a single act of violence shatters the lives of everyone around her, the play asks searching questions about culpability, rehabilitation and whether forgiveness is ever truly possible… At its heart, Monster follows the devastating consequences of a violent act committed by 15-year-old Kayleigh Grey. Moving between the events that led up to the tragedy and her adult life, the play asks whether someone raised in violence is destined to repeat it – and whether true forgiveness or redemption can ever be found…
You are both playwright and performer of Monster, how does that feel to be able to have that much creative control and how does it feel to bring your play to life, when before, it was in your head and on a page?
It’s an exhilarating experience to be both playwright and performer of Monster. When I was writing, I would roleplay each character on my own—improvising their words and trying to get under their skin to understand their motivations and triggers. I always knew I would play Kay because I wanted to challenge myself, as both writer and actor, to make her as three-dimensional as possible—to explore someone capable of something terrible while still finding the humanity within.
As a performer, stepping into the world I created is both strange and wonderful. It started as a very solitary process—me with my laptop and research—and then suddenly you’re in a rehearsal room with a director, cast, and creative team who bring their own ideas and energy. The play stops belonging only to you and starts to take on a life of its own, which is the most thrilling part.
Performing and writing are two very different skill sets, what or who inspired you to both and do you ever find when you’re performing, that you do it differently from how you imagined when you first put your words down on a page?
My inspiration to become a performer came when I was nine years old and selected as one of the juvenile dancers in the annual professional pantomime at the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds, my hometown. The whole process was glorious: Sunday dance calls, a week of intensive rehearsals in the theatre with the professionals before opening, and then eight weeks of daily performances—I was in heaven! We were only allowed to do one show a day, but I would gladly have done both. I loved everything about being in the theatre: the magic of the stage, the camaraderie of working together, and the joy of sharing the final performance with an audience. My mum still remembers how I could (and would) recite the entire pantomime, playing every role! Though I was a shy child in everyday life, on stage something else would take over.
I didn’t consciously decide to become a playwright, but I’ve always loved telling stories. It wasn’t until a period of ‘resting’ as an actor that I finally began to write. Still, I think the spark was lit much earlier, during one of my first professional acting jobs—playing Alice in the original production of Polly Stenham’s That Face at the Royal Court—when I witnessed the extraordinary impact a play can have. Seeing how it provoked conversations, challenged perspectives, and demanded urgent social reflection made me want to create work with that same power.
I’m also hugely inspired by the writing of Simon Stephens, Mike Bartlett, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who write with honesty and urgency about the world we live in now. For me, the impulse to write comes from a need to explore the “grey areas” of life—those complex, uncomfortable spaces that, when shared on stage, might help us understand each other a little better and, hopefully, nurture a more tolerant society.
This all said, I think I was always destined to become an actor and writer. A few weeks ago, I found some old schoolwork from when I was twelve: the task was to write an autobiography (an ambitious undertaking for twelve-year-olds!) and we’d been asked to brainstorm facts about ourselves. Under the ‘likes’ category, I had written: acting, dancing, and writing stories.
In terms of performing a role, it is often different from the way I imagined, as I am interacting with other actors who bring their own unique energy to their roles. They too are making choices and creating their version of the character, so the way a line hits you can make the response come out differently from the way you planned. Pre-conceived ideas often go out of the window once rehearsals begin.
Monster follows Kayleigh Grey, raised in an abusive household, hooks up with a bullied teenager who has a strong bond with her. How did you get inside the minds of such complex characters to make them realistic?
I did a great deal of research into abused children and children who had committed violent acts — reading biographies and autobiographies, newspaper articles, watching documentaries, listening to podcasts, and speaking to psychologists and criminologists. Research was just the starting point. After that, I tried to get inside my characters’ heads — finding out what made each of them tick: their fears, hopes, triggers, and complexities. To do this I did lots of character developing writing exercises and improvising dialogue with myself. In particular, I wanted Kayleigh to feel fully three-dimensional—to reveal her humanity and show she’s more than the violent act she committed.
What emotions did you experience when both acting and writing the part of Kayleigh Grey?
When I was writing Kayleigh, I felt a mix of sadness, empathy, and deep distress for the harm she caused and the fact that the worst part of her was allowed to prevail. I wanted to understand her fully—her fears, her hopes, the moments of light in her as well as the darkness—without excusing the harm she caused. She does something horrifying, but that doesn’t make her a bad person through and through. There are qualities in her that are recognisable, even likeable, and it was important to me that the audience could see that complexity.
When I play Kayleigh, those emotions become very immediate. I think about the many children I read about and researched who committed these kinds of acts—the people they were before, and the people those acts turned them into. You have to hold both sides in your head: the vulnerable child who made choices, and the consequences of those choices. I feel it is really important to show her both as a feral, abused teenager and then as a grown woman building a life but plagued by the guilt of her childhood crime. It’s emotionally intense, but it’s also what makes the role so fascinating to inhabit.
The play explores violence, trauma and forgiveness, which you say are urgent themes, why do you feel they are important themes to explore in a play?
I think they’re important because they’re so often talked about in headlines or statistics, but not always in a way that captures the human side. Violence, trauma, forgiveness — these are things that shape people’s lives in complicated, messy ways. They don’t fit neatly into boxes of right or wrong, good or bad. A play gives you the space to sit with all of that, to feel it rather than just read about it.
For me, theatre is about empathy. It’s one thing to know something happened; it’s another to be in the room with characters living through the consequences of it. Violence and trauma don’t just end when the event is over — they ripple outwards, shaping families, relationships, whole communities. And forgiveness, or the absence of it, is just as complex. People talk about forgiveness like it’s a single moment, a decision you make and then move on, but it isn’t like that. It can take years, or it might never come at all. I think a play can hold all those contradictions — the harm done, the grief, the anger, the humanity of everyone involved — in a way that feels real. These themes matter because they raise questions we don’t always have easy answers to, but I think they’re questions worth asking.
You drew upon some harrowing real-life cases, such as that of Mary Bell, what went through your mind as you studied her case and how did you choose what to depict in your play?
When I read about the case of Mary Bell, what struck me most wasn’t just the crime itself, but everything around it — the childhood leading up to it, the public reaction, the way the media talked about her. There’s the act, which is horrifying, but then there’s this whole story of neglect, violence, and missed chances to step in before things got so bad.
For the play, I didn’t want to retell any one real case. Instead, I wanted to capture the patterns I kept seeing across so many stories: children sometimes failed by the systems meant to protect them, the complexity of their inner lives, the tension between the harm they suffered and the harm they caused. It was less about the details of any single case and more about what those cases revealed about society, about responsibility, about what happens when intervention comes too late or not at all.
In Monster, Kayleigh isn’t Mary Bell or anyone else — she’s fictional — but she carries echoes of the things I read and watched: the loneliness, the anger, the tiny glimpses of hope alongside the devastation. I wanted to create a character who felt real, not a headline or a symbol, so the audience could see both the child who needed help and the person who did something terrible. Choosing what to depict was always about serving that balance — showing the roots of her actions without excusing them, and leaving space for the audience to sit with the complexity rather than be handed a simple answer.
In what seems like an era of “self-care”, did you take some time to digest what you were ultimately creating and how did you take time to separate yourself from the facts you were reading about and what you are depicting on stage?
I think when you’re writing about something this heavy, you have to find a way to carry it without letting it completely take over. Some of the real-life cases I read about stayed with me for days — the details, the families, the children involved. It was impossible not to feel the weight of it.
But I always reminded myself that what I was creating was fiction. It was inspired by real patterns and questions but Kayleigh and her story were my way of processing all of that in a creative space rather than retelling someone’s real-life pain. That helped me keep some distance.
I also gave myself breaks from the material when I needed them. Sometimes that just meant stepping away for a day or working on a different part of the script — something less intense — so I could come back to it with a clearer head. And I think the act of shaping it into a story, giving it structure and characters, was part of how I separated myself too. It stops being a list of facts and becomes something that can spark empathy, conversation, and understanding, rather than just adding to the horror.
What do you hope the audience will take away when they leave the theatre?
I would like audiences to leave the theatre understanding that things are rarely black and white. I hope they will warm to Kayleigh to begin with and then feel torn when they witness the devastation, and irreparable damage, she causes to the family of the child she kills. I hope the play prompts questions about society and encourages reflection on forgiveness and justice.
I also hope audiences think about how society treats vulnerable young people, and in particular young women, which I believe is an incredibly important issue. This is why the production is supporting and supported by Advance, a charity that helps women and girls who experience violence and abuse, which can in some cases lead to their being trapped in a cycle of abuse and criminality. Advance helps them break this cycle and regain control of their lives. As part of our work with this charity a number of young women will participate in workshops led by workshop leaders from Advance before watching the play. There will also be post-show Q&A sessions with representatives from Advance on Thursday 2nd and Thursday 9th October.
What’s next for you?
First, a holiday! After that, I’m looking forward to new projects. I’ve already written another play, so I’m excited to see where that might go, alongside other acting opportunities that come up.
Interview with comedian and actor, Lucy Pearman Lunartic
Interview by Louise Cannon
It gives me great pleasure to be interviewing about her new comedy show, Lunartic, which is transferring from a sold out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Theatre to Soho Theatre from Monday 29 September – Saturday 4 October 2025 at 9:15pm. Please find how to book at the end of the interview. Thank you and welcome to Bookmarks and Stages, Lucy Pearman.
Lucy Pearman’s latest show, Lunartic was nominated for the Malcolm Hardee Award for Comic Originality and nominated for Best Variety Show at the Leicester Comedy Festival Awards. She has also wrote and starred in BBC Three’s Please Help, which was nominated for a BAFTA following its release. She has appeared on Red Dwarf and other tv shows. She was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2017 for her debut full-hour show Maid of Cabbage. She has successfully had other shows transfer from the Edinburgh Fringe to SoHo Theatre, such as Baggage.
Before the interview, which contains fascinating and entertaining insights into the themes of the play, the BAFTAs, Red Dwarf and some humour, here is a bit about Lunartic.
In Lunartic, the Moon is putting on a show. But, as the Sun keeps reminding her, the Moon will never be a star – and without him, she’d be invisible altogether. Through her trademark blend of surreal character comedy, joyful audience participation and prop-fuelled silliness, Pearman takes us into a huge-hearted story about loneliness, big dreams, and wanting to be seen. As the Sun threatens to switch off the light altogether with a total eclipse, the Moon faces the dark – and the audience is invited to join her in a wonderfully daft celestial adventure.
Without further ado, here is our interview:
Lunartic, it’s a clever, playful, fun name, what inspired you to call your show this?
I quite like using references to madness because I’ve very often been called those things. My 2018 show was called *Fruit Loop*. So I think the titles just come from all the things I’ve been rightly or wrongly called along the way.
2. Lunartic was a sell-out show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has now transferred to Soho Theatre. How does that feel, to know your show has life beyond a major festival, and what does it take to tour it?
Incredible! I’m so, so happy that I get to make what’s in my brain and people fancy coming to watch it.
I think the key to touring something is being sure people will come. I’ve started a mailing list, maybe that will help!
3. Interestingly, the characters in this play are the sun and the moon, with the moon putting on a show and the sun reminding it that it is also required. What inspired this concept?
Well, I sort of thought about the moon and wondered if she minds that, if the sun switched off, she’d just be a sort of big rock in the dark.
I’ve had times where I’ve felt a bit like a big old rock in the dark, so I sort of connected with that idea.
I like the thought that everybody loves the sun so much and is so happy when it’s around, but what if he was a bit of a dick, the villain of the piece I guess.
4. The themes are loneliness and big dreams. How did you weave these into such a celestial storyline, and why do you feel they’re important themes to focus on?
I have always felt like the moon looks so isolated and sad… I would always talk to the moon after gigs like a really trusty nocturnal colleague.
I liked the idea that she worked nights but also love the way she pops out in the day sometimes, and I imagined the sun being a bit cross about that, like she’s stepping on his shift a bit.
5. Since your show covers big dreams, what is one of your big dreams and why?
I had an actual dream that I was a clown wobbling around Liberty, that was quite nice, that feels within my reach. But career dreams… I would love to work with Julia Davis or make film, but also, hand on heart, I’d like to buy a pig.
6. What do you hope people take away from the show?
Well, nothing, because I will need all the props for the next night. It’s too stressful when people take everything home with them.
7. You were BAFTA nominated for Channel Three’s *Please Help*. Did you go to the party, what was that like? If you didn’t, what did it feel like to know you were nominated for such a prestigious award?
I did go to the party and I felt like a competition winner, but it was bonkers and amazing.
My mum lost her shoe, not because she’s such a liability, but the cloakroom threw them away, which wasn’t ideal, to be honest with you.
8. You starred in Dave’s Red Dwarf feature-length special. What was your best experience within this show?
Oh God, walking on set, meeting the cast, wearing fake custom made fang teeth, pretending I was in space. But my favourite bit was probably eating croissants with Craig Charles.
9. What’s next for you in your successful career?
I think it’s: buy a pig, then off to Hollywood… with the pig. Me and the pig, the pig’s flying and I’m holding on for dear life… could happen!
You can take a trip to the moon, via Soho theatre by checking out the box office here: https://sohotheatre.com/
Follow her Lucy Pearman here: Instagram: lpeaman Website: lucypearman.com
Interview with Lorna Rose Treen about 24 Hour Diner People
Soho Theatre – 8th – 13th September 2025
Interview conducted by Louise Cannon
I had the pleasure of interviewing the award-winning actor Lorna Rose Treen about her popular show, 24 Hour Diner People now at Soho Theatre, London. In August 2025, it sold out all 30 shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, coupled with many glowing reviews, it’s the successful stage show you don’t want to miss! Find out a bit about it below and then onto the interview. At the end of the interview, you can find out how you can get your hands on tickets so you can see the show yourselves and the awards won. *Please note, I am not affiliated to anyone or anything.
24 Hour Diner People offers up a full-fat collection of eccentric, escapist, and delightfully silly characters – all served with a side of proper jokes. Expect to meet a waitress who dreams of flying, a trucker with unusually long arms, a woman who’s kept her umbilical cord, a 1960s spy on a caffeine high, and a teenager giddy from her first kiss – all somehow coexisting in a strange, time-warped roadside diner.
1. You sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and had to add extra dates due to demand for your show 24 Hour Diner People. What did that feel like at the largest festival in the world and what are your hopes as your tour it to Soho theatre, London?
It felt like an administrative error! But no it was honestly so nice to see the tickets flying, especially because no one had seen the finished show yet so it was mostly selling because people wanted to spend time with me whatever it was I was gonna do. What a lovely compliment!
2. You have some eccentric characters in your show. Are there particular people or idiosyncrasies you’ve observed in human behaviour to create your characters?
I love watching documentaries and imitating the way we used to speak in the past. I am a nightmare to watch TV with because I parrot whatever is being said and try to copy the intonation. My grandma taught me this, we were a nightmare duo.
3. What inspired you to create characters that are seen as being “voiceless” and giving them a voice and in a comical way?
I like watching the background characters in films and TV, especially from years gone by. I love giving a 5 minute monologue to a character who is a background character for a reason. So often these are women, whilst the men get to be funny in the spotlight, so it’s fun to put the attention on the women and make them get the laughs.
4. The diner you’ve created sounds brilliant fun. You say it’s a fantasy Americana seen through your Midlander eyes. What was the pull for you to build this type dineras the premise for you show?
Fringe is long, and if your show has life after fringe – it’s even longer. I wanted to build an environment I wanted to lock in and spend a lot of time in. Americans who’ve seen the show have commented that I clearly love the mundanity of the day to day, but for me a diner in America is a most exciting place to be. Growing up there were diners in every sitcom, drama, musical and film. Even though they weren’t real, they hold a place of play and joy andescapism built entirely from fiction and dreams, that you just couldn’t get in Redditch’s (now defunct) Chicago Rock Cafe.
5. If you could meet anyone in a diner, who would it be and why?
I’d like to meet James Broom from sixthform because he still owes me £20.
6. You’re no stranger to comedy and have worked with Emily Atack on her show (ITV), Time of the Week (BBC R4), true crime mockumentary, Criminally Untrue and more… what was it like to work on such huge hits and people and how do you take those experiences forward into your expanding comedic career?
Time of the Week is my radio show I co-created with Jonathan Oldfield. We star in it alongside Sian Clifford, who is unbelievably funny. It’s such an honour to be stupid alongside her. She’s like, properly properly good. Series 2 is coming out later this year, and I can’t wait for everyone to hear the nonsense we have written and made Sian say. The writers room and cast are made up of people we not only find incredibly funny, but also people who we love working with. I think sometimes solo performing can feel a little lonely (not when you’re on stage connecting with an audience, but all the organising and writing process). So time of the week is a real beacon for me to connect with my fellow character colleagues like Ada Player and Alice Cockayne, Jodie Mitchell, and Jonathan. And touch base with some of the best new writers like Priya Hall. It’s a real delight to bounce your ideas off someone you think is the funniest person in the world. There’s a reason why American comedy is so successful and I think a big factor is the writer room culture. It really grows and nurtures talent.
7. Going back to 24 Hour Diner People, what do you hope people will take away from it.
I just want them to have had a stupid nice time. I don’t think my comedy will ever make you learn nothin.
Bookmarks and Stages by Lou 