By Bobbi Carsley, First Year English Literature
Flytrap is a play full of firsts.
It is the debut play from Eightball Productions, a new theatre company set up by University of Bristol students, and it is also writer Emma Morgan’s first full length theatre piece. It tackles sex in an equally fresh way.
The intimate nature of the play is initially created by its characters, Georgie (Emma Morgan), Lola (Louisa Marshall), and Felix (Stan Abbot-Stacey), proximity to the audience. Opening the play sat alongside their viewers, and intermittently withdrawing in and out of their seats throughout the play, the boundary between actor and audience becomes less defined. Watching the play begins to feel like listening to a friend confide.
The protagonists of Flytrap all have very different relationships with sex, and all three actors bring nuanced portrayals to each of their characters. Felix’s apparent frankness about sex conceals an emotional hesitation, having been faced with the reality of moving on from his ex. Conversely, Lola’s cavalier attitude becomes problematic when flirting with a sixth former, and Georgie’s privacy is rooted in self-consciousness due to her lack of sexual experience. Such a diversity of sexual expression allowed for the play to affirm different kinds of sexual relationships, including that which we have with ourselves.
The play utilises dialogue in an interesting way, aiding exploration of the characters’ inner selves.
Recordings play while the characters sit amongst the audience in silent contemplation. In these recorded sections, the clarity of a linear conversation becomes lost as the actors’ voices are interwoven. This points out that a voice is possibly missing from the conversation, waiting to be invited; a voice that could be your own.
In conversation with Morgan about what she hoped audiences would get out of her play, she stressed that she didn’t want to undermine the variety of perceptions and experiences that individuals can have towards sex. This ethos translated into her script, which sees a connection between her characters and audience develop with ease. Likewise, director Lily Sutcliffe wanted the play to create a space for more open conversations surrounding sex to occur. It is clear the organic evolution of this play is the result of close collaboration between its production team.
Flytrap is a remarkable play that builds on the genuine connection amongst its production team to display all the comedy, awkwardness, and honesty that comes with any conversation about sex. Premiered on the 7th of June, Flytrap is being taken to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to continue to facilitate sexual revelations amongst both for its characters and audiences.
You can catch Flytrap in Edinburgh from August 19-24. Tickets are available now and can be purchased here.
Featured image from Eightball Productions.
