“It’s the kind of play that makes you burst out laughing and then feel guilty for doing so,” Dee Thompson tells me, “but that’s what playwright Mike Bartlett always does.
“His scripts are brilliant but uncomfortable, as viewers will have noticed with TVs Doctor Foster.
“So we have told people Contractions is a black ink comedy so they know what they are in for,” she adds.
“As long as you come to watch it with an open mind and take what you want from it, then you’ll enjoy it,” she promises, “because it touches on so many personal experiences.”
Dee is the principal of the Pauline Quirk Academy in Swindon, and putting her money where her mouth is by debuting the first performance of her new theatre company Thomford at the Burton Taylor Theatre on Wednesday, with fellow work colleague Nicki Rochford.
Contractions is then heading to Edinburgh Fringe,or a five day run.
Leading by example then? “Well we were always putting on shows for the kids and wanted to do something a bit more grown up. So we set up Thomford Theatre Company this year and this will be our debut.”
What can we expect from Mike Bartlett’s two-hander? “It’s about the boundaries between work and play, set over a two year period, concentrating on sexual relationships and what is and isn’t allowed at work.
“The 14 scenes play out between a manager and an employee Emma, and will resonate with the #metoo generation.
“What starts off as a play about breaking the rules soon turns into much more than that, as circumstances take a turn for the worse and the situation becomes far more complex, as Mike Bartlett plays always do.
“By the end it’s messy and grotesque. Thats the only way I can describe it.”
And why Mike Bartlett? “Contraction has such a solid reputation and with him it’s always about the writing. Plus it comes in at under an hour and fitted the right bill, age and gender
“But that does mean it’s harder to learn than Shakespeare because there is no ad-libbing, it has to be word perfect, because it is so well written,” she grins, “so we are rehearsing hard.”
“But we like a challenge, something gritty to get our teeth into and this certainly fits the bill. It’s a really powerful piece.”
Contractions is at Burton Taylor Theatre on Wed Aug 7. oxfordplayhouse.com or 01865 305305.
