Hard to Swallow. Mark Wheeller

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СКАЧАТЬ felt we had made a good impression, but for them to remember it so vividly all these years later is a further testament to the quality of my wonderful Youth Theatre performers. We were only in HSPVA for a week or two!

      Just to stress her commitment to our project, Maureen came with a friend to watch one of our performances! We did all we could to thank her for giving us all these various opportunities but it’s nigh on impossible to express heartfelt thanks over and over again. Maureen had given so much of herself to us and we all hoped she had gained something in return.

      I went to see Maureen in 2017 at the same time as I was writing the resource book. It was wonderful to be able to inform her that Hard to Swallow was to become a set text for the new Eduqas GCSE (9-1) Drama exam. She was obviously delighted. No one could have anticipated that back in 1988 when we had our first contact.

      As she walked me into her kitchen, I had the most wonderful surprise. There, on the side, was a picture of Catherine (the one that appeared on the front of her book) and beside it, a photo montage our Youth Theatre cast had given Maureen after the very first performance to offer her a permanent memory and show our gratitude. It was heartwarming to know that we mattered to Maureen as much as she did to us.

      Speaking to Anna today was so lovely. She said how her mum always spoke warmly of the OYT years. I told her about this new publication, about which I hadn’t yet said anything to Maureen. My plan was to surprise her with a copy in the post!

      An incredible knock-on effect of the play becoming a set text was that I was approached by TiE It Up Theatre (who claim to “make a drama out of learning”) to tour the play professionally. This had happened many years previously but schools now need to see the play in 3D to be able to study the play effectively. I was delighted, but also somewhat apprehensive. I knew nothing about the company nor the people behind it. They seemed nice on the phone, plus given that no one like the Royal Shakespeare Company were looking to tour it, my feeling was – nothing ventured, nothing gained.

      I decided not to go and see it in their first year of touring. I had previously been in the awkward situation of having to meet the professional cast of a production of Too Much Punch that had been so dreadful, illustrated by the fact that the audience had laughed in the accident scene! If the first year was good enough they would get a second tour up and running and I would go and see it then. It also took pressure off them for the first tour. I offered distant support via social media as much as I could and soon saw the excellent comments from schools pouring in. Once they let me know that they were booking a second tour, I let them know I would be coming to see it.

      It was a stunning production. I plan to write a fuller account in the second edition of Hard to Swallow – Easy to Digest, which by the time you read this will probably be out (so do have a look).

      Anna, Catherine’s sister, said to me she would like to see it and that is something I shall really look forward to sharing, in full confidence that she will approve of it in every way. I’m sad that Maureen never saw it. She would have loved it. So, now it offers a wonderful legacy for her work on behalf of eating disorders. Heartfelt thanks to David and Elliot at TiE It Up for their work in making the plays second chapter become such a successful one!

      It’s great that they have shared their story in this script on page xviii. I had no idea how much of an impact it had made on the young Elliot and am pleased that the theatricality of the play has also left its mark. That is always important for me.

      The major addition to this Salamander Street edition (apart from this introduction) is the inclusion of Crossing the Bridge – The Unseen Billy Goats Scenes.

      Since the play has become a set text it has become important for students to study the development of the play and these were a crucial part of that. I have written a detailed introduction from page 69, so I shan’t elaborate here but I suggest these become a staple part of the introduction to this play.

      I would offer these scenes (including the poem) to students to stage before they read the play. They will:

      • explain the raison d’être for the Billy Goats scenes in the final version of the play more clearly than any lecture might be able to do

      • introduce the animated performance style required for this form of narrative theatre that should be applied to the whole of the text

      • be fun… and in a play like Hard to Swallow, where there are few “fun” moments, fun ‘hooks’ are essential

      Enjoying the creative process is always crucial to any successful project regardless of the subject matter being so serious. My motto in OYT and school was always along these lines:

      Engage in Theatre for the fun of doing it seriously.

      OYT had a lot of fun doing my serious plays. We had great enjoyment from meeting the people we met along the way. One of those who we all remember particularly fondly is Maureen. I have written to those of the cast I am still in touch with, from 1999, to inform them. I know they will be sad, as am I, but they all remember Maureen for her composure, her generosity and her fervent desire to make something good out of something dreadfully bad. One of them, in her reply described her as gracious and another remembered her bringing cakes for us all… something I’m surprised I don’t remember given how much I love cake!

      As Anna said to me today… Mum is with Catherine now… and I know that will have been a great comfort to both her and will continue to be for her wider family.

      Thank you, Maureen and may the potent impact of your words continue to be felt long after your passing.

      Mark Wheeller

      June 2020

      ¹ Hard to Swallow – Easy To Digest (available from Salamander Street)

      A Reflection on the Touring Production by TiE It Up Theatre

      Elliot Montgomery and David Chafer (TIE IT UP THEATRE) talk about their experiences of working with Hard to Swallow.

      First Encounters with Hard to Swallow

      For Elliot, the initial exposure to Mark Wheeller’s work was during his Secondary School education, when an inspirational Drama teacher handed out a script that stirred such emotion it was to shape his entire career from that point on. That script was Hard to Swallow.

      The play addressed the issue of eating disorders, which was unheard of at the time. The subject matter become the focus of many discussions amongst the teenage drama group for weeks and months afterwards. It moved the group to raise money to fund an on-site counsellor to support other young people but also inspired a young Elliot Montgomery to become a Drama teacher and, over thirty years later, he continues this legacy with his own Drama students. There still remains no better way to do this than by introducing young people to Mark Wheeller’s plays, which all have a timeless quality and are as relevant today as when they were written. These plays take pride of place in Elliot’s school drama studio, with Hard to Swallow as the centre-piece. Elliot introduced the text to his close friend, David Chafer, an experienced professional actor and producer, and TIE IT UP THEATRE was formed.

      How was TIE IT UP THEATRE created?

      It had always been an ambition of Elliot’s to create a theatre company that was able to provide young people with a high quality, professional live theatre experience. David was keen to ensure that the company not only СКАЧАТЬ