Back to Terra Firma’s upcoming run at Theatre503 marks the first run of writer and director, Tamsin Flower’s work in London, building on a background of making three ACE-supported, interdisciplinary plays in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.
Set in a speculative but familiar version of England, the play is a darkly funny love story about how people save others and themselves, set against a backdrop of rural health/climate poverty, and urban pressure.
A graduate of UEA’s MA in Creative Writing (scriptwriting) programme and a trained actor and journalist, Flower brings a passion for both current affairs and dramaturgy to the project, as well as more recent experience in communications for sustainability and agri-food research.
Ahead of opening, Flower caught up with us to tell us more about the play.
Q&A with Tamsin Flower
What can you tell us about Back to Terra Firma?
It’s a quirky one-act love story set in a future version of the UK – one where people have chosen to live in massive cooperative farmlands or in two sprawling cities that are immersed in technology and outside threat. It’s entertaining but holds together threads of meaty issues.
An audience member at the staged-reading described the show as having ‘a surprisingly relatable story and characters that bring complex issues to life without confusing the audience.’
What was it that inspired you to write the play?
Having made more aesthetically and structurally experimental plays in the regions, I wanted to come back to the drawing board and write something inherent with the kind of conflict and opposites that yields drama – a sort of structural chamber-piece that my Lecturer at UEA would have approved of.
I also arrived at the idea of pitting city against country in a personal dilemma while living in Norfolk and trying to date – my drive and MO didn’t always gel with the rhythm and lifestyle young men had chosen out there.
I revisited the idea more recently while working in communications for environmental and agri-food research/policy and wanted to flesh out the parts of the story that unfurl issues of changing climate and weather patterns for British farmers more, alongside the ongoing challenge around impoverished healthcare in rural areas.
I grew up in a rural market town in Leicestershire, with effortless access to fields and walks and the play was also an excuse to consider the push-pull of whether to stay in London or plan for simpler future. I think many Milennials to Z’s can relate to this.
The play had a closed staged-reading at The Bush Attic Studio last year – how much has it changed through the development process?
I’m very proud of what the four actors achieved in the one-week pressure cooker leading-up to the staged reading last year. It was script-in hand but, in the absence of a set budget we committed to making it as dynamic and energetic as possible. The show now has an aesthetic complete with an entire, transforming set made of apple-crates and AV design that captures the extra character in the play – the weather!
It has also been great to glean the benefit of more people’s expertise on the staging of a piece that presents two contrasting parts of a speculative world.
The show retains two actors from the staged-reading, Matt and Linn, who happen to be both the love interests and a married couple in life – making the tenderness between their characters very real.
How does it feel to be making your London debut at Theatre503?
As an ACE supported Writer/Director in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, my work never really received reviews as the tours only stretched beyond the Southeast on one occasion. Regional theatre making without the advocacy of a specific venue or producer can create a bubble for sure. So, I’m both excited to have one of my new plays on a platform that I admire so much and is part of the DNA of new writing in the UK, and also conscious of the increased visibility. Mostly, I’m looking forward to seeing the actors do what they love with the added magic of a constructed world and four captive audiences!
Is there anything you hope audiences take away from Back to Terra Firma?
YES! I’ve just spent the last five years working in corporate jobs in order to get a foothold in what is a steep economic mountain for everyone. I would like the shows in London to provoke thought about lifestyle choices and habits and how much of these are cultured by workplaces, other people and the daily system of a city – how much is coming from your own wants and needs and how much is pure reactivity?
I would also like people to think about how the natural world isn’t a sub-plot or secondary character in the UK anymore – it’s affecting the fabric of how much designated green space we have; how much people can farm and how they do business. We are busily and quietly planning for a version of the country we’ve not seen before.
Back to Terra Firma is at Theatre503, London, from 8 to 11 April
