HJ: I remember seeing an adaptation of 1984 by George Orwell. The violence was so graphic that members of the audience were crying. How would you handle that?

DB: There’s definitely an ‘Orwellian’ influence in The Shatter Box. I think as I mentioned above the intention should never be to upset an audience member with violence that is too graphic or disproportionate to the world of the play. There are some real examples of masterful work done in horror or science fiction that deals with implied or psychological threat, and I think in Fringe theatre you’ve definitely got that as a powerful storytelling tool to do more with less.
       

HJ: Why does James Lewis never answer any of these Q&A questions?

DB: He’s currently recovering from the stress of writing The Shatter Box and is currently on an extended sabbatical at a retreat for tired writers on Lake Geneva.

HJ: I know you love a challenge, so could you give me an overview of the plot in one paragraph (five sentences max).

DB: A man (Kieran Dee) wakes up in a cage in a clandestine facility, which will only open when he tells the truth. A Woman (Dodie Finamore) is assigned to facilitate the telling of that truth at any cost. The problem is that neither of them know what the truth is or what lengths either of them will go to find it. The Shatter Box is a rollercoaster tango of interrogation, confession and a quest to find the answers before time runs out. (I did it in four, do I win a prize? (HJ: A pat on the back ... if that's not too violent for you.)

HJ: So, how do you believe the drama is going to resonate with our lives today?

DB: We live in a world where we never can be too sure about what we’re told, whether that’s through the news, social media, or where people can choose how they present themselves. The Shatter Box for me is an examination of the truths people tell themselves, what they tell others, when do you choose to tell the truth or a lie to save yourself (or someone else?) and the power of secrets. There’s a real examination in the play about the value of one secret over another, and why is one secret more important than any other which I think is really compelling.
 

HJ: It seems that you have gathered together cast and creatives to be proud of, especially as you have award winning director Matthew Parker as consulting director. Why is Mr Parker the person for the job?

DB: It’s always great to have smart clever people in any room, not only to be a second eye for quality control, but I think as this show deals with themes which can be tricky to do well, having someone who knows me, our work, and what the theatre does so well means having a really valuable ‘second eye’ in the room. It means I have an extra level of support during rehearsals. He’s also VERY honest, so if the show isn’t very good then I expect to be told!  (HJ: No doubt about that ... and he loves dark too, so he's bound to want to ramp up the horror.)
 

HJ: Also, in the past, your plays have had the actors largely making direct address to the audience rather than dialogue between them. Is this a technique that we will also see in this play or is this also a departure? What made you decide on this approach?

DB: Core to the Shatter Box is a conversation between two people but during the creation of the show, it was really important to add in an external point of view, so we have the brilliant Alex O’Donnell and Nick Hardie who are our way into this unusual new world and the direct form of address is used to generate some empathy as well as to support the core conversation at the heart of the play. We also have the brilliant Melissa Phillips in a pivotal role in the show, but she’s never part of the conversation NOR does she speak directly to the audience, so I’ll let you find out about her role when you come and see it!

HJ I’ve always wanted to ask you about your route into theatre and how your past experience has fed into your current role as director on this play?

DB: I’m very proud to have had a corporate career in Global Mobility long before I started doing theatre. I used to spend a lot of time on planes travelling for work dreaming about doing something creative and I loved fringe theatre as a hobby. Today was Proforca’s 8^th birthday, so I guess you can say my directing career is pretty established now, alongside my role as AD of the Lion & Unicorn Theatre, but directing and making theatre and being in the room with talented actors is always my first love.

HJ: You’re also talented on the technical aspects of theatre. How has this fed into your current project?

DB: I’m entirely self-taught (when you do fringe theatre there is no money so you sort of have to do a lot yourself.) I also found that when you get involved in the tech aspects of the show as a director it broadens your vision of what the show can be. In the past few shows we’ve done a lot with sound and projection. This time (and I heard you loud and clear and made you a promise) – we’re focusing on a specific physical set, with the action taking place in one very specific room. No projections this time and I promise the actors will have set pieces to interact and play with in a practical way!

HJ My final question: How will the drama fit into the ethos of Lion and Unicorn Theatre (be who you want to be)?

The Shatter Box asks loads of questions about who we want to be and what version of ourselves we present to the world. I’m fascinated by the idea that we don’t always tell ourselves the truth, and sometimes it needs an external force or stimulus for us to confront our darkest secrets. The Shatter Box takes our usual format of taking normal ordinary people and plunging them into extraordinary circumstances, so you can expect our usual mix of humour, pathos & reality (with a healthy pinch of dystopia, thoughtful provocation, and ridiculous pop songs appearing in places they absolutely should not be. (HJ: Excellent, can’t wait to see it, it's just my kind of drama.)