INTERVIEW with director Jef Hall-Flavin and writer/actor Nick Hyde
On DOUBLE ACT playing at The Lion & Unicorn Theatre
9 – 13 January
“‘Double Act’ takes up these pebbles and juggles them, tosses them around, and makes us laugh at them. And once you laugh at something, you can see it for what it is.” Jef Hall-Flavin
International director Jef Hall-Flavin is working alongside talented young writer and actor Nick Hyde to bring this redemptive play about male mental health to the stage. This interview delves into the story behind the story.
LPT: Delighted to have this opportunity to ask you both about your work. The first surprise is that you’re bringing this story about mental health at one of the most joyful times of year, but it’s not a very happy time for everyone. Could you expand on this?
Nick: Of course. I mean, it’s a tricky time. The new year bears down on us and there’s this crushing expectation to be celebratory, to be merry, but it’s always got this melancholy tinge. It’s a time for taking stock, reflecting and planning resolutions, and I think the pressure brings complications for many. There’s this myth about a ‘Blue Monday’ - that suicides peak in January - even though the rates of suicide stay quite constant throughout the year. But it feels like the right time for this play. It’s a play about mental health, sure, but it’s hopeful, and hopefully, it can bring some laughter to those dark January evenings.
Image: Writer and actor Nick Hynd
LPT: Nick, could you tell us what inspired the story?
Nick: The show started life during my time at Mountview. Originally it was developed as a thirty-minute solo show, the culmination of research into masculinity and suicide: a surreal half-hour of Vaudeville and clowning, featuring the stacking of Jenga towers with my gaffer-taped toes or licking yoghurt from red stilettos; stripping off restrictively tight golden Speedo shorts, strongmen crammed into travel trunks… It’s changed a bit. But the story comes from a desire to open up a dialogue between struggling men. With less yoghurt, this time.
Image: Director Jeff Hall-Flavin
LPT: Jef, what touched you the most or defied your expectations when you first read the play?
Jef: To be honest I was dubious when Nick first explained the premise to me: two actors playing the same character? And some of it is in verse? No, thanks. But happily, within the first few pages, I was hooked. It gives voice to the conversations we all have with ourselves, which can often be confusing or even cruel. But it does so in an effortlessly amusing dialogue.
LPT: The play debuts in January, but it’s already causing quite a stir. What is different about this show?
Nick: It’s funny. And a bit weird. But it’s truthful - and I think that’s why it’s funny. It offers a unique perspective on something tragically common.
Jef: It’s always more than one thing at once.
LPT: Nick’s writing has been described as dealing with fraught, complex issues with a rare levity and insight. Could you expand on the kind of levity that audiences can expect.
Jef: We often think of depression as a stone monolith, but it’s really made up of a thousand tiny pebbles: perceived failures, small acts of cowardice, unfounded fears, unrealistic expectations. 'Double Act' takes up these pebbles and juggles them, tosses them around, and makes us laugh at them. And once you laugh at something, you can see it for what it is. To me, that’s a more effective way to deal with the fraught, complex issues which lead so many men toward suicide. The roots of this piece can be traced back to archetypal sad clowns like Pierrot. We were also inspired by classic double acts like Laurel and Hardy, but there’s a contemporary twist that will feel familiar to audiences, like a stand-up routine. The comedic framework gives us a way of seeing the mundane in a new way, and this play offers a clever theatrical language to understand one man’s pain.
LPT: The play is a two-hander, with Oliver Maynard playing opposite Nick. What were you looking for when casting?
Nick: Ollie is wonderful. I’d taken a class with him before and loved acting opposite him. I really wrote the play with him in mind. Not that I told him. Thank f**k he said yes.
LPT: Nick, as a recent graduate (Mountview 2022), you’re firing on all cylinders, both acting and writing. What do you hope to achieve with this play?
Nick: I’m blown away by the support we’ve had in putting this on. Honestly, I’m honoured just to have the chance to perform my own writing. But we’re hoping to do some good with this too. We’ve partnered with Body & Soul, an excellent charity with a truly wonderful approach to supporting individuals going through a period of suicidal ideation, and Trinity Homeless Projects, a charity close to my heart, supporting the most vulnerable out of urban isolation.
LPT: Jef, you have a distinguished career spanning the US, New Zealand and the UK. What drives you as a director?
Jef: I look for plays that exploit the storytelling gifts of live theatre. On stage we bend time and space with a mere word, and actors transform effortlessly, because of the audience’s imagination. For me, the best plays inspire the imagination of the the audience to set the scene, rather than depicting it for them. It's why I'm often drawn to classics and have done a lot of Shakespeare in my career. New plays like 'Double Act' are in the same tradition, using language to rouse the audience's power of invention.
LPT: The Lion and Unicorn theatre is traditionally black box theatre and the home of innovation. How will you be using the space for this play? What are the theatrical elements that you plan to use?
Jef: The play shifts back and forth from conversations inside the mind of one man, to scenes that take place ‘in real life’ during his last day. So we’re creating a neutral, white playground which gives us a lot of freedom to invent. The actors will speak into microphones whenever the scene is internal, whereas IRL scenes are off-mic. This framework allows for some ridiculous moments for the actors. Fair warning: junk food will be eaten, and a mess will be made.
LPT: Once rehearsals start do you think there are some scenes which are likely to be tough to handle? How will you approach these?
Nick: We’re taking time with the tricky bits. We’ve got an excellent support network of lovely people in and out of the rehearsal room. And we’ll never lose our sense of humour.
LPT: Finally, the play is right at the start of its journey, what hopes do you have for it in the long term?
Jef: I wouldn’t have decided to direct this production if I didn’t think it had a long life ahead of it. We have big plans for this show. It could easily tour across the UK – and I think that would be fantastic. Not only is it an excellent conversation-starter about the links between masculinity and suicide, it’s just a damn good, satisfying night in the theatre.
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