bush theatre

We’re almost half way to our first preview show, which seems as a good a time as any to post a blog about what’s been happening in our rehearsals so far…

This blog could be about lots of things. It could be about the various ways Dolly Parton (what an intriguing character she is) has inspired – and continues to inspire – the play. Or about the intricacies of milk float engines and how they can form the kernel of dramatic conflict (I’ve also discovered there are entire websites dedicated to the sounds they make). Or it could, of course, be about the eponymous kitchen sink, which truly is a character in the play (wait til you see what it gets up to).

As tempting as all those options are, Withernsea is probably the best bet. Our play, The Kitchen Sink, is unequivocally set in Withernsea. Tom Wells, the writer, is from Withernsea and he has written about a place and a people he knows and loves. So what were we, the rest of the company who’d never been there, to make of this small seaside town in The East Riding of Yorkshire? On the first day of rehearsals, after the first read through of the script, Tamara, the director, said: ‘I think we need to do a day trip’. I think a less dedicated company would have looked at the floor and muttered things like ‘um, yeah, but it’s quite far away’ and ‘I’m an actor darling I can act like I’m there without having to actually go there’. But our company, game, fresh-faced and willing as they are, heartily agreed. As what the trip would actually entail became clearer I’d be lying if the initial enthusiasm didn’t waver in some of our number (although certainly not in Ryan, who plays Billy, and who remained positively giddy at the prospect). After all, we would have to get up very early, and do about ten hours driving to spend only three hours in Withernsea, and a huge thunderstorm was forecast on the day we were there. Was this actually a mad idea? Couldn’t we just google the place and get a map and stick it on the rehearsal room wall? As it happens we did do that too, but it wasn’t nearly as fun.

When the morning came there was an atmosphere that reminded me of a school trip, where a group of kids are just excited to be together and not in a classroom – ‘We’re together! We’re not in a classroom! Crikey this is exciting!’ they all shout – only on this occasion it was a group of actors, which is, of course, completely different to a group of children. There was also Tamara, Tom, Ben – the designer, and me. The journey up was really fun. It was a chance for us to get to know one another in that sort of unique way that only road trips allow. And Ryan had a bit of pastry on his face for hours and no one told him about it, which was funny.

We passed through Hull and past the mighty Humber Bridge. Leah, who plays Sophie and is from Hull, told a few stories and pointed out a few places she used to work. Like the hospital, where she worked as a caterer and once witnessed a colleague trying to serve a dead person a cup of tea.

And then we arrived in Withernsea! We’d asked Tom – this being his hometown and he being the writer who’d written the play set in the aforementioned hometown – to sort us out an itinerary. It was at this point we discovered that it consisted of ‘Getting fish and chips and having a chat about what to do’, which actually turned out to be a really good plan, because we were all really hungry and because fish and chips are a big part of Withernsea life, and the best way to start a day trip there. And what fish and chips they were! The biggest portions I’d ever seen and delicious. Stef, who plays Martin, and I debated the rights and wrongs of being served a cup of tea (complimentary) with the meal. It seemed weird to me, he thought it was wonderful.

Then we set off for a wander. As we walked we listened to Tom give little titbits of information here and there, relay some of the town's urban legends and tell stories from his youth. We got excited at seeing road names or sites we’d heard about from Tom or through our research, we sampled the games arcades and old junk and antique shops – which are scattered all over the town and are also weird and wonderful. We went to the beach, strolled down the high street and visited the lighthouse, which is a long way from the sea and contains a museum that’s a memorial to 1950s film star Key Kendall (who was born in Withernsea). Alas it was closed. Walking to the library, I chatted to Stef about his impressions of the town and felt he hit upon something very true: Withernsea is a fairly normal place. I think I’d created this heightened, exotic, caricature of it in my head, and whilst it certainly has its quirks and oddities, essentially it’s a town where normal people live their lives. Realising this made me realise what I love so much about The Kitchen Sink. Its characters and the lives they lead are sort of peculiar and unusual, but they’re also quite normal. And so the play, whilst being devilishly funny and sometimes bordering on surreal is also just utterly human and tells a story that everyone can identify with.

We ended our stay in Withernsea by driving along the roads that form Martin’s milk round: ‘Hull road, past the lighthouse, Lascelles Avenue, U turn, Arthur Street, North Road, Waxholme Road, U turn, Seathorne North Prom, wave at the sea, Bannister Street, Queen Street, Park Avenue, Kirkfield Road, Victoria Avenue, South Cliff Road, nutri-grain bar, King Street, Louville Avenue, South Prom, home.’

And home we went, taking a little bit of Withernsea back with us.