Meeting Joe Strummer (2009)

Poster by Emma Baines

by Paul Hodson

Directed by Mark Ireson

Performances: Tuesday 20 – Saturday 24 January 2009, Prompt Corner

Introduction

So you saw the name of the play and your interest was piqued, but what did you think it’s about? Perhaps an anodyne “Buddy”-style Story Of The Clash; or maybe some inane jukebox musical along the lines of “We Will Rock You”? Kindly think again.

Paul Hodson has written a perceptive, funny and hard-hitting play about male friendship, integrity and the struggle to retain youthful idealism in the face of life’s bitter blows, which was an Edinburgh Festival First winner in 2006 and toured the UK in 2007. SLT's production will be the amateur premiere of this passionate comedy.

Fortysomethings Nick and Steve meet again for the first time in years at a gig by Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros. They have seen a lot since they first met as teenagers watching The Clash play the Rock Against Racism rally at Victoria Park in 1978: divorce, class warfare, acid house, the bleak Thatcher years and even soap stardom, but the flame of punk idealism – what they describe as the “inner Strummer” – has never quite gone out.

Have they done what they wanted in their lives? Can they put their past differences behind them? And - most importantly - will they meet their hero Joe Strummer?

With a cast of only two, rapid jump cuts in time and place between scenes and nowhere to hide in the extremely intimate acting space in Prompt Corner, the play needs actors who are enthusiastic, imaginative, adaptable and brave.

Dave Chaisty will be well known to SLT audiences: this will be his eleventh part here in three years, including Straight And Narrow, Private Lives, Aladdin, The Winter’s Tale and Tomfoolery.

After a range of Shakespearean roles elsewhere, Philip Gill recently returned to SLT in Elegies For Angels, Punks And Raging Queens. His previous performances here include Road, Two, Translations and Female Transport.

I am delighted to have such a strong and versatile cast who have been coming to rehearsals brimming with ideas, most of them far better than mine. This has been a truly collaborative production. I hope you enjoy it even more than we have.

Mark Ireson

Cast

• Nick - Philip Gill
• Steve - Dave Chaisty

Crew

• Operator - James Webb
• Stage Manager - Sue Jacobsen
• Lighting Design - Induja Bandara
• Sound system design- Neil Carmichael
• Sound recording and audio design -James Webb

• Comedy Store MC (voiceover) - Simon Holland
• Newsreader (voiceover) - Helen Chadney

Reviews

Some review quotes go here

Gallery

Photos by Mark Davies

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Reminiscences and Anecdotes

• Music plays a strong part in this play, so much so that it had two sound designers, one for the physical design and another for the audio aspects.

• From Dave (aka the character 'Steve'): Well this show 'totally done me taters' (as the play says). During rehearsals I had a facebook contact from an old friend I'd not seen for about 20 years. In the play my character has his records broken, mine got stolen, he has hassle with someone called 'Sleaze', I had hassle with someone called 'Doss.' The character looked up to and was totally influenced by a close friend because he saw him as cool - my personal journey into and through punk was through the same route. There are other similarities that are all a bit too weird and I work in the same field as the character ended up working in. All in all there are times when being in this play has felt a bit surreal. I'm writing this before the show goes up. It'd be great to hear from folk after seeing it to see what they make of it all.

• On page 61 the script contains the memorable stage direction "Nick and Steve snort more cocaine. They are both pretty fucked now".

See Also

Have there been other SLT productions of this play? Link to them here.

Or add anything that is related within this site. The author's page for instance or other plays with a similar theme.

What are the red arrows on the poster all about?

<references/> The poster is based on a stencil painting (or pochoir as they are called in France) by spraycan artist Jef Aérosol, who very kindly allowed us to use it without payment. Jef's pochoirs (which are easily recognised by his signature red arrows) can be seen on walls, doors and other spaces in cities around the world, on his Flickr site or in his book.

External Links

• The original production by Middle Ground Theatre
• Strummerville, the charity set up by the friends and family of Joe Strummer in the year after his death. The charity seeks to reflect Joe's unique contribution to the music world by offering support, resources and performance opportunities to artists who would not normally have access to them.
• Obituary in The Independent by Chris Salewicz, later author of the biography Redemption Song
• Article about the SLT production at yourlocalguardian.co.uk (local press website)