INTERVIEW WITH RUN, REBEL DIRECTOR TESS WALKER

What first drew you to the novel and wanting to direct it for the stage?

I had read the novel of Run, Rebel and absolutely loved it; the poetry and the power of it and the sense of rebellion and of freedom the writing so beautifully expressed. I read it in one go; I couldn’t put it down. I wished, and still do, that a book like this had been in the world when I was a teenager. Manjeet and I had worked together before and were keen to do so again - so when she asked me if I ‘d like to collaborate with her on an adaptation of it for the stage I couldn’t say yes quickly enough. From the very start we knew we wanted to work with Pilot Theatre on it too, their expertise and excellence in work for the audiences of this age is second to none, so that it has come to life in this partnership now honestly couldn’t be better.

What were your initial ideas for how the piece would work on stage?

Initially I really didn’t know to be honest, though several Research and Development sessions helped us all test what we thought might work, to keep the ideas that did and to let go of those that didn’t. I of course knew there had to be running in it and we absolutely had to get that right - also that it needn’t always be literal, the book is about running but also what it is and does to Amber, so it needs to work on various levels. I also knew we had to honour the violence in the book and not shy away from it, but at the same time I didn’t at all want to transpose it literally onto stage. I also knew here would be huge choices about what stayed from the book and what went, choices we are still making now in some ways as we edit and adapt the text as we rehearse.

I also knew the character of Amber was key, that she should be warm, tough, funny, complicated, loveable and sympathetic, but not always likeable. That she is complex, and we need to honour that. Also, we needed to find a way to use the Punjabi language in the piece – something that has been through various iterations before settling on the version we have now. So, I suppose this is to say, I knew the challenges of the piece and the things we had to get right, and the ideas developed from working on the script with Manjeet Mann and on the production with our brilliant creative team.

What themes and issues do the play explore, and how are you incorporating these themes into your production?

The play is layered and complex. It explores themes of violence, inherited trauma, class, love, education, the importance of finding what and who you love. It’s about rebellion and running and family. But fundamentally it is the story of a young woman who finds freedom for herself and her family through running. Our responsibility is to tell this story as truthfully as possible. Themes aren’t interesting without people, so we’re focussing on the people, and it is through being really truthful to Amber and her story that I hope the themes will emerge.

How are you incorporating Amber’s running into the staging of the play?

In a variety of ways, sometimes it is literal, sometimes it is expressed, sometimes it is narrated. We want each running sequence to have a slightly different language, not least as they each do and mean different things to Amber. Kuldip and Ayesha, our movement directors, have been amazing at finding inventive and expressive ways to explore the running, in fact all of the physical moments in the piece.

What rehearsal techniques are you using to develop characterisation in the rehearsal process?

We just ask a lot of questions about why people are doing what they do, what is it they want, what stops them getting it. The text, both the script and the book, have lots of answers and provocations about who the characters are, so between that and the imaginations in the room, the characters develop and grow. 

How is the character of Amber developing in the rehearsal process?

Jessica Kaur is bringing her very own imagination and ideas to the character, and Amber grows and changes as we all understand more and more about how what happens to her makes her feel and what it makes her do.

Find out more and purchase tickets for Pilot Theatre’s production of Run, Rebel at Lowry from Tue 29 Oct to Sat 2 Nov at thelowry.com