The world premiere of The Good Scout must finish its award-winning, sell-out run at London’s Above the Stag Theatre. But, in its final week, Mate Terri Paddock returned to chair a post-show discussion with writer-director Glenn Chandler and his cast about the play’s frightening timeliness.
While MPs were voting for an election that is likely to accelerate the UK’s lurch to the right, I was back at Above The Stag Theatre this week talking about the increasingly worrying parallels – and historic dominoes – between the 1930s and today. Is it any wonder that The Good Scout left me in tears, even on second viewing?
Have you heard about the cultural exchange between the British Boy Scouts and the Hitler Youth in the lead-up to the Second World War? Inspired by these incredible, little-known true events, writer/director Glenn Chandler has written this new story of espionage, honour and forbidden love.
The Good Scout had its world premiere at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, winning the Scots Gay Award for New Writing, before transferring to Above the Stag, London’s home of LGBT theatre, where Chandler’s other previous hits include Kids Play, Lord Dismiss Us, Sandel and Fanny & Stella.
- What research did writer and cast undertake?
- How important was casting German actors in the play?
- What family connections do they bring?
- What parallels can be drawn between the 1930s and today?
- What has the cast learnt during their experience?
For the post-show talk, I was joined by Chandler and cast members Amanda Bailey, Simon Stache, Lewis Allcock, Daniel Cornish and Charlie MacKay. (Sadly, Clemente Lohr, who plays one of the two Hitler Youth in The Good Scout was taken ill – get well soon.)
The discussion, like the play itself, was a real education, with some fascinating input from the audience as well as the panel.
As you watch the video, some references you may want to look up include who fought on which side in the Spanish Civil War; the Nazi national anthem, outlawed in Germany since the Second World War; The Third Wave, California teacher Ron Jones‘ experiment demonstrating the appeal of fascism; and British playwright C P Taylor‘s 1981 play Good, about a liberal-minded ‘good man’ in Nazi Germany.
The Good Scout has sold out the rest of its run. Check for returns and follow Boys of the Empire Productions for news of future productions
Q&A video
More from the Q&A
Don't miss our live-tweeting from The Good Scout post-show talk, plus more photos and video.
Terri Paddock founded WhatsOnStage.com and the WhatsOnStage Awards, running the company and its events from 1996 to 2013. Terri is also the author of two novels, Come Clean and Beware the Dwarfs, and has previously written for the Evening Standard, Independent, The Times and other national publications. She also produces the annual Critics' Circle Theatre Awards and acts as a digital, content strategy and event consultant for theatre, producers and other clients. She tweets about theatre at @TerriPaddock.
