“I was struck by how arbitrary the borders and walls felt”. A trip to Israel sparked Zoë Guzy-Sprague’s imagination to create drama about women on opposite sides of a border, The Net. Watch what she has to say about the show, and what the producers say about the importance of an all-female creative team, then book your tickets.
The co-production between Starbound Theatre and Lights Down Productions runs at the Tristan Bates Theatre as part of the Camden Fringe from 13 to 17 August 2019.
All the stones have been used, all the brick, all the sand. The only thing left that can keep people out is a giant net, a border between two lands, stretched across the stage. A grandmother and her granddaughter are tasked with patching a hole in the border. As they weave it closed, two women appear on the other side, hoping to get through. The women must come face to face with each other as opinions change and loyalties switch.
Mixing poetic choral monologues and cutting dialogue, The Net brings a new dimension to the age-old story of war by placing women at the centre, while exposing how utterly foolish the divides we create are. It is an ensemble piece that aims to highlight women of all different backgrounds and ages: from 14 to 70. The play uses the personal stories of these four women and their interactions with each other to interrogate larger political themes.
The four women in the production are played by Marta da Silva, Yvonne Wan, Melaina Pecorini and Sue Moore. They are directed by Samara Gannon.
The Net is the first co-production between Starbound Theatre and Lights Down Productions. Starbound Theatre is an emerging, international, London-based theatre company with a focus on identity. Lights Down Productions was founded by Caley Powell in 2018 to produce female-led writing, making a splash with its first production Hear Me Howl.
The Tristan Bates Theatre has a packed summer of Camden Fringe shows. In addition to The Net, it’s hosting love story between art and science Discord of Discourse, dark romance The Geminus, Shakepearean satire Boris Rex and more.
Zoë Guzy-Sprague on the inspiration behind The Net
Producers Caley Powell and Marta da Silva on staging The Net with an all-female creative team
Full festival programme
For details on all 300+ shows in the 2019 Camden Fringe programme, visit the festival website
Click here