Emily Bruni is starring in the world premiere of a thrilling new one-woman play, Psychodrama, written and directed by her husband, Matt Wilkinson.
The downstairs room at Never For Ever, formerly Pizza East, in Kentish Town will become a performance space where Peep Show actor Emily Bruni will deliver Wilkinson’s monologue.
You’re starring in Psychodrama at Never For Ever, what can you tell us about it?
It’s a show about an actress in her forties who comes under investigation for the murder of an auteur theatre director, whilst rehearsing a theatre production of Hitchcock’s Psycho.
Tell us about your character, what do you like and dislike the most about them?
Ha! Well I had a Russian teacher at drama school who said we should never judge the characters we are playing, but know that we need to fall in love with them – warts and all!
Are the challenges that your character faces in the industry something you can identify with?
Yeah a lot of the stories in the play are researched, or they are fictionalised expanded versions of stuff that has happened to some very cool women (and men) who are actors that we know
It’s written and directed by your husband, Matt Wilkinson, what is it about Matt’s writing that made you want to be a part of this production?
Matt is obsessed with story, and this is an unputdownable script. It should play like a very gripping, fast moving thriller. With a lot of laughs. We want people to be entertained! And God knows we need it at the moment!
How does it feel going back to the stage at such a difficult time for theatres and performers?
Yeah. We just thought, we don’t want to wait for everything to be back to normal. We need to find a way of making this happen NOW. It feels good to be in action and not waiting for someone else to sort it out for us. It’s humbling (and exciting) to be working with such a remarkable creative team. Gareth Fry who is going to build the sound scape for us, created the sound design for the Olympic Ceremony, and Harry Potter. Elliot Griggs who lit Fleabag is lighting the show. James Turner, who has collaborated several times with Elliot, and with me on Donkey Heart in the West End, is doing the design. These are repeating work relationships for most of the team, and that creates a lot of cohesion and efficiency – and joy! All of which are needed when staging a show in a found space during a pandemic!
 What would you say to anyone thinking of coming to see Psychodrama?
Well firstly, you’ll be going into a super safe environment. Temperature checks, socially distanced seating, mask use, ventilation and deep cleaning between shows. There are only going to be 24 seats in a large warehouse space. That means it will be safe, but also a really exclusive experience. We thought carefully about the start time – we wanted people to have a great night out. So, the show starts at 7 and is just over an hour long, so that gives you time to have a night out afterwards if you wish!
Psychodrama starring Emily Bruni was due to run at Never For Ever 12th – 22nd November 2020, following the announcement of a national lockdown the performance has been rescheduled to 21st – 31st January 2021. Tickets are on sale here.
Main Image: Emily Bruni credit Ruth Carter
Comments 1