Kirsty Rider plays Rebecca in the revival of Further than the Furthest Thing, written by Zinnie Harris, at the Young Vic, which is directed by Genesis Fellow / Young Vic Associate Director Jennifer Tang.
Kirsty, who has appeared in productions such as The Doctor and Nora: A Doll’s House, tells me she wanted to be an actor from a young age, and when her family had to move from London when she was a child, she used it as a bargaining chip, “obviously I had to go with them,” she laughs “but I said I’ll only come with you if I can do some acting when we get there.”
Kirsty’s family are now lovers of the theatre too, “I’ve taken them to see so many shows at The Young Vic, so when I told them I was going to be working there, they were very excited.” This will be Kirsty’s first time in a play at the venue, “I think it’s one of my favourite theatres, we get to go in next week and I’m very excited about seeing how it’s been set up, because we are performing this play in the round.”
The play itself is a five-hander, set on a remote island, “it’s about a small community and the complexities and intricacies of that community,” explains Kirsty, “and what happens to that community when an outsider comes in, when they become displaced.”
“I love what that journey is, dramatically, I feel like there are many big themes like colonialism, capitalism and the climate change disaster, and how that can displace people as well. But it also speaks to the immigrant story, the narrative of the difficulty of being displaced, the difficulty of assimilation, and what that means in the UK.”
Further Than The Furthest Thing is based on real life events in the island of Tristan da Cunha, and was first staged back in 2000, “23 years ago in one way is not that long ago,” says Kirsty, “but then, especially for a modern play, it is quite a long time and I think sometimes with contemporary plays, even 10 years on, they can feel really dated.”
“That’s not the case with Zinnie’s play, because it is modern, but there’s something very classic about it. It’s a very specific story but there is something universal about it too. I think now there is a wider and potentially more nuanced, understanding of refugees, we may recognise the character’s journey of going from somewhere which they know and love, to somewhere where they don’t belong, and they feel like they’re a burden on the society they move into.”
Kirsty says that she really identifies with the character of Rebecca, “I think she’s a bit of an outsider in the community as well, which I definitely relate to, but she’s just such a fun character. I love characters who have this wealth of experience and pain and trauma. Oh my God that sounds awful!”
“No, I do love these characters, because it’s something about the fact they are quite direct in the way that they communicate. They’re quite honest in what they say, and yet there’s this deep secret, or many deep secrets, that they’re holding in.”
Kirsty says that following on previous roles, Rebecca is a refreshing change, “She does have this quite traumatic journey through act one, but then I feel that often with plays and young women who go through some trauma, they go through the trauma, and then they die, and that’s the end! Rebecca gets to have the rest of the journey, and sees what it is to come out the trauma.”
Alongside Kirsty, Further Than The Furthest Thing also stars Jenna Russell as Mill, Cyril Nri as Bill, Gerald Kyd as Mr Hansen, and Archie Madekwe as Francis, “in rehearsals, I think you can get further quicker in a way, because there’s less of you and that means you get to know each other quicker as actors, but also everyone is doing a lot, and every character has a lot going on for them.”
“I think all of us are finding it very satisfying in that sense, also, there’s more pressure, because of the drama of the play and the journey of the story, lands on you five and that’s it. Although, I would say there is six of us because, Shapla Salique, the singer-musician, is also definitely part of the company.”
In fact, Kirsty says the whole team has really bonded, “everyone involved in this show is so brilliant, I think that’s been a slightly different and wonderful experience where it feels very collaborative across the departments, and feels like Jennifer gives space for us all to acknowledge each other.”
Working with director Jennifer Tang has been another rewarding experience for Kirsty, “as a director she’s very intentional. There were lots of questions I had about what the show is, why we were doing it, what it meant to her to do it, and what her vision was. Jennifer had already put a lot of work and thought into this, but yet still allowed space for discovery and play.”
“She has a way of making people feel really safe, people have space to explore what they need but she also knows the story, so she knows where she’s guiding us. I love working with Jennifer. I hope we get to work together again.”
Kirsty admits that it’s been tough stepping off the busy London streets into a rehearsal room where the company are portraying a remote island community, “we really do not live in that world at all in any way, I guess the fact that one of the characters is an outsider helps.”
“Also with Jennifer’s vision, it’s not like hyper-realism, but I think that space that we have helps to bring that rural feel, and we’ve just got to hear some of the music elements of the show, that will also help give us that sense of being in nature.”
Kirsty is looking forward to getting an audience in to see the play, “Zinnie Harris has written a brilliant play. It has some proper fun scenes for an actor, and I’d say it’s a beautiful story about a beautiful community, and their resilience in spite of the world that we live in.”
Further than the Furthest Thing plays at the Young Vic Main House 9 March to 29 April 2023.
