Lava, this latest play from bold new writing theatre company Fifth Word and co-producer Nottingham Playhouse focuses on the stages of grief and the ways we find to cope, exploring love, friendship and human connection. Written by James Fritz, the play is set in the aftermath of a natural disaster which has struck London.
In a small town far from the capital, a young man called Vin can no longer speak. Is it shock? Grief? Or something else? Lava considers what happens to those who can’t express themselves in a world that celebrates self-expression, and looks at the lengths we will go to to make sense of our sadness.
While Vin’s mum Vicky is struggling with a loss of her own, his friend Rach is determined to help him find a way out of silence. But when Rach’s family take in a charismatic and articulate survivor of the asteroid disaster, who thinks talking – or even singing – about your suffering is the way to heal, Vin’s plight is suddenly eclipsed.
Writer James Fritz said: “I love these characters to bits, and can’t wait for more people to meet them. Lava’s probably the most hopeful play I’ve worked on, and it feels like the right time to be doing it again.
“During the initial run at the Nottingham Playhouse we got the sense that the story of Vin’s silence meant very different things to different people, depending on who they were and what they’d been through. That’s all you can ever ask as a playwright, I think, when a play that was written from a very personal place starts speaking to audiences in ways you could never have imagined. I can’t wait to see how the response changes and grows as we take the story across the UK.”
Fifth Word’s Laura Ford and Angharad Jones said: “We first came across James’s work when we saw Four Minutes Twelve Seconds. We immediately knew we wanted to work with James and commissioned him to write a new play for us in 2016.
“As joint artistic directors of Fifth Word, we commission work that tells the stories of people who often find themselves on the margins or struggle to be heard, and with Lava this is literally the case. Lava tells the story of Vin, a young man who stops talking in the wake of a catastrophic disaster, and who is struggling to make sense of his feelings in a world that feels out of control. At a time when conversations about masculinity continue to dominate headlines, this play feels more pertinent than ever, asking questions around whether some people’s grief or sadness has more legitimacy than others depending on their experiences.
“This play feels so right for now – at a time when the world often makes little sense, feels unpredictable and sometimes terrifying, but where there is also hope, resolve and a sense that anything is possible. At the very heart of this play is a story about love, friendship and an asteroid-shaped hole.”
Fifth Word work to commission writers they believe will be part of the next mighty wave of playwrights leading the way in British Theatre. They currently have their most ambitious commissioning programme to date, working with Mufaro Makubika, Sophie Ellerby, Satinder Chohan, Sonali Bhattacharyya and Maureen Lennon; demonstrating their commitment to seeing more commissions and productions for female playwrights, regional playwrights and playwrights of colour.
Lava tours 23rd April to 20th June 2020, tour details can be found here.
