I’m pleased to be posting another review of Spaceboy. This one written by Scott Freeman who did the sound for the recent production.

Spaceboy – Incredibly Compelling

I was lucky enough to be involved in the tech for PAFoster‘s Spaceboy directed by Nathan Trapnell and Nell King at the Black Box Theatre in Woking.

It was originally created as a radio play as part of a writing course assignment Paul did at the time, and is written in the first person continuum – like a stream of consciousness, where the action is happening in the now.

I found it an incredibly compelling play to watch, only moving my eyes away from the action when needed at the sound desk.

When Hayden (Alex Paterson) – a boy confused with his own sexual identity – was onstage, it was almost at times like watching stand-up comedy.

Alex held the audience close as Hayden described his night with wild galore. Though indecisive and swinging from emotions like a monkey in a tree, it’s his comedic wit that makes you love his character.

However, let’s not forget Anna (Nell King) the mother who never wanted to be, and the complex relationship with her son, David – an unseen character – and new partner, Nathan (Nathan Trapnell).

The first act of the play rides on Anna and Nathan’s developing relationship and the unveiling of David’s worrying condition.

But not for a second does the fact there is no actor portraying David take away from the action. The way he is talked about and referenced builds almost a God out of his character; it feels like he’s really there.

The climax of Hayden’s story hits in with a surprise use of projection; a cinematic finale to much effect.

As he lies there, dead to the world, the action switches back to Anna and Nathan standing over David in hospital and ending the play with the resonant line ‘Can you hear me, Major Tom?’

Thanks Scott!

I’ve been meaning to post this for ages….

Spaceboy – A Gem of a Play

Going in to see Spaceboy, I couldn’t help but appreciate its delightfully ambiguous title.

Who was this ‘Spaceboy’?

Well what it was, was an example of what a small theatre group really can achieve, and evidence that the quality of a play correlates with nothing but the talent behind it.

PAFoster‘s Spaceboy tells the story of 16 year old David Walker struggling to cope with undiagnosed schizophrenia, and the impact this has on those closest to him, including fellow teenager, Hayden Paterson, who obliviously has somewhat of a crush on him, David’s mother, Anna, who is reluctant to understand her son, and their new neighbour Nathan Greene.

The theme of mental health is quite obviously a sensitive one that needs to be approached with a sense of maturity and also innovation to create a plausible performance, without bombarding the audience with a painfully obvious ideology.

It is here where Spaceboy writer PAFoster makes his pivotal decision – David is absent.

We never see him or hear him; he isn’t represented at all, other than being referred to in the first person by the other characters.

The play takes the very simple, but extremely effective approach of only showing us the results and implications of David’s actions on those around him.

Now if that sounds like a unique method, here’s another: At no point in the play does any character interact with another. We simply hear every character’s progressive thoughts and what they are saying to others through interspersed ‘present tense continuous’ monologues.

I was surprised at how close to their experiences I felt. The characters were actually discovering things at the same time the audience were.

If a play messing with a few of the peripherals is deemed as ‘thinking outside of the box’, then Spaceboy has abandoned the box completely and set up tent outside.

The introspective approach synchronises our experiences with that of the characters and the fourth wall turns to jelly with plot points being given a whole new layer of significance.

Its unique approach is a fundamental part of its design but at no point does it feel like a gimmick. You won’t find anyone jumping up from under the seat and forcing you to perform interpretive dance to aid the story, though some of the actors’ performances really do put you on the front line.

With a unique concept, powerful performances, and a Bowie soundtrack that is both juxtaposed and integral to the plot, Spaceboy is a gem of a play, modestly tucked away from the public eye.

Peter Williams

Thanks Pete!

Well, the weekend is over, and Spaceboy has had it’s very first production. And I’m pleased to say that the World Premiere of Spaceboy at The Black Box Theatre, Woking was nearly full on the Friday, and SOLD OUT on the Saturday!

The production was truly excellent and very highly praised by the audiences in after show discussions. I’m a very pleased playwright!

I am so grateful to Nell King (Director and Anna), Nathan Trapnell (Director and Nathan) and Alex Paterson (Hayden) for all their hard work.

Thank you too, to Scott Freeman (Sound), Jason Orbaum (Lighting) and to Nina Lemon (Artistic Co-Director for Peer Productions and The Black Box Theatre) for recommending it be produced.

And a huge thank you to both audiences who took the risk on coming to see a new play by a new playwright and in a new theatre too. I am so pleased you were just as amazed and praiseworthy about the production as I was.

I couldn’t fault the sound, light, staging, acting or direction. The whole production was an excellent interpretation of my script, and to be very honest, I really could not have done it better myself.

Spaceboy is my baby. I conceived, developed and gave birth to Nathan Greene, Anna Walker and Hayden, and indeed the Spaceboy himself, David Walker. I nurtured them, gave them a helping hand and unleashed them into the world. And I’m so pleased they have all been warmly welcomed.

They now all have lives of there own. I was even asked by audience members during the post show discussions what happens to them after the point at which the play ends.

To which I answered: “I’m sorry, I’m just the writer, I haven’t a clue. I stopped writing about their story then.”

It was almost as if these characters are real people, and I’ve just told the story about what happened during two weeks of their lives.

Obviously, as the writer, I included some ‘character history’, but I have no idea what happens in their lives after the traumatic events during that fortnight.

Should I? I really don’t know. How could I?

I must admit, I had unreasonably high expectations for this World Premiere Production, not to mention grave concerns that it might not be any good, especially as (unlike other works of mine) I was to have nothing to do with the production.

I was being paid a royalty for licensing of my script, so whatever they did with it, was entirely up to them. I had no control. (Yes it was a little difficult to let go, not unlike letting your child go to school for the first day.)

And yet Peer Productions at The Black Box Theatre certainly met, if not exceed those expectations, and I had no reason for any concern at all. They just made my writing sound and look even better!

The play has been to various people in various formats, crying out to be noticed. There’s been some nibbles; long-listed in a writing competition and even considered by Radio 4 – the first part, ‘If I Fall’ – but now I’m so pleased to say that it has been produced, and what a brilliant production it was as too.

For those who missed it, you certainly did miss something! And I’m not saying that because I wrote it! I’d say the exact same words if I’d seen that production and it had been written by somebody else.

In fact, I was so mesmerised by the show, especially when my character of Hayden (Alex Paterson) came alive in the second part – Moondust Will Cover Me – there were many, many times I actually forgot that I did write it!

At one point when Hayden had his back to me because he was sat in a certain part of the audience – the show was staged in traverse with staging at each end too – I glanced at the faces of the front row of the audience facing him. Each were transfixed. They had exactly the same frozen expression of intense involvement in Hayden’s story. It was amazing. And those exact same frozen expressions were held for minutes, not seconds. I was completely freaked out!

In fact I was so blown away by this 17 year old’s entire performance, I gave Hayden Alex’s surname in recognition of Alex’s outstanding acting and highly realistic characterisation of my tragically love-troubled teenager. (I must also point out that this is a true testimony to the highly skilled directors, Nathan and Nell.)

Whilst the other Spaceboy characters had surnames, Hayden never got one. But he has now, I have corrected the character list in the script to include his full name, Hayden Paterson, in Alex’s honour.

I now have very fond memories of Spaceboy. I’ve made some truly great friends and even have a framed poster in my office as well.

But it’s time to move on. Time to get something else finished on its its way into production. I’ve been given a whole new boost to my confidence and am busy finishing my Nuffield Theatre Writers Group Full Length Graduation piece; more on that later!

The World Premiere of PAFoster’s Spaceboy has been such a fantastic experience for me; the best of experiences for any playwright, I’m sure. There really is nothing like the immense feeling you get from watching a superb production and performance of a play you have written.

Thank you all so much!

Well, I’m back, for the time being at least anyway!

So here’s the news I’ve been wanting to blog about for ages.

Spaceboy is getting its first production this weekend! (4th/5th June) I am so pleased.

Yes, that’s tonight, I know, but depression isn’t concerned about time, so I guess I’m lucky I came back from the blackness yesterday. I have know about this production for well over a month now, but this is the first time I have been able to write about it! I was getting concerned that I wasn’t going to fully engage in the amazement of it all.

It was nearly a year ago now that the play was a given a professional ‘rehearsed reading’ by Actors and Writers London, and now finally makes its way on to the stage for the public to see.

Spaceboy is being produced because John Burgess, my mentor from the Nuffield Theatre Writers Group, put another writer, Nina Lemon, in contact with me. Nina has just started in the current Nuffields group; my group having completed the programme at the end of December.

Nina runs a theatre company called Peer Productions, based at the Woking Youth Arts Centre, a five minute walk from my house, and she asked to read some of my work.

Needless to say she loved Spaceboy and I was pleasantly surprised back in April when she asked if they could produce it.

I’ve now met both Nell King and Nathan Trapnell who will produce and direct the play as well as take the roles of Anna and Nathan. They have also cast Alex Paterson in the role of Hayden.

Alex is a member of the Peer Productions Youth Theatre, and is also at Woking College with my friends Mark Forest and Adam Amin from the Riverside Youth Theatre – Small world.

I recently saw Adam and Alex perform in ‘The Interview’ for part of their AS Drama exam at the college and having directed Adam before at RYT, knew he would be good. I was also entralled with Alex’s performance and am very pleased that he’s been cast as Hayden in Spaceboy.

For those of you who know the play and it’s origins, you’ll know that Hayden‘s part, played excellently by Tom Addy in the London rehearsed reading, is a very demanding series of monologues performed one after the other and lasting about twenty five minutes.

Hayden is my favourite of all the characters I’ve created thus far, and I’m pleased to say that Alex, having thoroughly researched his part, has just as much enthusiasm and understanding of Hayden and his issues as I do, which is fantastic and very gratifying for me as the playwright.

My play will be performed as the second in a double bill with the short piece The End Where I Begin, written and directed by Kirsten Hill.

The venue is The Black Box Theatre, a small studio style theatre in Knaphill near Woking where Peer Productions is based.

The 50 seat studio theatre is cosy and very intimate, which to be honest, as those that saw the London reading will know, suits Spaceboy very well indeed

The booking details for the show are all here and again, appologies for the lateness in blogging about this; as I say, depressive episodes are a law unto themselves.

Spaceboy
by
PAFoster

Part One – ‘If I Fall’

Single, self-employed Nathan falls for his next-door neighbour, thirty something Anna Walker.

But Anna has a painful past and a troubled teenage son; and when a local lad goes missing, Nathan’s new relationship is tested to the brink.

Part Two – ‘Moondust Will Cover Me’

Fifteen year old Hayden is a little confused and thinks he’s in love; and that would be fine, if his new found friend wasn’t hearing voices.

I am so pleased that a lot of friends are coming to support me and the cast by seeing this production.

I have also developed new friendships because of because of it, including Tony Chessman, an aspiring writer too, and Lewis Flude who was stood next to a Pet Shop Boys fan in a record store talking about the PSB references in my play! Weird or what? But that’s another story!

Lewis and I have both been following each other on Twitter for ages, but never realised we both knew a lot of the same people from different social groups – Spaceboy has revealed those connections.

Oh, and I nearly forgot!

I am honoured to have been invited to take part in an after show Q&A style discussion with the directors/cast, where we’ll be taking about the play and the writing of it. So get your questions ready, and surprise me!

Hope you can come; it’ll be good, very good. Come and see why, say Hi!

Best wishes!
A very (at last) happy Paul.

PS: Better introduce Tom (the ultimate) Fidler, a great friend and keen to learn writer from Riverside Youth Theatre, who has, since I’m now being referred to as a “minor celebrity”, lol, dutifully elected himself as my PA – After dinner speaking engagements, book store openings, breakfast show interviews, and indeed any other public appearance or product endorsement requests should be directed to Tom, lol. I’m far too busy writing!

Public thanks again to my close friend Tom Addy, without who’s care and support, Spaceboy would never have seen the light of day.

Thank you Major Tom xx