DESPERATE TIMES
'A story of love, isolation, and self-discovery, Desperate Times shines a light on the struggles of growing up queer in rural England.'
'It's easy to get emotionally invested in a narrative that triggers a range of responses from anger to relief to frustration to laughter'
- LondonTheatre1
Writer and Director
Lion and Unicorn Theatre
9th - 13th May 2023
CREATIVE
Writer and Director | Adam Laboda
Producer | Trudi Licence
Technical Operator | Alex Farrow
I attempted something new with Desperate Times. I gathered the cast from people I have worked with previously, and pitched them the concept for Desperate Times. Over the summer of 2022 I ran workshops with the cast, trying out different scenes and characters, hoping to find the right ones for the play. Between workshops I would go home and work on the piece, writing new scenes, adjusting dialogue and characters, in order to create the best show possible.
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Not only was I the writer of Desperate Times, but I was also the director, with Trudi Licence taking on the role of Producer. We met once a week for rehearsals, upping to two or three times a week when closer to the opening of the run. There was a focus on fun in rehearsals, utilising a lot of games and absurdist practices to create the show as we wanted.
CAST
SON | Oliver Gupta
MAN | Valentin Burwell
DAD, JONNY | Sean Renwick
MUM, FRIEND, WOMAN | Arianna Gallenzi
LAD, STRANGER, NURSE | Adam Selvan
