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V-Day interview: Emma Jane Richards - Director

Written by Stephanie Sadler
Tuesday, 03 February 2009 00:00

Kicking off her debut as a theatre director, Emma Jane Richards is taking on the infamous “Vagina Monologues” and the brand new sister project, “A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer” at the New Players Theatre for V-Day’s 10th anniversary in London. She speaks to Seven about being empowered by the V-Day message, meeting Eve Ensler at a Vagina Warriors workshop and capturing the beauty of women in her work.

SS: I was speaking to producer Annie Saunders yesterday and she said that this is your debut as a theatre director. How are you finding it?

EJR: Amazing. Really exciting. It’s similar and different from film. When I’m working with actors, there’s honesty in performances. In film, every movement is picked up; the flutter of eyelid may be crucial, but not so much in theatre. As director, I’m looking for real truth in characters. Now, I think, wow; I get to build a whole set, think about lighting, think about the whole experience of the audience.

SS: Have you ever acted in the “Monologues”?

EJR: No. I started as an actress though. I was in a lot of films, a lot of short student films. I’ve been a TV presenter in Wales. If asked, I’d rather direct. If a director said, ‘I’d love you to perform’, I’d have no hesitation in performing. That helps as a director.

SS: How would you explain V-Day to someone who has never heard of it before?

EJR: It’s an amazing grassroots movement to end violence against women and girls. At its core is the belief that creativity carries a powerful message which is really put to great use. It’s changed me. I got involved because I was tentatively interested. I went to a meeting last year and I had read the book, but I barely knew what I was letting myself in for. I knew it was something creative and something about ending violence against women and I thought, okay, I agree with these things.

With the “Vagina Monologues”, everything just happens. It grabs hold of you and makes you part of it. I’m amazed how it has turned into this incredible production. Now, I’ve explored the heart of the monologues, the themes, the messages conveyed and really started connecting with actor’s personal stories. You suddenly hear all the messages that Eve Ensler talks about, all the reasons that this is so important. You start to pick up on the justifications we make for all the mundane violence that we accept in society, the subtlety of the position we’re still in sometimes. That message is in the cop shows, “East Enders”, films - subtle re-enforcement that violence is okay. It’s around us all the time, this violence and inequality. But you don’t really, really hear it until someone tells you their story. The thing about “Vagina Monologues” is that it brings you in so gently. It brings you in through creativity. It brings the actors in and then they become activists.

SS: What happens at a Vagina Warriors workshop?

EJR: It’s an empowerment workshop and also for inspiration. It’s a workshop with Eve, open to anyone. Eve told us the truth about everything she’s seen and conveyed her personal experiences. She spoke so honestly about her personal experience in the Congo that it can’t fail to move you to action. It’s so inspiring that someone is so brave. She is prepared to witness firsthand the violence inflicted on people in that part of the world. It’s truth. It’s just truth. It’s not told through a medium, not read in an email or a newspaper; Eve told us face to face. She met this 8-year-old girl who was so badly beaten and assaulted that she was incontinent. She told us the truth to inspire us to action. She told us these things to show us how powerful we are individually if we’re willing to do our bit. We can all make a difference. Anyone can run V-Day events, anywhere and in any form and that in itself is wonderfully empowering.

SS: You’re also involved in film, music and photography. Does your work often focus on women’s issues?

EJR: I feel that, at the heart of my practice, is a desire to promote beauty. I wouldn’t say I had consciously focused on women’s issues in the past, but as a result of V-Day, I think that will change. I do portraits of people with my photography. It’s always women, actually. They come to me because I try to really capture people’s essence and help them feel beautiful and see the best in themselves. I often think, what’s the most beautiful person you can be? I’ve always been interested in that.

SS: What makes theatre such a powerful platform to convey the V-Day message?

EJR: The way I direct, I’m looking for there to be a sense in the room that you are hearing a true account of a person standing before you. I’m always trying to blur the boundaries between documentary and fiction. I’ve made films in the past where you don’t know if you’re supposed to believe if what you’re seeing and hearing is the truth or not. I’ve kind of gone for that approach with “Vagina Monologues”, inspiring the actors to connect with their own personal experiences. A lot of people get involved because they are survivors. They have a story of their own. People connect with what is said on that stage.

My experience is that I become an activist when I connect with people’s stories. These things are everywhere. They are in people sitting next to you. They’re right outside my door. These are stories of hope. I’m a real believer that there will be people in the audience who will be blocked off in some way, people who have experienced violence in their own lives - even if it’s only one person in the audience who is not living life to the full because of their experience. It will unblock people and allow them to feel like they don’t have to be closed off because of it.

There’s a skit in “A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer” called “Rescue”. This is something that will really shake people up. It’s about a guy who hints at being perpetrator of violence, realises why experiences he suffered as a child led him to be how he was. You can recover from being a victim and from being a perpetrator. This is the truth of people’s lives. It’s not just a play. It’s happened to all of us in some form. These people are right in front of you. You can reach out and touch them. And maybe, on stage, those people are not just actors because, a lot of time, these stories they tell you merge with their own. And then it is their truth.

SS: What do you want the audience to take away from “Vagina Monologues” and the new production “A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and a Prayer”?

EJR: I’d love people to recognise how much we justify violence against women in all its forms. I’d love for men to feel part of the movement. I’d love for people to pick up some form of activism in their own way, to leave here and feel free not to just carry these things around with them, things that have happened to them or stories of violence they read in newspapers and feel like there’s nothing they can do. I want people to feel like there is something they can do. All the different things you can do will be apparent in the stories. They will inspire people to get involved. Let’s rejuvenate each other and bring attention to these issues.

SS: Do you plan to work in theatre more often now and what other projects, generally, have you got lined up for the near future?

EJR: Absolutely. I feel like I‘ve come home. I feel like this is what I’ve been looking for in my creative practice. Theatre is the perfect place for me. I don’t think people want entertainment without a conscious anymore. I think people want entertainment with a conscious and I want to be a part of that. I’ve been thinking about going back home to Wales – not for good, but for a bit. I left home and there were things I didn’t want to look at, communities that were impoverished both financially and creatively. I want to go home and bring something back now. I feel like a survivor - perhaps not as much as much as some of the women in the show, but I am a survivor. There’s a quote by Coco de Mer about their activist movement Bondage for Freedom. Their tagline is “Making the imperative attractive.” And I think, hell yea. I’m up for that.

I want to do V-Day for sure next year. Definitely.