Features

Five Reasons To See…Dreams Of Violence

Manchester-born Paula Wilcox returns to the city to play Shirley in Max Stafford-Clark’s production of Dreams of Violence, presented by Out of Joint at the Library Theatre. Here, Paula gives us five reasons to see the production.



1. The Play:
I wanted to play Shirley in Dreams of Violence as soon as I read the script and discovered that it was to be directed by the great Max Stafford-Clark. This marvellous play is a bitter, witty and touching comedy that affects most of us. It’s about hope, death, stardom, suffering; it’s about fighting for what we believe in and about taking responsibility for each other. It’s about a family in crisis.

2. The Playwright:
Stella Feehily has had great success as a playwright. She writes about love and relationships with enormous insight, and doesn’t hesitate to show us how brutal we can be, especially to those we love. The language she uses is almost poetic, and always surprising and intriguing. She’s an original and unsentimental chronicler of our times.
3. The Cast of Characters:
Hildy’s family is the cause of much distress to her. Her son is a junkie who holds her responsible for his problems; her husband is a serial philanderer who can’t see why he shouldn’t stay married to her; her father suffers from dementia, loves her to distraction but can’t always remember who she is; and her mother (me) is an alcoholic ex-pop star. She is glamorous, selfish, vain, spoilt and desperate: she likes nothing more than to needle Hildy, berating her for being strait-laced, serious and boring.

4. There Is More:
Two savvy cleaners who like Hildy for her naive efforts to improve their lives, but really don’t believe in her; a rich, obnoxious banker, who turns out to be as fearful as everyone else at the financial meltdown; and Simon, the hapless carer in Dad’s nursing home.

5. And Finally:
There is music, comedy and darkness in Stella’s new play. It runs for 90 minutes without an interval, and you’ll be discussing the characters and their lives long after the curtain comes down.


 Dreams Of Violence runs at the Library Theatre from 20 – 24 October. For more information ring 0161 236 7110 or visit www.librarytheatre.com