THE CRACKS IN MY SKIN (3rd Prize 2005)
- Produced in The Studio at the Royal Exchange in 2008. Directed by Chris Meads.
JANIE: I could murder myself sometimes. I don’t mean murder myself, I just mean shout at myself. Sometimes. Loudly. Cos the thing I desire most, than anything else, I want to get close, you know? But I can’t stop blowing things apart. Vexing people like a bomb.
Biography
Phil’s plays for adults include The Cracks In My Skin, which won a Bruntwood Award and was premiered at Manchester Royal Exchange, and Stealing Sweets And Punching People, which was produced in London at Theatre 503 and Off-Broadway. Here Lies Mary Spindler was commisioned and produced by the RSC at Latitude Festival. He adapted Hungarian playwright Janos Hay’s The Stonewatcher for The National Theatre and has written short plays for Drywrite, Paines Plough and the RSC. He has also written several plays for young people. These include The Flying Machine for The Unicorn Theatre and Smashed Eggs, which won the Arts Council Children’s Award and has been performed throughout the UK. He adapted Tim Bowler’s novel for teenagers Starseeker for Northampton Theatre Royal.
With composer Martin Ward, Phil wrote Pinocchio for the Royal Opera House. The production has enjoyed two successful Christmas runs and was made into a film by BBC4. Together they also wrote The Whale Savers for W11 Opera, a version of Cinderella for The Unicorn Theatre and Skitterbang Island for Polka Theatre. Phil also wrote the book and lyrics for Hansel and Gretel at Northampton Theatre Royal Beauty & The Beast at The Unicorn. He also edited The Tempest for an RSC production in 2011.
Current commissions include Three Choirs Festival, Northampton Theatre Royal and the RSC.
“Absolutely captures the terrible pain of being 16, the rapacious hunger to be loved and the strange hallucinatory magic of summers that feel as if they will never end.” THE GUARDIAN
Synopsis
A scorching summer. A teacher (Josefa) desperately wants a baby but her chances are diminishing due to illness and the breakdown of her marriage. Returning home after an operation, she finds an ex-pupil (Linden), his grandfather (Roper) and another ex-pupil (Janie) treating her house as their own. She takes them in and an unlikely family forms. A doctor (Alun) visits and tells Josefa that by mothering these others she is suggesting to God that she no longer needs a baby of her own. Josefa becomes distant and the family disintegrates. Janie, the most vulnerable family member, responds with shocking violence. A play about love, faith and desperation.
Interview
Where did THE CRACKS IN MY SKIN begin and why did you enter the competition?
I had the idea for The Cracks In My Skin in 2005. I’d spent a couple of years working with other people’s ideas – theatre adaptations, existing TV series – and was feeling the need to write something original. I don’t know where the idea came from exactly. I had a sense that it would be a play about loyalty, family and faith, but I didn’t really know where it was going when I started writing. I wrote the first half and spent a week at East 15 Acting School, working on it with students. This helped me to improve what I’d done and gave me some ideas for the second half. There was a reading at the Actors’ Centre in London and interest from a few theatres, but I was beginning to despair that my play would never get a full production. When I found out about the competition I was excited. One of my early plays was produced in The Studio at The Exchange for a short run in 2001 and I love the place, so I was keen to be involved again. And, obviously, I was keen to win some money!
What impact did winning a prize in the Bruntwood have on you as a writer?
Winning a Bruntwood prize had a tremendous impact. It drew my work to the attention of all sorts of people that did not know it before. It gave me a much-needed financial boost. And eventually, it led to a production with which I was delighted.
What have you done since winning the prize and what are your plans for the future?
I’ve been busy since winning the prize. I’ve written two Christmas shows and an original play for the Unicorn Theatre, a spooky play for The Royal Shakespeare Company (produced at Latitude 2009), a puppet opera for Polka and The Little Angel, a big-cast youth opera for W11 Opera and a community play for Northampton Theatre Royal. I’ve just finished a new play for adults, called The India Trip, which I will now try to find a home for. I’m currently writing a new play for the Royal Shakespeare Company and looking forward to their new production of The Tempest, for which I provided the edit. I’m also working on two adaptations for Northampton Theatre Royal.
Gallery
Images from the 2008 Royal Exchange production of THE CRACKS IN MY SKIN:
