to the Handbagged Background Pack

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BACKGROUND RESOURCE PACK
W ritten by Harry Mackrill
Edited by Mark Londesborough
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Handbagged by Moira Buffini
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Tricycle Creative Learning
The Tricycle’s Creative Learning programme works to develop the imaginations, aspirations and
potential of children and young people in the diverse community of Brent and beyond.
Collaborating with schools and young people, we use theatre, drama and film, to bring unheard
young voices into the mainstream; creating work that engages the emotions and provokes debate.
Whether as audiences, writers, performers or producers of new work at the theatre, young people
are at the Tricycle’s heart.
About this Background Resource Pack
This document is designed to give an insight into the research, writing and rehearsal of the
Tricycle’s 2013 production of Handbagged by Moira Buffini, directed by Indhu Rubasingham. It
should prove particularly useful for those students of the past for whom Margaret Thatcher’s time
in office feels like ancient history. We have not provided a synopsis here, instead have opted for a
timeline of events in the lives of Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth II, most of which form part
of the action or dialogue in the play.
Contents
The Tricycle Theatre Production
p3
Character Biographies
pp4-6
Timeline of events mentioned in the play
pp8-12
Assistant Director’s rehearsal diary
pp13-16
Interview with playwright Moira Buffini
pp17-19
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The Tricycle Theatre Production of Handbagged
The Production opened at the Tricycle Theatre Kilburn, on Tuesday 1 October 2013.
The Company
Q
T
Liz
Actor 1
Actor 2
Mags
Marion Bailey
Stella Gonet
Clare Holman
Neet Mohan
Jeff Rawle
Fenella Woolgar
Director
Designer
Lighting Designer
Sound Designer
Assistant Director
Voice/Dialect Coach
Head of Make-Up and Wigs
Indhu Rubasingham
Richard Kent
Oliver Fenwick
Carolyn Downing
Harry Mackrill
Majella Hurley
Sophia Heron!
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Marion!Bailey!as!‘Q’,!Neet!Mohan!as!‘Actor!1’,!Clare!Holman!as!‘Liz’,!Fenella!Woolgar!as!‘Mags’,!Jeff!Rawle!as!‘Actor!2/!Denis’!and!!
Stella!Gonet!as!‘T’!(Image:!Tristram!Kenton)!
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1. Character Biographies
QUEEN ELIZABETH II
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state for the United Kingdom and 15 other
Commonwealth realms as well as being the Head of the Commonwealth. Born in 1926 and
becoming Queen aged 25, she has seen more than 60yrs of huge social and political change. Major
events in her life and reign are detailed in the next chapter of this document on pages 7-11.
MARGARET THATCHER
Margaret Thatcher was the first woman Prime Minister of Great Britain and the first woman to
lead a major Western democracy, which she did for 11 years from 1979-1990. Major events in her
life and career are detailed in the next chapter of this document on pages 7-11.
ACTOR 1 plays:
Kenneth Kaunda, born 1924 in Zambia, trained as a teacher before becoming General Secretary
of the African National Congress (ANC). In 1958, Kaunda broke away from the ANC and formed the
Zambian African National Congress (ZANC). He helped gain Zambian independence from Britain
and became its first President. Kaunda was instrumental during the Lancaster House Agreement
(that brought independence to Rhodesia/ Zimbabwe) – and was said to have bonded with Margaret
when they discovered they were both parents to twins.
Nancy Reagan, was born Anne Frances Robbins in New York in 1921, and later trained to be an
actress. In 1949, she signed a seven year contract with MGM. MGM promotional material in 1949 said
that her "greatest ambition" was to have a "successful happy marriage”. She met the young actor,
Ronald Reagan, in Hollywood and they married in 1952. She co-starred with Ron in her final film,
Hellcats of the Navy. Nancy Reagan launched the "Just Say No" drug awareness campaign in 1982, which
was her primary project and major initiative as first lady. After the assassination attempt on Reagan,
Nancy consulted astrologer Joan Quigley, who would become known as the ‘White House Astrologer’.
Michael Shea, 1938 – 2009, was born and raised in Edinburgh and studied Economics at university.
In 1963, Shea entered the Foreign Service, serving in Ghana, West Germany, Romania and New
York. He became the Queen’s Press Secretary in 1978. From the early 70s, Shea also had a
successful career as a novelist, and published political thrillers under the pseudonym Michael
Sinclair.
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Character Biographies
Neil Kinnock, born in 1942, Tredegar, Wales, was the son of a coal miner and a nurse. He studied
Industrial Relations & History at the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, and
became a Labour MP in 1968. In 1979, Jim Callaghan appointed Kinnock to the Shadow Cabinet and
in 1983 Kinnock was elected as Labour Party Leader. He gave his famous ‘I Warn You’ speech
during the ’83 General Election. He said that Thatcher “was a person who couldn’t see, or didn’t
want to see the unfairness and disadvantaging consequences of the application of what she
thought to be a renewing ideology”.
Enoch Powell, 1912 – 1998, read Classics at Trinity College, Cambridge before becoming a
Conservative MP in 1950. In 1974 he became an MP for the Ulster Unionist Party. He held strong
British nationalist views, and became infamous for his controversial ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech, in
which he warned of the consequences of immigration. The Times newspaper said of the speech:
“This is the first time that a serious British politician has appealed to racial hatred in this direct
way in our postwar history."
Actor 1 also plays: Kenneth Clarke, Conservative MP who was a member of Thatcher’s cabinet
during the 1990 Leadership challenge; A (fictitious) Palace Footman – a member of Her
Majesty’s household staff at Buckingham Palace; and a Protester of the 1990 Poll Tax Riots,
which took place just before the new legislation – deemed unfair by politicians and civilians alike –
came into play.
ACTOR 2 plays:
Denis Thatcher, 1915-2003. Born to New Zealander parents, in Lewisham and educated at Mill
Hill School, a non-conformist public school. He had a successful army career and was made MBE for
his service during the war. It was during the war that his first marriage, to Margaret Kempson, fell
apart and they divorced in 1946. Denis took over the family paints and preservatives business,
ATLAS Preservatives when his father died, later selling it to Castro. Denis met Margaret Roberts
through the Conservative Party and proposed to her in 1951. He retired from his position at
Burmah Oil in 1975, four years before Margaret was elected Prime Minister.
Peter Carrington, b. 1919, was the 6th Baron Carrington and took his seat in the House of Lords
on his 21st birthday. He served as British Defence Secretary between 1970 and 1974, British
Foreign Secretary between 1979 and 1982 and as the sixth Secretary General of NATO from 1984
to 1988. He is the last peer to have held one of the four Great Offices of State. He was instrumental
in the Lancaster House Agreement, which gave Zimbabwe independence.
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Character Biographies
Geoffrey Howe was born in Port Talbot, Wales, in 1920 and read Law at Cambridge. He became
an MP for the Conservative Party in 1964. After the Conservative victory in 1979, he became
Chancellor of the Exchequer and later Foreign Secretary, until he was demoted by Margaret in
1989. Howe’s resignation in November 1990 – in retaliation to her attitude toward Europe - is said
to have hastened Margaret’s downfall. Dennis Healey said of Howe’s resignation speech: “It was the
equivalent of being savaged by a dead sheep.”
Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States of America, began his career as an actor
in Hollywood. His final film was The Killers in 1964. Although he began his political career as a
Democrat, he actively supported Nixon's campaign for president in 1960and – at the request of his
wife Nancy - switched political parties, officially becoming a Republican in 1962. In 1966, Reagan
successfully ran for Governor of California and served two consecutive terms. For the 1980
election, Reagan won the Republican nomination and beat Jimmy Carter to the presidency. Reagan
also won the 1984 presidential election against Democrat Walter Mondale.
Arthur Scargill, left school at 15 to become a coal miner at Woolley Colliery in 1953, where he
remained for 19 years. In 1962, he undertook a three-year, part-time course at the University of
Leeds, where he studied economics, industrial relations and social history. In 1973 Scargill was
elected Compensation Agent for the National Union of Miners (NUM). He led the union in the 1984–
1985 miners' strike. He is currently leader of the Socialist Labour Party, which is founded in 1996.
Actor 2 also plays: Gerry Adams, Irish republican politician and President of the Sinn Féin
political party; Rupert Murdoch, the Australian founder of News Corporation, who owns Sky
television and many publications, including The Sun and The Times; Prince Philip, husband of
Queen Elizabeth II and the longest-serving and oldest-ever spouse of a reigning British monarch;
Michael Heseltine, Conservative MP who stood against Margaret in the leadership challenge of
1990. Margaret said of Heseltine, “he had everything it took in politics except brains.”
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Clare!Holman!as!‘Liz’,!Stella!Gonet!as!‘T’,!Marion!Bailey!as!‘Q’!and!Fenella!Woolgar!as!‘Mags’!(image:!Tristram!Kenton)!
Fenella!Woolgar!as!‘Mags’!and!Jeff!Rawle!as!Actor!2/!Denis!Thatcher!(image:!Tristram!Kenton)!
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2. Timeline of events mentioned in the play
Queen Elizabeth II
World Events
Margaret Thatcher
Early lives
21 st April, 1926 – Born
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of
Windsor in London.
1936
Edward VIII abdicates the throne to
marry American divorcee, Wallis
Simpson. Elizabeth’s father becomes
King George VI, making Elizabeth
first in line to the throne.
13 th October, 1925 – Born
Margaret Hilda Roberts in
Grantham, Lincolnshire.
1939
Hitler invades Poland; two days later
Britain and France declare war on
Germany.
1940s
1940 – Elizabeth makes her
first radio address to the
country during an air raid on
London.
1944 – Elizabeth becomes a
Counsellor of State, taking
official duties in the absence of
her father.
1947 – Elizabeth marries
Prince Philip of Greece &
Denmark, known as Philip
Mountbatten, at Westminster
Abbey.
1948 – Prince Charles is born.
1940
Rationing begins in Britain. Winston
Churchill becomes Prime Minister.
1945
8th May; VE Day is celebrated as
Germany surrenders.
1947
Indian independence.
1948
The NHS is launched.
Empire Windrush arrives in England.
1943 – Margaret causes “quite a
stir in Grantham” by gaining a
place at Oxford, where she reads
Chemistry.
1947 – Graduates from Oxford
with a 2:1 and moves to Colchester
to become a research chemist for
BX Plastics (“Plastics was one of
the things of the future”)
1949 – Margaret stands as
Conservative candidate for
Dartford.
Millionaire divorcee, Denis
Thatcher, proposes and Margaret
accepts – although they postpone
any public announcement until
after the election.
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1950s
1950 – Princess Anne is born.
1952 – George VI dies whilst
Princess Elizabeth is touring
Africa.
1953 – The Coronation of
Queen Elizabeth II.
1957 – Queen Elizabeth II
makes her first live television
address.
1951
Harrow educated Winston Churchill
is re-elected and will become
Elizabeth’s first Prime Minister. He is
succeeded by Eton graduate,
Anthony Eden.
1956
The Suez Crisis in Egypt. Britain
sends troops but is force to
withdraw, signalling an end to
Empire rule.
1951 - Margaret and Denis
marry.
1953 – Margaret qualifies as a
barrister. Four months later she
gives birth to her only children,
twins Carol and Mark.
1959 – Margaret is elected MP
for Finchley.
1960s
1960 – Prince Andrew is born.
1964 – Prince Edward is born.
1965 – Elizabeth makes a
state visit to Germany, the first
by a British monarch for 52
years.
Elizabeth attends the funeral of
her first PM, Sir Winston
Churchill.
1963 – The Robbins Report on
Education leads to state paid fee’s
and maintenance from the
Government to students in higher
education.
The President of the United States,
John F Kennedy, is assassinated.
1961 – Margaret is appointed
Parliament under secretary for
Pensions and National Insurance.
1965 – The Comprehensive
education system is initiated.
The death penalty is abolished.
1967 – Abortion and homosexuality
are legalised in the UK.
1968 – Martin Luther King is
assassinated.
1969 – The Governor of California,
Ronald Regan, addresses the
Institute of Directors at the Royal
Albert Hall. Margaret Thatcher
attends.
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1970s
1971 – Elizabeth receives
Emperor Hirohito of Japan on
his first state visit to Britain
since World War II.
1977 – Elizabeth celebrates
her Silver Jubilee. The Sex
Pistols release God Save the
Queen.
1979 – Philips uncle, Lord
Mountbatten, is killed by the
IRA.
1971 – Decimalised currency
replaces pounds, shillings and
pence.
1970 – Edward Heath appoints
Margaret Secretary of State for
Education and Science.
1979 – Widespread strikes by public
sector trade unions lead to the
Winter of Discontent.
18 British soldiers are killed in an
ambush by the IRA at Warrenpoint.
During the Commonwealth Heads of
Government meeting, attended by
Elizabeth and Margaret, the
Lancaster House agreement brings
independence to Zimbabwe.
1971 – Margaret bans free milk
for school children. The papers
dub her ‘Margaret Thatcher: Milk
Snatcher’
1975 – Margaret wins the
Conservative Party leadership
challenge against Edward Heath.
Later in the year, Denis retires
from his role at Burmah Oil.
1979 – Airey Neave, Margaret’s
political aid and friend, is killed by
a car bomb planted by the IRA,
outside Westminster.
MARGARET IS ELECTED AS THE
FIRST FEMALE PRIME MINISTER OF
GREAT BRITAIN.
1980s
1981 – Prince Charles marries
Lady Diana Spencer. A year
later their son William is born.
1983 – The Queen and Prince
Phillip visit Ronald and Nancy
Reagan during a state visit to
America.
1986 – Prince Andrew marries
Sarah Ferguson.
1980 – 10 IRA Prisoners starve
themselves to death during a
hunger strike at the Maze Prison.
The Moscow Olympics Boycott, lead
by the USA after the Soviet invasion
of Afghanistan.
1981 – The protest group, Women
For life On Earth, arrive at
Greenham Common to protest
against cruise missiles.
Ronald Reagan becomes the 40th
President of the United States.
1983 – Wins a second general
election with a majority of 144
seats.
1985 – Margaret is the target of
an IRA bomb that explodes during
the Conservative Party
Conference at the Grand Hotel,
Brighton.
1987 – Margaret wins third term
as Prime Minister with a decreased
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1982 - Argentina invades the
Falkland Islands, Thatcher quickly
retaliates. The conflict lasts 74 days
until Argentinean surrender.
During the conflict, Ronald and
Nancy Reagan make a state visit to
Windsor Castle.
majority of 101 seats.
1983 – Neil Kinnock gives his
famous ‘I warn you speech’.
The USA invades Commonwealth
country, Grenada.
1984 – A national miners’ strike
begins under NUM leader Arthur
Scargill.
1986 – Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster.
1989 – The fall of the Berlin Wall.
George Bush becomes the 41st
President of the United States.
1990s
1992 – The Queen volunteers
to pay income tax on her
private earnings. This is
implemented a year later.
Large parts of Windsor Castle
are destroyed in a fire.
The Queen gives her ‘Annus
Horribilus’ speech at the
Guildhall.
1996 – Prince Charles and
Princess Diana divorce.
1997 – Princess Diana dies in a
car crash in Paris.
1990 – Geoffrey Howe resigns from
the Cabinet.
1992 – The Conservatives win the
General Election and John Major
returns as Prime Minister.
1997 – The Labour Party win the
General Election and Tony Blair
becomes Prime Minister.
After 150 years of rule, Britain
hands Hong Kong over to China.
1990 – Michael Heseltine stands
against Margaret in a leadership
challenge.
Margaret steps down as leader of
the Conservative Party and Prime
Minister.
John Major takes over as leader of
the Conservative Party and
becomes Prime Minister.
1992 – Margaret enters the
House of Lords as Baroness
Thatcher.
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2000-present
2002 – The Queen Mother dies
aged 101.
The Queen celebrates her
Golden Jubilee.
2005 – Prince Charles marries
Camilla Parker Bowles.
2011 – Prince William marries
Kate Middleton.
The Queen begins a four-day
state visit to Ireland, the first
by a British monarch in 100
years.
2012 – The Queen celebrates
her silver jubilee.
2001 – The 9/11 terrorist attacks
on America. Britain join the US in air
strikes over Afghanistan.
2003 – Britain join the US in an
invasion of Iraq.
2005 – The 7/7 Terrorist attacks on
London.
2001 – Appears at her first
Conservative general election rally
since 1987. She announces: “I was
told beforehand my arrival was
unscheduled, but on the way here I
passed a local cinema and it turns
out you were expecting me after
all. The billboard read The Mummy
Returns.”
2003 – Denis Thatcher dies at the
age of 88. The Conservative
central offices fly their union flag
at half mast as a mark of respect.
2004 – Margaret attends Ronald
Reagan’s funeral and delivers the
eulogy.
2005 – Celebrates her 80th
birthday with a dinner in London
attended by 650 guests including
the Queen.
2013 – Margaret dies in London
after suffering a stroke.
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3. Assistant Director’s rehearsal diary – Harry
Mackrill
Marion Bailey, Clare Holman, Jeff Rawle and Neet Mohan in rehearsal (Image: Tristram Kenton)
W EEK ONE
Our first week begins with a brief introduction to the play by our writer, Moira Buffini. The play is
an extended version of a short piece presented in 2009, as part of the Women, Power & Politics
season, directed by Indhu (and also starring Stella Gonet in her current role as ‘T’, the older
Thatcher). She tells the company how much she enjoyed writing the play, allowing it to process her
own relationship toward Thatcher and the decade that she was in power; the 1980s. Moira also
explains that in theatre we can present “a truly complicated picture” and that this play can explore
voices that are normally censored in the public domain. But she is sure to maintain that everything
is, above all, a leap of the imagination.
On Monday, we have a full read-through of the play. This is the first time that cast and creatives
hear the play out loud – but, as Indhu explains, it is also important for the whole Tricycle team to be
present. This way everyone from Marketing to Development and Front of House understand the
play that they will be working on for the next 12 weeks. In a producing house, the world of the play
reaches much further than simply the rehearsal room and the theatre.
We spend a good deal of the week on table work. The play is a complicated exploration of an
eventful decade and it is important that we are all aware of the chronology and facts of the piece.
For the majority of the Company, both Thatcher and the Queen are two of the most significant
public figures, and each new scene elicits their stories and anecdotes . It quickly becomes apparent
that Thatcher was a Prime Minister whose influence, good and bad, reached every strand of
society.
However, for some of us (Neet Mohan playing ‘Actor 1’ and me) born during her premiership, a
more detailed and fact-based level of research is required. We sift through timelines, biographies
and interviews, painting as broad a picture as we can. And by the end of the week, everyone is
working from the same level of understanding.
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The week ends with a new edit of the play. With new writing, the rehearsal process develops
both the text and production, and Moira remains a key figure in the rehearsal room. Lines are
added and
cut, and sometimes swapped between the characters. It is a detailed and complex process which
can only be fully achieved when the text is spoken by the cast.
W EEK TW O
With the research and ‘table work’ (literally, sitting around a table working on the play) – as well as
a large amount of editing – behind us, we start the second week by putting the play on the floor.
What becomes immediately apparent is the complex world which Moira has created. There are
many dimensions within the single story, all of which exist in unison with one another. Although the
four representations of Elizabeth and Margaret are present on stage throughout, we have to
discover who is responsible for and involved with each new ‘beat’ of the play.
Unlike a traditional, realist play, Moira has broken the convention of the Fourth Wall, and each
character has a great deal of direct address to the audience. As the week progresses, certain
conventions of this particular play solidify: ‘Q’ and ‘T’ are aware of the play as a theatrical event,
whilst ‘Liz’ and ‘Mags’ are more directly connected to the real-life historical chronology presented
in the piece. However, these conventions become more blurred with the development of the
characters of ‘Actor 1’ and ‘Actor 2’. As we rehearse the opening of Act 2 more and more questions
arise: Can the ‘actors’ speak directly to the audience? Which world are they in – the theatre, or Q
and T’s imaginations?
In order to try and solve this, we start to discuss the ‘actors’ relationship with each other and the
world of the play. Indhu sets up an improvisation: a conversation that begins as the actors leave
their ‘dressing room’ and eventually becomes Moira’s text. This way, Jeff and Neet are able to
contextualise their roles and develop a subtext for two characters that initially appear as
“functionaries”, but become more vocal and politicised throughout the piece.
During the week, Majella Hurley – the dialect and voice coach– comes in to watch rehearsals,
observing the actors and taking notes. She then works with the four actors playing Elizabeth and
Margaret, exploring the fundamentals of the (incredibly well known) voices, but also the how they
developed with age. She then works with Actor 1 and 2, focusing on the accuracy of portraying
historical figures but also how to access different dialects quickly, often switching between two in a
scene.
Finally, at the end of the week, we ‘stagger-through’ the entire play. This allows Indhu and Moira to
view the arc of the whole piece for the first time since our read-through on day one. We are able to
clarify which moments drive the story forward and where it becomes cluttered or difficult to
follow.
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W EEK THREE
As we begin our third week of rehearsal, Moira submits a final rehearsal draft to the company (and
the publishers). Each beat of the play is becoming more defined and Indhu encourages the actors
to find a freedom within the structure of the play. But within this freedom, we have to remember to
keep the ‘stiff-upper-lip’ and professionalism of these two women. Indhu talks about the clarity of
story-telling being aligned with the straightforward approach of the Queen and Thatcher;
sentimentality doesn’t serve this story.
Relationships, instead, become apparent through physical relationships. The blocking of the play is
vital to explain how each character impacted Margaret and her premiership. The slightest shift of
a chair can signal huge defiance (for example, when Gerry Adams comes on stage), and the
emotional rigidity of Thatcher and the Queen contrasts wonderfully with the Hollywood schmaltz
of the Reagans.
Carolyn Downing and Oliver Fenwick, respectively our lighting and sound designers, come into
rehearsal to see the shape of the play and understand how the story has developed over the last
two weeks. They both need a clear knowledge of the shape of the piece so their work can
compliment and build on the work of Indhu and the cast. Richard Kent’s set is minimalistic, creating
a large, white purgatory for the action to be played out on, so the different locations will be
created through sound and lighting effects.
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Fenella Woolgar, Clare Holman in rehearsal
Marion Bailey in rehearsal (Images: Tristram Kenton)
W EEK FOUR
The final week of the rehearsal process is used for piecing each element of the production
together. We run Acts 1 and 2 individually, hear notes from Indhu and Moira, and then build into a
more detailed and complex picture. Running the play allows us to see what does and doesn’t work
before we enter the theatre, and we continue to re-block moments that don’t seem in keeping with
the rest of the piece. It also allows for the play to seep into the actors muscle memory. Richard (our
designer) brings in the actual handbags that will be used, and the Queens and Thatchers are fitted
with their shoes. Jeff and Neet are bombarded with elements of their costumes and props (although
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these are often rehearsal items and we won’t see the finished product until next week’s tech!)
and start to chart their off-stage plot as much as their onstage narrative.
We finish our time in the rehearsal room with a final run of the play. It has been a real journey into
the heads of two of our most famous female leaders, and the men who worked so closely with them.
The whole cast use this run to try out any remaining ideas and really throw themselves into the
world of 80s Britain.
W EEK FIVE
The next step is for the creative team to add elements of lighting, sound and design to the storytelling, and enhance what our brilliant cast is already doing. Technical rehearsals are slow but
necessary part of the production process and allow the cast to find their feet on stage without the
pressure of ‘performing’. The costume and wigs are uncanny. It is a bizarre moment when Stella
and Marion walk on stage for the first time, only to be joined five minutes later by Clare and
Fenella. Before our eyes two versions of Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher have appeared
before our eyes.
The final piece of the puzzle will come on Thursday when we open the house to the audience. It is an
exciting prospect to finally be sharing this story.
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Neet Mohan, Fenella Woolgar, Marion Bailey, Clare Holman and Stella Gonet in rehearsal (Image: Tristram Kenton)
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4. Interview with playwright Moira Buffini
Director Indhu Rubasingham and playwright Moira Buffini in rehearsal (Image: Tritram Kenton)
Harry Mackrill:
W hat was the inspiration behind the original Handbagged and
how did this develop into the production today?
Moira Buffini:
When Indhu came to me with the Women, Power and Politics season
[Tricycle Theatre, 2010] and asked if I would write a play, it seemed that
Margaret Thatcher - as the most dominant woman in politics in our timeswas an obvious place to start. But I wanted to put her interestingly - not
with all the men with whom she operated, but with the one other woman of
similar status, who she had to meet every week for all those years she was
in power. And the Queen is interesting to me, as this strange figure in our
country who is both powerful and powerless.
The rumours surrounding the Queen and Margaret Thatcher are fantastic;
full of drama and humour. Their relationship is an ideal basis for a piece of
theatre. And I wanted to look at the 80s, and Margaret's time in power,
from an unusual angle. It seemed to me that Margaret’s effect on the
Queen could explain her effect on all of us, on the whole country.
Having two versions of the Queen and Thatcher was one of the first ideas
that came to me and stuck. It felt the right way to tell this story. But I was
open to anyone coming onto the stage, in order for the story to be told.
And, if you have Ronald Reagan, Nancy has to make an appearance! What
also developed during the re-working of the shorter play was the
importance that the ‘other’ characters were played by two actors who were
themselves characters.
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Interview with playwright Moira Buffini
HM:
How did your writing process for HANDBAGGED differ from
your usual approach?
MB:
The research. I had to absorb myself in the world of these two women.
I was sure I only wanted to use material that was in the public domain. I
didn’t interview anyone – I didn’t want to indebted to their version of
events. But I would read and read anything I could find, and watch
documentaries, clips and interviews. I was absorbed in the way these people
speak; and they would often come back with some absolute pearls.
I didn’t want to be reverential because I was writing about real people.
Drama, and the exploration of character, has to be fair. My political bias
will, obviously, be heard within the play, but I set out to be absolutely fair.
My research came back with a fractured image and I wanted to show
Margaret as she was, as a human being. And one who was complicated,
shocking, admirable, and terrible.
All of this work helped me enormously, but the final leap is of the
imagination.
HM:
How do rehearsals inform your writing process?
MB:
I feel it is absolutely important for a writing to attend rehearsals. Theatre
is above all a collaboration and rehearsals are the most creative time in the
production of a play.
In a rehearsal room, you get to see and hear your play for what it is. There
is a lot of fine tuning and focusing; you understand what you need more of
and what you don’t need at all. Which is why characters such as the
Protester and Gerry Adams were added as late as week two of rehearsals.
The need of the story becomes clear in the rehearsal room.
But the rehearsal is also a time to take a step back, once the editing has
been completed, and allow the director to be the voice in charge. As a
playwright, you are one of the demands on the director, which is why – for
me – it is so important that playwrights share a taste and vision with the
directors they work with.
18!
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Handbagged by Moira Buffini
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Interview with playwright Moira Buffini
HM:
You’ve written for both stage and screen. W hy was theatre
your chosen medium for HANDBAGGED?
MB:
Film is a literal medium. And I felt this story had to be told in a place as
clear, coherent and poetic as the stage. There is a freedom within the
theatre which Handbagged needed; in order for the action to be in several
places as one time and told from the perspective of several people.
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Fenella!Woolgar!as!‘Mags’!and!Stella!Gonet!as!‘T’!(image:!Tristram!Kenton)!
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Clare!Holman!as!‘Liz’!and!Marion!Bailey!as!‘Q’!(image:!Tristram!Kenton)!
19!
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Handbagged by Moira Buffini
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20!
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