Drip Action Theatre explores the effects of reality television

The effects of reality TV are explored in the latest production from Arundel’s Drip Action Theatre Company, Lucky Seven by Alexis Zegerman. Inspired by the TV programme Seven Up, the play was written by the writer in residence at the Hampstead Theatre.

Kathy Haigh, who plays one of the characters for Drip Action, explains: “Seven Up was a TV series that started in the 1960s that took a group of, I think, 14 children and went back to them every seven years to see their lives and their loves and what has happened to them. The children started off as seven in the 1960s and are now about 53, I think.

“The play goes into the ups and downs of being on TV, your claim to fame for five minutes and what then happens when the TV cameras are not on you. It’s not about these people but it is based on the TV programme. It takes three fictional characters who are Tom, Alan and Catherine.

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“Catherine” - played by Kathy - “is full of contractions. The play follows the children from the age of seven up to 49, and we have to play all the different ages. At one stage Catherine at 21 is an aspiring punk, despite being brought up as an upper-class girl. She thinks she is a punk and she comes out with all these skittish one-liners.

“But by the age of 42, she is completely different. She is now completely obsessed by royalty. At the age of seven, she wanted to marry Prince Charles...

“Obviously there are lots of things going on, but the play shows that in some ways the children basically stay the same as they were. Lin Jones is directing, but I found the play. I am always on the look-out for new plays. I am always reading lots of new things, and I just came across this by accident. I quite like the fact that it is up to date. It is all about here and how where a lot of especially amateur plays are not quite so up to date or are about eras that have gone.

“Also what appealed to me is that it takes a look at the effects of reality TV on individuals, which is very up to date.”

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Lucky Seven will performed at the Victoria Institute from Wednesday to Saturday, January 25 to 28 at 8pm. Tickets are £10 (£9 Victoria Club members and £6 students) available in advance from The Book Ferret, High Street Arundel in person, or by phoning 01903 885727.

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