Review: Jersey theatre-maker showcases award-winning play

Monday 23 July 2018

A writer and performer from Jersey has impressed London audiences with her first one-act play which won an award from the prestigious King's Head Theatre.

Molly Byrne, a performer who has just graduated from East 15 drama school, has made a promising debut as a playwright with her one-act play 'Splinter' which featured as part of the King's Head Theatre's Playmill Festival over the weekend.

The play won the Stella Wilkie Award from the King's Head Theatre which supports the production of one new play from East 15 every year.

Byrne also starred in 'Splinter', playing the instantly likeable but complicated Ellie who is coming to terms with the death of her best friend Joules (Eleanor Nawal) whilst trying to maintain her relationship with her boyfriend Shaun (Sebastian Gardner).

Pictured: Molly Byrne performing in her play 'Splinter' which won the Stella Wilkie Award from the King's Head Theatre (Michael Carlo).

The piece was directed by Dominic Charman and produced by Hyperdrive Theatre, a company which was founded by Byrne and two other East 15 graduates, Ella Donaldson and James Matthews.

Although grief is an emotion experienced by many, few representations of it on-stage communicate its depth and difficulty without falling into clichés, but Byrne delicately navigated the contradictory nature of loss both as a writer and performer.

The short, but punchy play jumps back and forth in time, giving the audience snapshots of the characters' relationships, defined and reshaped by the earth-shattering impact of an unexpected death. Both moving and witty in equal measure, 'Splinter' felt perfectly at home in this intimate theatre space.

The dynamic between Byrne and Nawal was a key strength of the piece, as the characters' friendship wavered between exuberance and resentment.

Gardner also brought a stoicism to the role of Shaun which kept the pacy and energetic piece grounded.

The piece could have done with some points of slower pacing to give space for the audience to take in the clever writing and performances, but it was a joy to see these young theatre-makers on the cusp of their burgeoning careers.

Pictured: Molly Byrne and Sebastian Gardner both gave impressive performances in the award-winning 'Splinter' (Michael Carlo).

Speaking about her impressions of the show, Byrne told Express: "It all went by in a total whirlwind, but there was a real palpable support from the audience which helped to steady us all for the show itself."

'Splinter' will be performed again at Clapham Fringe in September.

The 22-year-old former Hautlieu student won't have much respite as she gears up for Hyperdrive Theatre's next production, Dreamland, which is previewing in London tomorrow at the Drayton Arms before touring to the Edinburgh Fringe in August.