Guest Blog: Playwright Sonya Hale on The Big House's BULLET TONGUE

When I won an award for best monologue with Heretic Voices at the Arcola Theatre, I was utterly delighted. However, the best was yet to come, as off the back of it Maggie Norris commissioned me to co-write the next show with Andrew Day for The Big House, [a charitable theatre and film company that works with young care leavers].

We didn't have much time, so we kind of hit the ground running. I wrote the first draft, Andrew and I and wrote the second draft, and Andrew used his expertise to create and beautifully sculpt the third and final draft.

I won't lie - I did find the process of co-writing quite challenging, as I'm used to having ultimate control over the text, however both Andrew and Maggie were both so supportive and easy to work with. Plus - and quite crucially - both their creative visions are extraordinary, with [director] Maggie in particular bringing out the best in everyone.

When the script was still being written, the next group of young care leavers started to arrive at drop-in sessions and to get involved. I have personal experience of addiction, prison and the world of drug dealing, and I feel I was able to bring some of this experience into the show, however it was great to finally start to get the young people's take on things.

We didn't use any of their stories directly in the show, but once we got chatting we found that there were incredible similarities and echoes of the show's themes throughout their real lives.

When I first met the young people, I was a bit nervous to be honest, but I was soon put at ease by their energy, enthusiasm, honesty and vulnerability, and when I saw them start to perform - my gosh. I was blown away by their rawness, energy and power.

The beautiful thing about The Big House is that they have absolute faith that young people can perform to the highest standard - and they so can!

The Bullet Tongue script is currently in rehearsals. It promises to be an exciting, challenging and controversial show, raising many difficult questions about the way that young people - particularly young people involved in County Lines drug dealing - are perceived and misrepresented.

It is a show that challenges the view that all young people involved in gangs are evil, ruthless monsters or pathetic victims, instead looking at just how complex and challenging these young people's lives are. Yes, life is really tough and difficult at times and it is often a battle to survive, but within all that there is real heart and soul and camaraderie and humour, and love and vulnerability also...

I personally think the struggle of the main character, Bumper, is hopefully one we can all identify with as we all struggle to find our own unique voice and the confidence to speak it out in a very noisy, media-infused world. This show promises to be an exciting, wild, stomping, multimedia, drill music-infused extravaganza that challenges our deep-rooted preconceptions. I hope you enjoy it!

Bullet Tongue at The Big House's new Islington venue 14 November-8 December

Photo credit: Olive Grove

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