Guest Blog: '​​​​​​​Representation is Vital for our Mental Health' Playwright Charlie Josephine on Their New Play ONE OF THEM ONES

When Pentabus Theatre approached me to write a play for them I knew instantly that I wanted to write a queer love story. Because the hetero-ghetto is wild right now, especially in the UK, it's a very challenging time to be trans and queer.

But the love is always louder than the fear, and I believe in the power of good theatre. Representation is vital for our mental health. Culture changes culture. We are changed by hearing people's stories, so I'm excited to share this one.

One Of Them Ones is about two siblings who are trying to get their head around gender identity. Frankie is non-binary, trans masc, they think, the labels kind of do their head in. Their big brother Michael is trying to be supportive but is scared of this whole trans thing. So the play is about their relationship, and about masculinity in a wider context, the gender roles and rules we assign ourselves and each other, and how sometimes they squash us in ways that are damaging. But there are a lot of laughs too, it's an uplifting warm joyful piece about fierce family love.

I'm really excited to have the opportunity to tour this queer and trans story to rural venues. It's such a terrible myth that queerness is just found in cities! It's been a privilege to meet some of the incredible LGBTQ+ people in and around Ludlow whilst developing this script. I'm grateful for their courage and their honesty. I was surprised to find myself writing about family love rather than romantic love, but these two brothers fell out of my pen.

I wanted to write something working class and down to earth. I wanted to write something funny and tender and sticky-messy in its honesty. I'm really proud of the piece we have made and I'm excited to share it with new audiences. The creative team is brilliant! Laurie McNamara and Em Thane [playing Michael and Frankie] have found that exquisite balance between emotional vulnerability and take-the-piss-banter. Elle While is holding space beautifully as director, alongside Roni Neale who's the Associate Director and Queer Consultant. I'm so please that Pentabus have hired Roni, their clever brain and big kind hearted approach to making theatre is invaluable for this piece.

Then we're lucky to be collaborating with Azara Meghie, who's really making some movement magic. Azara is finding a way to open up the subtext and allow all the ugly messy unsaid stuff to leak out of skin as expressive abstract movement. Dan Balfour is our brilliant sound designer and Jen.L.Roxburgh is making everything look fantastic in gorgeous lighting. Verity Johnson is designing set and costumes. And a fantastic young artist Rye Frankie Larsen has designed the gorgeous art work. What a dream team!

My experience of making work that centres around LGBTQ+ characters has sometimes been personally very tiring. Often the company I work with may have the best intentions, but sometimes accidentally puts too much emotional labour on the queer artist.

I learnt a lot about making "queer work" in "straight venues" last year with I,Joan at The Globe. It's not enough to just plonk a non-binary actor on stage without making any cultural changes within the organisation backstage. It's crazy to think of my identity as part of a "cultural war" but the truth is the press and social media can be relentlessly transphobic.

Pentabus and I have had many conversations about how to make One Of Them Ones a joyful experience for both the creative team and the audiences. We have collaborated with Gendered Intelligence and All About Trans - two companies that I'll never stop bigging up. They can help theatre companies question the way gender is operating, often unconsciously, within the organisation. Collaborating with Gendered Intelligence and All About Trans has helped us to make educated and empowered creative choices to then make juicy and joyful work.

​I'm really proud of how ambitious this piece is in its theatrical form, it's really contemporary and bold, and rural audiences deserve that just as much as urban venues. I'm fuelled by the idea of being of service to one young trans kid in the audience who really needs the nourishment of some art that represents them. I'm also excited by the idea of opening up conversations between people who perhaps have never met a trans person and have questions but are nervous of saying the wrong thing.

Perhaps this play will inspire kindness in some small way, of which the ripple effect could be massive, so yeah, I'm really excited to be making this piece.

One Of Them Ones by Charlie Josephine is touring 23 March - 14 May 2023

Photo Credit: YellowBelly

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