Interview: 'Working Class Northern Stories Aren't All Misery and Bleakness': Monique Ashe-Palmer and Yasmin Taheri on £1 THURSDAYS

“Newcastle, London, America. You can go anywhere, it’s still the same old shit. People just getting by, in any way they know how. But I tell you what they don’t have, they don’t have a £1 Thursday!”

Kat Rose-Martin’s new play, £1 Thursdays, takes audience members into the world of two 17-year-olds, Jen and Stacey, who find escape from the world at Club Ocean on Thursday nights. The show “captures and celebrates the trials and tribulations of what it means to be young, Northern and working class.”

BroadwayWorld chatted with Monique Ashe-Palmer and Yasmin Taheri, two of the stars of £1 Thursdays. We discussed the show and the role their characters play, what made them want to be a part of the production and whether they had their own Club Ocean when growing up.

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How did you first get involved in the world of theatre?

Yasmin: My first experience of watching theatre was through my grandparents who would take me to see things when I was little. And my first experience of performing theatre was through my local pantomime - I performed in Dracula with my mum and older brother (my mum played Dracula). I just remember having so much fun, and enjoying the snacks!

Monique: I grew up an only child so, for the most part, little me would spend time creating whole characters and stories using my not so little imagination. Around the same time, my next door neighbour Ben and I would host dance events in my Mum’s garden, which the other neighbours would attend. When I was about six, my Auntie Betty took me to see The Nutcracker. I can’t say I was overly inspired by the show itself but the electricity and buzz in the theatre was a feeling that I had never experienced. After many Saturdays at stage school and evenings at dance class, I bagged my first role as a munchkin in the Wizard of Oz at The West Yorkshire Playhouse. So with all that considered, I guess theatre just made sense.

Can you tell us a bit about £1 Thursdays and your roles in the show?

Yasmin: £1 Thursdays is a wild ride through a year in Jen and Stacey’s lives. We see them deal with everything from family life, relationships, STI checks to planning their futures and the prospect of leaving home.  

I play Jen, who is a force to be reckoned with. She’s always on the front foot (or likes to be), fiercely defensive of the people she loves, and very quick witted.

Monique: £1 Thursdays is a beautifully crafted, honest depiction of the lives of two young friends who grow up in Bradford in 2012. In a 90 minute snapshot, we experience their journeys through life which are ultimately propelled by their friendship and love for each other. 

I play Stacey who, despite all adversity, is a warm-spirited dreamer. She is vibrant, fun, real, loyal and extremely passionate. But at the heart of it all she’s a girl from Bradford trying to navigate her way through a world that’s different to the one she dreams of. She tends to let others take the lead but is happy to be the centre of attention when empowered to do so (especially on the dance floor). 

What made you want to be a part of £1 Thursdays?

Yasmin: I’ve always wanted to tell stories specific to Yorkshire and experiences of growing up and/or living there. Kat’s play encapsulates the culture so well and it’s so witty and funny, which I love. She has beautifully blended humour with the weight of some of the things these characters go through and the choices they have to make. 

Monique: I was so excited by how unapologetically northern this play was and I have such an affinity with wanting to create theatre that I would’ve loved to have seen as a young girl from Leeds. The northern culture, banter and nuances play an integral part in Kat’s writing and I found this so comforting to read. In many ways, my life growing up in Leeds paralleled the lives of Jen and Stacey and that felt like an exciting story to tell. It’s about throwing out the cliches and telling stories which are pure, honest and true. 

Did you have a place like Club Ocean when you were growing up?

Yasmin: Funnily enough, I used to go to the Huddersfield branch of the club that Kat based Ocean on. I went to college in Huddersfield and I think student night was a Wednesday or a Thursday and you could go out for super cheap. It was the place to be! And afterwards I’d go to Maccies (and use my staff discount!) before getting a taxi home.

Monique: I absolutely did! There were several floors and you could usually catch me on the RnB floor giving it full-out MTV music video vibes. I remember the queue was often one of the highlights: eyeing up who was out that night, chatting about the night ahead and speculating who the guest appearance would be. It was simply a place where we were free of inhibitions, could just forget and have fun!

What do you hope audiences take away from £1 Thursdays?

Yasmin: That working class northern stories aren’t all about misery and bleakness. These characters don’t feel sorry for themselves, they have a lot of joy and fun in their lives. I also hope that audiences go home and call their teenage best mates and reminisce.

Monique: I hope they recognise that everyone in life serves a purpose. Some people come into our lives for a short while and others a lifetime but there is always a reason. We all have that person that we have become too busy to check in on and maybe it’s time for that “coffee catch up” after all. 

How would you describe £1 Thursdays in one word?

Yasmin: Friendship!

Monique: Honest.

£1 Thursdays is at Finborough Theatre until 22 December. Read our review here.

Photo Credit: Alex Brenner

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