MA Text and Performance student Gaynor O’Flynn discusses her upcoming show, Everyone’s Mother, and how her studies at Birkbeck have informed her practice.

I have just started studying the MA in Text and Performance at Birkbeck and RADA and have already learned so much in such a short period of time!

I work across disciplines: theatre, film, performance, immersive, interactive, music and text. In my career I have had the pleasure to work with many amazing human beings including Bjork, Alan Bleasdale, The Verve, Anton Corbijn, PJ Harvey to name a few…

I am also founder of Beinghuman and The Beinghuman Collective. We believe in the power of art for inner and social change and have worked globally with organisations including C4, EMI, The British Council and Google.

Earlier this year I attended a workshop at The Actors Centre with Colin Watkeys. Colin is an amazing director and educator and Founder of the Solo Theatre Festival, who for over 20 years directed the late, great Ken Campbell who the Guardian called, “a one-man dynamo of British theatre.”

In the workshop I developed a solo show called, Everyone’s Mother. Loosely based on my own life experience. When The John Thaw Initiative announced the 2019 theme was, ‘Motherhood’ I applied and was selected! The award offers a platform for artists to take creative risks and get vital feedback whilst the work is still in development.

The work will be performed at The Actors Centre, Soho at 8pm on 18, 19 & 20 November 2019 as part of the ‘Motherhood’ season. Tickets are only £7/ £5 concessions and are available here.

I have already had amazing support from my MA tutors, especially award-winning writer and dramaturg Paul Sirret who read my script and said, “Wonderful… very evocative… on the page it works beautifully”, and will be attending to see if that transfers to the live, stage context!

As an integral part of each performance is audience feedback so I would really appreciate support from fellow students on the night. I will be keeping in character for the audience feedback so it is a great opportunity for any writers, academics, editors, journalists, actors, producers, dramaturgs or directors to engage with a work in progress, in a unique way.

I am also offering a prize, worth £500, for the most constructive written review after the show – a day long Beinghuman Masterclass, in our Somerset Warehouse in Frome, where the team will look at your creative business and practice.