Patch Plays bring a new play, Blood On Your Hands, by Grace Joy Howarth to the stage this month.
“It’s a contemporary play about the forgotten victims of the meat industry: slaughterhouse workers.
It’s Ukrainian ex-veterinarian Kostyantyn’s first day at the slaughterhouse, where he meets Dan, a happy-go-lucky Welsh lad who cracks too many jokes …”
Where: Southwark Playhouse, Little
When: 17 Jan – 3 Feb
Ticket link: https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/blood-on-your-hands/
Director Anastasia Bunce stopped by to tell us more about the production and the company.
A play about slaughterhouse workers is rather unusual. What attracted you to direct this project?
I loved how original the concept was for a play and have never seen anything staged before about slaughterhouse workers. It is truly unique.
The slaughterhouse industry is incredibly unkind to animals, but I had never thought about how unkind it is to its workers.
Grace’s play draws focus to the human experience of working in this industry and how it takes a toll on the emotional lives and mental health of its workers, as it preys on those most desperate in society with a huge percentage of workers being undocumented and from Eastern Europe.
A friendship is formed by the two main characters in the play, and helps these men get through their daily struggles, bringing them hope, connection and joy.
Through this, I hope that audiences are reminded of the importance of empathy and compassion.
Grace’s play also blends naturalism and expressionism, which is what excites me as a director, It gives scope for creating a highly atmospheric show.
It’s been described as a sinister play. What should audiences expect who come along to see this play?
It is a gritty drama that doesn’t shy away from its dark themes.
As is true to life, although the characters go through difficulties in their day-to-day lives as they strive to escape their dark realities, they also experience love, connection, laughter, and hope.
A lot of the play explores the unlikely friendship formed between Ukrainian refugee Kostyantyn and working-class Welsh Lad Dan and we get to go along on the ride with them!
The play blends naturalistic scenes with expressionist movement and is a theatrical roller coaster emotionally and stylistically.
The main character is Ukrainian. How much has the current state of war in the region impacted on the development of the play?
Grace originally wrote Blood On Your Hands in 2021 before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, based on research that suggested many Ukrainian workers were being recruited by British slaughterhouses.
The show isn’t set during the war but two weeks before in the middle of February 2022. This does impact the Ukrainian character’s relationship in the show as the context of living in East Ukraine during this time.
Heightened tensions of ‘rumours’ (at the time) of Russian troops being brought closer to the border creates greater urgency to the family trying to escape and begin a new life in the UK.
The play isn’t about the war as it is set before this, but it does now with our contemporary context of the ongoing war in Ukraine now add to the stakes in the play that sees a couple desperately trying to achieve their dream of starting a better life for their family away from conflict.
Patch Plays are an emerging company who gained a lot of positive press for Meat Cute, and concentrates on animal ethics and environmental concerns. How important is this right now?
It is more important than ever. With growing emergencies and concerns surrounding Climate Change, veganism is an excellent way of combatting this with animal agriculture being a leading culprit in the creation of greenhouse gasses.
We see a lot of younger people now interested in learning about how they can help battle climate change and I think it is exciting to see the growing passion and interest in society for our environment and treatment of animals.
We hope to play a part in that, as entertainment can be a wonderfully effective way of encouraging engagement with these social themes.
What is your opinion of the British theatre fringe at the moment?
I think there is a lot of exciting and innovative work being made by emerging artists currently on the British fringe scene.
We are lucky to have so many fringe venues in London for example such as VAULT Festival to develop work and voices as emerging artists and it is so important that these opportunities continue to be available to artists to keep experimenting and making bold innovative work.