Emmy Happisburgh is writer, co-producer and performer in Second Summer of Love, which opens this week in London.
“Original raver, Louise, wonders how she went from ecstasy-taking idealist to respectable, disillusioned, suburban mum…? Meet Molly (played by Rosa Strudwick; Emmy’s real-life daughter) and Brian (Christopher Freestone) as, triggered by her daughter’s anti-drugs homework and at peak mid-life crisis, Louise flashes back to the emotional happenings of the week and then further to the early 90’s rave scene.
This play addresses the universal themes of coming of age and fulfilling potential whilst offering a new perspective for conversations about recreational drug use, recovery from addiction and embracing mid-life. An uplifting, high-energy, physical-theatre comedy.
Second Summer of Love was inspired by STERNS nightclub in Worthing.”
Where: Drayton Arms Theatre
When: 2-6 Sep
Ticket link: https://www.thedraytonarmstheatre.co.uk/second-summer-of-love
Emmy tells us more about the show.
Second Summer of Love is a one-hour play about a teen raver who grows up. How much of it is taken from real experience?
It is not a true story but there are authentic details and characters whom are inspired by my time on the original rave scene from 1990-1994.
My experiences of looking back on that time which was hedonistic and idealistic and coming to terms with the mundanity of all the responsibilities that mid-life brings made me write this play for all the other ex-ravers who had been in the scene from the beginning of the Second Summer of Love which was 1988/89/90.
I started to wonder what they were up to? Were they struggling as much as me with leaving their youth behind? Is there a way through this? We were there at the very birth of our last great youth movement; a counter-culture – how can we feel relevant now? They were all the questions I was asking myself.
Lou and Molly are played by a real-life mother and daughter. Happy coincidence or conscious choice?
Elements of the part of Molly were based on the worst parts of my own teenagers, I don’t think they’ll mind me saying that.
My daughter, Rosa, actually has a much better CV than me if you IMDB her. So when she told me “Mum, if you don’t cast me in this I’ll be seriously pissed off” it was an easy decision.
I have played mother to many other actors on stage but this is really special. It’s not just a career highlight – it feels like a life highlight to be on stage with one of the people you love most in the world.
What’s been the process behind the show’s development? Has it evolved a lot from page to stage?
When I first imagined the story I imagined it fully cast with 7 actors however I wrote it as a one-person show to test out the subject matter. Our dream is to upscale it to that fully cast production for main houses but at the moment it is a three person cast (we’re slowly getting there).
Scott Le Crass (director) has made the stage feel a lot more populated and vivid with this version. The mainstay of the play is still a one person show but it doesn’t feel like it because of his insightful direction and his idea for the set – which is five moveable LED boxes – this brings the images in the 90’s flashback vividly to life.
I definitely had not imagined it that way when I wrote it but it is an incredibly visual way to conjure the environments the character talks about.
How has the Drayton Arms been as a venue for the show?
I have been in 2 shows at The Drayton Arms previously and from those shows I have made some of my best friends in the industry so this space has great memories for me and it’s such a great workable space with a fun rig and good sight lines for the audience; the place just has good vibes!
From the artistic director, Audrey, to the technical manager, James, to the bar staff who do front of house everyone is really kind and helpful. They just want to make great theatre.
What’s next for Second Summer of Love?
We’d love to upscale it to that fully cast production for a larger London residency or bigger houses on tour but for now we are just concentrating on giving our absolute best for the London run and the last two venues of the tour which are Bristol and Cranleigh.
Cranleigh is our home town so we’ll be having a well-earned wrap party after that one.