Marcos Byrne, a 16-year-old award-winning playwright, has written Hello, My Name Is …, piecing together a story based on his own experiences as a young person facing two opposing forces: one, the pull of schoolwork, university and a ‘normal life’ and the other – theatre, creativity and the vibrancy of a rehearsal room.
Marcos was a student at Theatre Peckham and wrote his semi-autobiographical play by drawing on his experiences directly from his time there. Marcos won the Royal Court Young Playwrights Award and had his work published by Nick Hern Books.
Carlos has a passion for performing, but the world is set up against that dream. By day, he struggles with GCSEs, the mundanity of school life, and the concept of wasting his best years on Pythagoras’ theorem. But by night, his passions dance themselves alive, and his burning love triumphs over cold doubt. However, he dreams of a life he can’t quite reach, a world blocked by expectation. Still, he hopes that one day he’ll become who he wants to be.
Where: Canada Water Theatre
When: 5-6 May
Ticket link: https://www.theatrepeckham.co.uk/show/hello-my-name-is/
I asked Marcos to tell me more about the play.
Congratulations on winning the Royal Court Young Writer’s Award last year with this play. Can you tell us a bit about the show and how you got the idea to write it?
I was originally inspired to start writing Hello My Name Is… after watching a spoken word piece, actually performed in Theatre Peckham’s foyer. The piece, about the struggles of a mixed-race identity, was written and delivered by the brilliant writer, Noah John, and was part of Fire With Fire, the Young Creative Collection’s showcase event. The rhythm and poetry of Noah’s work, and spoken word in general, instantly captured me, alongside the concept of writing oneself onto a stage to perform an intimate part of your identity.
Over the course of a busy GCSE year, I wrote a couple of pieces, exploring my dual nationality, passion for performing, and the struggles of chasing that dream in a difficult industry while stuck in a taxing academic system. The first draft of Hello My Name Is… was the collection of all those pieces into one play. Then I just submitted it to the Royal Court Young Writers’ Award!
What’s the best thing about being involved in Peckham Fringe and the fringe scene generally?
I am the youngest writer who has ever been the sole writer on a Peckham Fringe show; the opportunity to bring this show back to my community, after its success at the Royal Court, is such an amazing experience. I grew up in Peckham, and I spent so much of my time at Theatre Peckham. It was where I first discovered my passion for performing and the arts. Therefore, being able to see my story grow and develop amongst an inspiring range of such incredible local stories is beyond special.
What might audiences expect who come along, and how would you sell the show to them in one sentence?
Audiences should expect a vibrant, colourful story, close to the heart of anyone who has ever had to fight for a dream the world doesn’t want them to have. It is compact with deep metaphors and the ins and outs of the Year 11 experience.
A story of passion and dreams, using spoken word to guide you through one day in the life of an aspiring actor amidst his GCSEs.
What’s it been like to develop the show for the space at Canada Water?
As incredible an experience as it was to watch Aneesha Srinivasan’s staging of my play at the Royal Court, it has been so cool to bring my own vision of the play to life alongside the insane creativity of my co-director Joe Bernstein. Canada Water is also a very special venue for me, as it was where I performed my first ever play with Theatre Peckham when I was six, Teresa Early’s Clown, where I played a toy parrot!
What’s next for the show?
This is a show I would love to take elsewhere; it’s an important message of perseverance and a part of my life that I will continue to put forward for other venues and festivals.