It is a scenario that generally is not talked about and so several questions about the play spring to mind. What was the inspiration? Will the play be enjoyable? How is the subject being broached?

Writer Safaa Benson-Effiom found the inspiration for the play nearly nine years ago, but it has taken years to write. “It’s a play about love and relationships,” Safaa explains, “it’s about what happens when relationships fracture and when you don’t have the language to communicate the way that you’re hurting.”  In this instance the pain is caused by loss, which spirals into bigger conversations.

Losing someone close to her revealed to Safaa how people respond in different ways to grief. “I reacted by crying – I was very upset but interested in the way that the people around me had their own expression of grief” explains Safaa. “There were those like me crying, but others wanting to be alone, some wanted to talk about it all the time or make jokes, which was fascinating to me.”

“We don’t talk about grief, we get blindsided” she says, “but it’s play which shows how everyone breaks down and the relationships that are built.” 

Director Justina Kehinde says that she believes that this is a play that everybody should see. She got involved as director after she was brought in for a scratch event of a different play by Safaa. Justina was clearly very impressed by the writing. “That incredible way she writes voice” says Justina, “and the characters are so real and textured that you really see them.”  The pair discovered that they had real rapport, which is clearly evident throughout the interview and feels really joyful.   

“Creatively, we speak a similar language” explains Justina, “we’re both collaborating in moulding this piece together.” The whole team, both actors and creatives are helping to shape the show. The lighting, set design and sound help to portray some of the themes which cannot be in the dialogue. “The script itself is phenomenally nuanced and textured” says Justina. “But all the creatives are also feeding in to flesh this out.”

One thing that strikes Justina about the subject is the question of how we grieve. “We can grieve together, alone or in the community, but everyone has their own distinct journey” she says.  It is what makes the play dramatically interesting. “There’s acceptance, denial, bargaining, all these things can be part of grief, but people can start the cycle at different times” she explains.

The process of writing the play has been a long one for Safaa. “I had the idea almost 9 years ago” she explains, “but I could not write the play – I needed the time to become a better writer.” It was only in 2019 when she was at Soho Theatre Writers’ Lab that she decided “I’m gonna write this play,” and it flooded out of her in a month. 

Cont. 

In rehearsal for Til Death Do Us Part with Jude Chinchen, Richard Holt and Danielle Kassaraté

When casting the play, the pair were looking for actors who “relate together, have an energy or chemistry” and also finding actors “who weren’t interested in performing an idea of grief, but were more interested in finding the truth of the emotion and experience.” With the play now cast and in rehearsals, Justina and Safaa are more excited than ever about what the actors are bringing to the characters.

Being a finalist for Theatre503 International Playwriting Award (2020) and having the opportunity to stage this show is a “dream come true” for Safaa.  “The Award ceremony was held on Zoom” explains Safaa, “it felt quite sad for the five of us to be nominated alone in our rooms, but it was still an incredible thing to happen after writing for 15 years.” The Theatre503 literary team have been in constant touch with her since the awards and helped her with re-writes. Now Safaa and Justina are looking forward to sharing the show with an audience. “It is an opportunity for audiences to have conversations with themselves about grief that they might not otherwise have had” adds Justina.

Photography credit: Steve Gregson

TIL DEATH DO US PART by Safaa Benson-Effiom

Theatre503

3 – 21 May 2022

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TAILORED PERFORMANCES:

3 May 7.30pm WRITERS NIGHT

18 May 12pm PARENT & BABY

18 May 7.30pm RELAXED