“What do you do when you are marooned on a tiny sand bank with your girlfriend and she starts to go crazy? That is a question for you angels.”
From multi-award winning writer Zinnie Harris (How To Hold Your Breath, Royal Court; Further than the Furthest Thing, National Theatre), Meet Me at Dawn is a modern fable exploring the triumph of everyday love, the mystery of grief, and the temptation to become lost in a fantasy future that will never be.
Directed by Murat Daltaban, Arcola Theatre in association with DOT Theatre presents Meet Me At Dawn. It runs from 9 October – 9 November 2019.
Two women find themselves washed up on a distant shore following a boating accident. Dazed by their experience, they look for a path home. But they discover that this unfamiliar land is not what it seems – and that, though they may be together, they have never been further apart.
Marianne Oldham who plays Robyn spoke to The Artiscape about her role in the play.
What attracted Oldham to the script?
Oldham: It’s always fun to tackle a two hander, and I know Zinnie’s work and am a fan of hers so I was definitely intrigued. It’s an absolute rollercoaster to play so I was up for the challenge.
What are she most looking forward to in doing the play?
Oldham: I love starting it. Any show actually. It’s such a thrill.
How would she describe the character she plays?
Oldham: She’s an academic, she’s always relied on her brain handling things for her, sorting things. She finds herself in a place where she needs to allow herself to fall, and that is a terrifying concept for her and all of us I suppose.
This is a two-hander, what interests her about the other character in the play?
Oldham: They are opposites, the two characters – as many people in relationships are I guess. And the pull and push between them is amazing to play. Helen is Robyn’s lightness, her joy, and provides her with silliness – that’s not to be demeaning to the character – the kind of silliness that’s so vital in life. Just to laugh at things.
The story is based on myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, What will a modern audience take away from the plot?
Oldham: Hopefully after laughing and crying and trying to figure out alongside Robyn what the hell is going on – I think a sense of community. It’s addressing a state of being that we all undergo at some stage, and it’s vital to know that we are in it together. That in order to love hard, you have to be prepared to lose.
Meet me at Dawn is at the Arcola theatre in Dalston until 9 November.
