For the last couple of weeks I have been following the cast and crew of the TG production Sylvia, as part of a new shadowing scheme. Sylvia, a somewhat bizarre play about a love triangle between a couple and their talking dog, has been such a fun play to observe. How often do you get to hear the phrase “Ellie, can we rehearse you sniffing Bianca’s crotch again?” However, taking on a production is not for the faint hearted, and with curtains up in only a matter of days I interviewed the productions’ director, Caitlin Pinner, for her thoughts on her directing debut and the trials of juggling a play whilst studying:

 How have you found directing your first production?

It is really stressful. It’s obviously a really big thing to take on and there are lots of things you don’t realize that spring up on you, especially in the final weeks.

 So how did you go about selecting Sylvia as a play?

TG often struggles to get girls parts, as it’s a female dominated society. So I wanted to do something with a really strong female role. Also I really like comedy, so searching for a comedic female role I found this.

 How have you found working the play around your studies?

It is hard because the play is obviously something I enjoy, not that I enjoy it more that my studies, but it’s hard… If you have an essay and something fun to do for a performance, you’re quite often going to pick the fun thing. So it is really difficult to balance.

As TG’s first production of the year do you feel under pressure to set the standard?

Yeah, I do a little bit. People have been saying that our publicity has been quite good, and I think that’s set quite a high bar.

Is there any advice you can give to people who are thinking about getting involved in a production?

Yeah, I’d say any extra curricular thing you take on at uni is so great, not just on your CV… I’ve been around all different departments and met people that I just never would have done. It’s a great way to get involved and just make the most of your time at university. It is just the best way to do it, and specifically directing a play I’d say go for it.

Samantha Gooch

you can find a review of the play here.