Can you tell us a little bit about the plot ofDisco Pigs?
Pig and Runt are two inseparable, violent creatures, born at the same hospital only seconds apart. With a bond stronger than friendship or family, they live in a world of their own. As their 17th birthdays draw closer, Pig’s violent nature becomes more obvious, and his romantic intentions towards Runt emerge. Runt, however, does not want to give Pig what he asks of her. She does not know how to reject him and continues with their friendship, feeling caged and helpless.
The play has been adapted to film in the past: did you ever feel beholden to that particular take on the story?
Quite the opposite actually. The film is very different to the play and we wanted to make the show our own and distinct from the film. The film has an almost supernatural element to the characters’ relationship, but we wanted to make it very real and grounded in our show.
The play focuses on a codependent, overwhelmingly powerful relationship. Was it hard to replicate that onstage?
It isn’t often you get to perform with one of your closest friends – and with many years of friendship behind us, Jeff Hampson [Pig] and I found that our offstage friendship enhanced our onstage chemistry immensely. Together, we feel Pig and Runt’s emotions so deeply – the love, the fear and the regret – and I think that our platonic intimacy in real life has helped us to discover a tangible sense of authenticity in the play, and assisted us when navigating Pig and Runt’s deepest, darkest secrets.
What would you say the thematic concerns of Disco Pigs are?
I think it’s open to interpretation, but at the core of the story are ideas of love, lust, identity formation and sexual maturation. A lot of our conversations revolved around the idea of growing up, and leaving your childhood behind – about being ready or being challenged to do so, and all the consequences that come with that.
What do you want audiences to walk out of the play thinking/feeling?
There is so much loss, love, and terror in Disco Pigs, and I feel that everyone will see a bit of themselves in the characters and their experiences. The play is confronting, and it doesn’t let up for a moment. It really holds up a mirror to the audience: how it resonates with people is a very personal thing.
Disco Pigsplays at thePACT Centre For Emerging Artists, Erskineville Tuesday September 20 – Saturday September 24, as part of Sydney Fringe Festival 2016.
