WAC Ensemble member Chloe talks about Whatever Happened to the Jaggy Nettles?
Whatever Happened to the Jaggy Nettles?, by Martin Travers is the first production by the WAC Ensemble, the Citizens Theatre's care experienced theatre company.
Set in 1978 with unemployment and violence rife in Glasgow, the play follows the journey of seminal Scottish punk band, The Jaggy Nettles who, despite having fame within their reach, are starting to crumble.
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| WAC Ensemble member Chloe. Credit Jassy Earl |
WAC Ensemble member Chloe has been working with the Citizens Theatre for the past year, and is looking forward to taking to the stage at Scottish Youth Theatre from 12 - 15 February 2020.
We spoke to her about the play, and her experience so far of being in the ensemble.
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| Chloe (singer on left) with other members of the WAC Ensemble rehearsing Whatever Happened to the Jaggy Nettles? Credit Alex Brady |
I just
love this play. It’s totally different to anything I’ve done before. It’s great
to do a Scottish play, a Glaswegian play. Even though there are sad parts,
there are highs and at the core it’s sweet. The relationships within the show
are really pure. The band have become a family. It’s really nice to be in
a play where there are real feelings and real relationships.
Asked if
this mirrors the WAC Ensemble, Chloe agrees:
We have
become our own little family. Right at the start we all bonded really quickly
and I think that shows throughout the play.
This is
the most serious acting I’ve ever done. Guy [Hollands, Associate Director Citizens Learning and Director of Whatever Happened to the Jaggy Nettles?] really expects a lot of
us and that’s a good thing - he can see all the potential we have. It’s really
good to work with all the professionals because it’s a great taste of the
industry to see what it’s like. A lot of the theatre stuff I’ve done in the
past is just to an invited audience but this is open to the public, it’s in a
really great theatre. It’s terrifying but it’s exciting. We are trusted and
seen as proper actors.
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| Chloe (bottom right) in rehearsal with other members of WAC Ensemble. Credit Alex Brady |
Asked
about what makes WAC different to other groups or projects she has been part of
in the past, Chloe explains:
Being care
experienced doesn’t really matter here. It’s not what the focus is on. It’s
about the theatre. We just happen to be a group of people who are care
experienced. We don’t all sit around in a circle and talk about our pasts.
Coming into this and having that commonality with someone does help break the
ice a little because if you’re a bit awkward you can just be like ‘so we were
both in care!’.
People
have this perception of people who are care experienced as always being
involved with the police or always out to wreak havoc. People still think we
are these terrors but what’s really great about WAC and about the Citizens is
how seriously they take us as professionals.
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| Chloe (centre, red jacket) with other members of the WAC Ensemble in character as The Jaggy Nettles. Credit Jassy Earl. |
What’s
been the best thing about being part of the WAC Ensemble and creating the show?
It has
relit my passion for acting. It’s made me look and realise there are different
ways to do plays. It doesn’t have to be just straight. I think the taster
sessions we got to do opened up the experimental side of me. It made me feel
freer. I’ve
realised where I can take myself. People have seen potential in me.
And
finally. Asked to describe the Jaggy Nettles in three word, Chloe answered:
Explosive.
Passionate. Talented.
The WAC Ensemble has been created in partnership with CELCIS - the centre for excellence for children's care and protection and Arts in the City
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