Film Name: Debt Meat
Director: Benji Edward
Writers: Benji Edward
Starring: Laya Lewis, Keegan Carr, Jane McDowell, Paul Tonkin, Alex McKeown
In a nation where human flesh is the only accepted currency, the economy is sacred and mercy is obsolete. When her sister is absorbed into the state’s system, one woman refuses to accept the arithmetic of sacrifice and sets out to confront the immaculate couple who profit from a machine that never makes mistakes.
What unfolds is a dangerous game played over candlelit drinks, where paperwork can kill and power hides behind procedure.
Darkly comic and unsettlingly plausible,Debt Meatis a razor-sharp new satire about the terrifying logic of a system that consumes its own.
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds following its limited run at the Drayton Arm Theatre, I got a chance to ask Writer-Director Benji Edward a few questions about his play Debt Meat.
Q. Your production of ‘Debt Meat’ is being staged at the Drayton Arms Theatre. What can audiences expect from the show?
A. They can expect something which is not just a gore-fest but will make them think afterwards. My aim with this play was for everyone to have their own opinion about how the characters react and what the characters do. I really want people to think about money, what it can and what it can’t do. I hope that with a little bit of shock factor, I can make the audience think about that.
Q. What were some of your influences when writing the play?
A. For this one, I didn’t really have any influences. Of course there is a lot of horror that I do digest, but this idea for the show came to me in a dream. It was a very vivid, nasty dream. This random week I had many nightmares, and in one of these nightmares I was living in this world where to get by had to use these flesh coins. People were out to get each other, so they could chop each other up to use people’s bodies as flesh. So, the main point of inspiration was from the dream, but aesthetically I do take a lot of inspiration from things like Sweeney Todd. That Victorian gas-lit room vibe.
Q. Did you have any of the cast in mind for the characters when writing the script?
A. I absolutely did. When I originally wrote this play, I had Laya in mind for the lead because I watched her growing up on TV. When I was writing this show, the person I was imagining to play the role was Laya. When it came to casting, I ended up casting somebody, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. I was very confused as to what to do, and something just told me why you don’t just contact the person who was the real inspiration for the character. You never know, she might like to do it. And sure enough she did, which was great.
Q. How did your vision for the story evolve once you moved from writing into rehearsals?
A. Debt Meat started off as a comedy, it was farcical and very light-hearted. But then when I started doing re-writes and had people in mind who were going to play these characters, like Laya, it became a lot more gritty, more horror, and more tense. All of the comedy was taken out once I had more of an idea of who I wanted to play the characters, once I reached rehearsals, the whole play took its shape from there. The people I cast are enormously talented dramatic actors, and so I think that plays a role in shaping the piece to make it a thriller more than a farce comedy.
Q. Did you experience any challenges bringing the script to the stage and were there any changes from your original vision?
A. There were many challenges. Debt Meat started off as a screen play, so when I did a rewrite, everything had to change. I had to cut characters to make it work on stage, which is part of a producer’s life I suppose.
Q. During the rehearsal process did you make any changes to the original script?
A. We made tons of changes. You never really know how a script is going to land until you get into the room. Making a show is such a collaborative process, so of course when you get into the room actors are going to be confused or they don’t think certain things work, or can they try it like this. It’s just part of the process. If you’re writing a play, you go into the rehearsal room and when you come out the play is exactly the same as it was before I don’t think you have explored as much as you could have explored, in my opinion. It was inevitable that the script was going to get changed.
Q. What makes Debt Meat stand out as something different?
A. The concept is what makes Debt Meat stand out. For me as a writer, I believe the concept is everything. That may be very controversial, and I am always open to debate, but having a killer simple concept is the key to exceptional writing. For me having a killer concept is the engine that makes fantastic theatre. I think the concept that money is flesh, I’m almost surprised that no one has done it before.
Q. What do you hope audiences take away from the story after the final scene?
A. I would like to think it’s up to them what they take away. I am not here to tell them the message or the moral of the story, because really there isn’t one. What I am doing is explaining the way the world is through a visceral gory method. Really what the audience takes away depends on how they thought before they came in. Hopefully they can become inquisitive of their own judgment.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. I do. I am currently writing another play, hopefully one that will come out at the end of the year. Similar to Debt Meat, it’s a concept led. It’s about fame, what fame does to us and how we as the general public respond to people who are famous. It makes us look at ourselves in a way that makes us question: are we the good guys when it comes to how we treat people who we view as celebrities or “Above us”.
Q. If someone was looking to get into theatre as a writer and/or director, what advice would you give them?
A. It doesn’t matter how much money or resources you have, just do it. I managed to do Debt Meat with really no money. You will be surprised how many in the fringe community, in the theatre community, are willing to help you on the way. You don’t need money, you need a great mind, really good instincts and a lot of commitment, because this industry is not the best if you are a beginner. I think people should not view having much money as an obstacle to just get into producing and writing. If you want to be a writer, just write. I never planned on becoming a writer, I just enjoyed writing; I continued to do it and eventually made something. When I started out, I never wrote with the real intention of making it into anything. I think you have to do your craft in first before you start throwing money at making something.
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!