Rosie Day stars in Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon which is directed by Georgie Staight and features voiceovers from Maxine Peake. The production opened on 9th February 2022 running until 5th March 2022.
Rosie DayMiss-trusted. Miss-treated. Miss you. Welcome to a miss-spent youth. Eileen’s sister just died while eating a Yorkshire pudding. Ironic as she rarely eats; well, ate. Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon is a call to arms for young women everywhere, and questions why society isn’t watching out for our girls as they navigate fading friendships, f**ked up families and forging a trail through adolescence.
Q&A with Rosie Day
Q: Can you tell us about Teenage Armageddon Collective?
Rosie: It’s a group of young women/creatives, all who work in and have a huge passion for theatre and telling narratives that maybe don’t get on stage as often as they should. I think theatre is such a collective, empowering medium – everyone brings something unique to the table – it really is a group effort, so we wanted a collective. A real team.
Q: Can you tell us about Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon?
Rosie: The idea was that I’d not seen many ‘one girl shows’ – one women shows are plenty but not one that is about a girl in her teens. I also wanted to write something that felt real and lived in – because so often people who write teenage girl roles have never been one! So, a brilliant director I was working with at the time Hannah Price sort of dared me to write something, and I did. As a joke. I never thought anyone would see it!! We got to do a preview run just before the pandemic, and were surprised how many adults and even grandmas connected with it, and we’ve spent the last two years developing it and turning it into a sort of magical, funny, TED Talk with a sassy teenager set to the backdrop of scouts!
Q: What do you feel the advantages and disadvantages are for starring in your own play?
Rosie: It’s weirdly a little bit lonely. One of my favourite things about theatre is the camaraderie and the family that gets created on each job! Doing it by yourself every night, means you have no one to bounce off on stage- also if it goes wrong, it’s all up to you to sort it out! The advantages apparently are that I wrote it so therefore I should know it really well and it should be in my brain… watch this space!
Q: What is at the heart of the production?
Rosie: A universal need for connection. It’s something that I think we’ve all realised we desperately need after the past two years. It’s fun and dry and silly but its heart is a young girl that just wants someone to connect with.
Q: Why should theatregoers get along to see Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon?
Rosie: Because it’s FUN! Which we all need right now! But also, we’ve all been young once, or have young people in our lives and it’s good to reconnect with that. There’s also a great Britney dance… just saying.
Read our 5 Star review of Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon
Southwark Playhouse – the Little
Dates: 9 February – 5 March 2022
Performances: Monday- Saturday 8pm. Press Night 10 February at 8pm. Matinee’s Tuesday and Saturday at 3.30pm
Southwark Playhouse, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD
https://www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/