Will Fletcher (Lenny in The Girl Who Fell) Q&A
1. The Girl Who Fell has the very serious and sensitive topic of suicide at its core - why do you think it's important for works to focus on difficult subjects such as suicide and mental health?
Will: Teenage life can be very intense sometimes. The pressures of growing up and trying to find out who you are can be very overwhelming. I certainly remember being very anxious and constantly just wanting to fit in and seem normal when I was growing up! Acknowledging that we all feel a bit lost sometimes is so important.
I think cracking open these issues and starting conversations can help. I think that’s what the play does— without ever being earnest or depressing.
2. Do you think that the characters provide something for audiences to relate to, particularly those that find mental health and suicide a sensitive issue?
W: I hope so. We should all find it a sensitive issue, and all the more reason to confront it head-on. I found myself pulling a lot of what I’d already experienced as the 15-year-old me into Lenny in rehearsals. Our brilliant director Hannah Price took what we brought to the table and created a piece that I think handles these sensitive issues with great care and respect — but also with humour and humanity.
3. Despite its dark nature, this play is extremely funny. Is this a purposeful tactic to soften the heaviness of its core subject, or do you find it an accurate portrayal of real life?
W: Coincidentally, a number of us in the cast and creative team have had recent experience of loss — and we’ve all found that a lot of laughter tends to bubble up through the darkest moments. I don’t think this softens anything — sometimes the opposite — but it is deeply human and it’s another way of cutting through the reverence that sometimes prevents us from experiencing things directly and viscerally.
4. This play takes a look at the internet and social media and the effects and strains that it can have on mental health. Do you find that social media plays a part in declining mental health?
W: Social media is in its infancy and we have a lot to learn about how to handle its role in our lives. What we look at in The Girl Who Fell is not just teenage behaviour online — which tends to get a lot of attention — but also the behaviour of parents, trying to grasp their way through an online world that they didn’t grow up with.
5. The Girl Who Fell is playing to West End audiences, night after night - what do you think audiences are taking away from this play?
W: Well, an audience member fainted in our first preview, so people are clearly having some kind of experience! It’s a short play in a very intimate space, so people are up close and personal with Claire Goose, Rosie Day, Navin Chowdhry and myself. Hopefully, you laugh, cry and then laugh again. Even better, it’s sparking conversations between young and old, and that’s great to see.
6. In three words, why do you think people should book tickets for The Girl Who Fell?
W: Great night out!
Save up to £17 on The Girl Who Fell Trafalgar Studios tickets!
Tickets for The Girl Who Fell at London’s Trafalgar Studios 2 are available but act quickly and book yours now to save up to £17. The play directed by Hannah Price must end 23 November 2019, so you just have a couple of weeks left to catch it!