Preview: LUDS Presents Coalition

We catch up with the team behind LUDS’ latest, and highly anticipated performance


Beginning their three show run tonight, LUDS’ latest offering is something a little different, with Liverpool’s finest student dramatists taking on Coalition, a political satire set just a few months in the future.

The Tab caught up with director Bernie Whittle and assistant Elliott Ramsey to discuss the first production of the play outside of its acclaimed professional run at both the Edinburgh Fringe and in London in 2012, which featured such names as Phill Jupitus.

“It’s incredibly funny, not the sort of comedy that you need to know a lot about politics to find funny; it’s very relatable. There are some great characters and it’s a really well-written script” says the play’s director.

“It was my decision [to do coalition]” she continues. “I saw it on its London run and I thought it was such a brilliant play. Its so relevant, particularly to students I think, as they obviously have quite a few issues with the coalition government.”

The LUDS production is the first since the play’s original run, and with such plaudits for the original, I asked the directors whether they felt any pressure. “I do, because I don’t think anyone else has seen it, and I’ve been in contact with the writers who are coming to see it on the first night” says Bernie. “Hopefully none of the cast are feeling the pressure but I certainly am!”

Elliot meanwhile sees the novelty of the play as a valuable opportunity: “When you’re performing play that’s well known it’s really easy to find a reference in terms of how you’re going to act it. The best thing is that the cast don’t know how to act it, so it’s their own character. We’re quite privileged to be in this position really”

Jo Caulfield and Phill Jupitus in the play’s only previous performance at Edinburgh

“It’s definitely good to have something that people don’t know about because if you’re always performing classics, how is something going to get established as one?” adds Bernie.

It would seem as though LUDS have taken on a challenge with Coalition, but with a strong directorial force behind them and a commendable cast, their production is sure to help take the play further into becoming a fixture of British theatre.

Coalition begins tonight at the Stanley Theatre. Tickets are £4 for students and £3 for LUDS members. More information can be found here

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