Yen Resource Pack
Yen Resource PackCONTENTS1. About the Production2. About the Writer3. Synopsis of Yen4. About the Design5. Points of Discussion/ Research6. Interview with the Director7. Practical Exercises8. Useful Links and Research9. About Young CourtThese resources are intended to give teachers and students a detailed insight into thecreative process behind developing and staging Yen. Through interviews, production notesand rehearsal techniques, they demonstrate how the writer, director and cast worked incollaboration to create the show. We aim to provide useful information and opportunitiesto help students discover the unique world of the play for themselves.1
1. About the ProductionYen was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre, Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, Sloane Square, on Friday22nd January 2016.CastJennyAnnes ElwyMaggieSian BreckinHenchAlex AustinBobbieJake DaviesCreative TeamWriterAnna JordanDirectorNed BennettDesignerGeorgia LoweLighting DesignerElliot GriggsComposer & SoundDesignerMovement DirectorGiles ThomasFight DirectorPamela DonaldProduction ManagerMarius RønningStage Manager on BookSusan EllicottStage Manager on TextSarah HellicarSM PlacementOscar EastonPolly Bennett2
2. About the WriterAnna Jordan is a writer, director and acting tutor. She has taught for RADA, LAMDA, Arts Edand Identity Drama School. She is Artistic Director of Without a Paddle Theatre, where she runsregular acting courses. She has won several awards for her writing including; the West End FrameFringe Production of the Year Award for Chicken Shop (2014), Bruntwood Prize forPlaywriting for YEN (2013), Overall Winner and Audience Award in the inaugural Off Cut Festival forCloser To God (2009) and Best New Writing in the Lost One Act Festival for Just For Fun – TotallyRandom (2009).Her credits as a writer include; YEN (Royal Exchange Theatre and Royal Court, Winner: BruntwoodPrize for Playwriting 2013), Chicken Shop (Soho Theatre and Park Theatre, Winner: West End FrameLondon Fringe Production of the Year 2014), No Reason At All, Except I Have Toothache (LAMDA),Youth & Age (Camden People’s Theatre) and The Freedom Light (Company of Angels). She also wrotea short film for LAMDA called The Ivory Year.Her credits as a director include; Crystal Springs by Kathy Rucker (Eureka Theatre, San Francisco),Tomorrow I’ll Be Happy by Johnathan Harvey (National Theatre as part of National TheatreConnections), Vote of No Confidence by Chris Urch (Theatre 503), Only Human by Rose Lewenstein(Theatre 503), 4:48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane, Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker andBassett by James Graham (all Identity Drama School).Her credits as a writer and director include; Freak (Edinburgh Festival and Theatre 503), Stay HappyKeep Smiling (Soho Theatre), Fragments (Riverside Studios), STAUNCH (Arcola Theatre), Coming Home(Bush Theatre, ShortStuff (Waterloo East Theatre), Marianne (Wimbledon Studio Theatre & TrafalgarStudios, Longlisted: Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2011), BENDER (Old Red Lion), Closer to God(Old Red Lion, Winner: Best Play Award & Audience Award for Best Play, Off Cut Festival) and Justfor Fun – Totally Random (New End Theatre, Winner: Best New Writing, Lost One Act Festival).the guardianAnna Jordan on generation porn and a dogcalled TalibanAnna Jordan launched her own theatre company while holding down a day joblicensing fruit machines. Now she’s scored a huge hit with Yen, a tender play abouttwo abandoned boys and their alsatianPlaywrightAnna Jordanat the aldi forthe Guardian3
Alfred HicklingMonday 25 January 2016When Jenni Murray announced that a dog named Taliban was running through herdreams, playwright Anna Jordan realised her life was about to change. It was 2013and the night of the Bruntwood prize ceremony at the Royal Exchange inManchester, for which Jordan had entered her drama Yen: a raw, poetic study of twoteenage brothers and their provocatively named alsatian.“Dame Jenni was the chair of the judges,” Jordan remembers. “As soon as she saidshe’d been dreaming of Taliban, I gripped my boyfriend’s hand and thought, ‘Oh myGod, this is it.’”Yen received ecstatic reviews when it was first shown in Manchester a year ago. Nowthe 36-year-old writer is attending rehearsals at the Royal Court in London, wherethe production is being remounted by director Ned Bennett with the original cast. “Itwas a joy having the play produced in Manchester, but I’m a London girl,” saysJordan. “In many ways, it feels like it’s coming home.”Taliban was a real animal, believe it or not. “I used to live in a flat in Hounslow withall sorts of problem neighbours. There was a woman in her 60s who had a boyfriendhalf her age and this enormous alsatian they hardly let out of the house. You couldhear them through the walls going, ‘Oi! Shut it, Taliban!’ And I thought, I ought toput that in a play some day.”Murray praised “the beautiful empathy and humanity” of Jordan’s writing and thereis a heart-melting tenderness in the play’s depiction of extreme poverty. “It did worryme that pitching the audience into such a hardcore situation might run the risk ofturning people off,” Jordan admits. Yen was quite instinctual. “It came from a timewhen I was writing in coffee shops and absolutely no one was waiting for this play.The challenge I set myself was to explore the most taboo subject I could possiblyimagine.”The initial spark was a news report about a couple of boys who had been abandonedby their mother and convicted of a violent sex crime. “What these children had donewas abhorrent,” Jordan says, “but I tried to imagine the situation as fully as possible.These kids don’t go to school, there are no responsible adults around and they don’thave any real friends. They come from a generation that cannot remember a timebefore violent video games and free access to 24-hour porn on the internet. What canwe realistically expect from children whose opportunities and experience of life areso limited?”4
Jordan is quick to point out that Yen is a work of imagination. Her own childhoodwas far removed from that of Bobbie and Hench, the brothers in the play. Ifanything, she feels closer to their eventual saviour, Jen, a compassionate younganimal-lover who tames the boys and finally lets Taliban off the leash. “Though I’mmore of a cat person,” she clarifies. “I grew up in Brentford, close to Feltham wherethe play is set – but a bit nicer.”Jordan seemed destined for a life in the theatre – both her mother and father areactors – but her backstage upbringing didn’t make it any easier when she graduatedfrom drama school and struggled to find work. The lack of offers prompted her to cofound her own theatre company, Without A Paddle with her friend Charlie Swallow,while holding down a day job licensing fruit machines in Hounslow.A decade spent honing her craft on the fringe finally paid off in 2014 when Jordanhad two plays, Chicken Shop and Freak, running in London simultaneously.“There’s an obsession with discovering young, debut writers that carries anunrealistic burden of expectation,” Jordan says. “Even though winning theBruntwood opened all sorts of doors, I’m hopefully a lot more level-headed about itthan I would have been 10 years ago. Yen isn’t my first play, but my seventh or eighthfull-length piece.”With a further commission from the Royal Court on the table, Jordan is currentlythrowing her energies into establishing a new, low-cost training programme foractors at the Hackney Showroom. She also has various projects in development at theBBC. Though she regards theatre as her natural home – Jim Cartwright, SimonStephens, David Eldridge, Sarah Kane count among her favourite writers – Jordan’sfirst and greatest inspiration was John Sullivan’s Only Fools and Horses.“The rhythms of his dialogue and the pathos of the comedy are just peerless,” shesays. “I’m probably just a little bit obsessed. If you look, there’s a gag lifted from OnlyFools somewhere in all my plays. I met my boyfriend because he posed an Only Foolstrivia question as an ice-breaker. We even had a cat called Boycie, but we lost him.”I express sympathy and ask if the animal was very old? “No, I mean he wandered off.But he was chipped, and I keep thinking that any day now he’s going to have aterrible accident and someone will bring him back with a massive vet’s bill. In whichcase, I’m going to need to win another playwriting competition.”5
3. Synopsis of YenHench and Bobbie are brothers who live alone on an estate in Feltham. Hench is 16 and Bobbie is 13.They have a dog called Taliban who they keep in their bedroom because he bit someone on the estate.The boy’s mother Maggie, lives with her boyfriend, Alan so they are left to fend for themselves. Neitherboys are in formal education, Bobbie however is required to go to a children’s unit as he has ADHD,but he doesn’t attend. The boys mostly spend their time watching porn and playing Call of Duty.Bobbie notices a girl looking at their window, who has been doing so for 3 months. A while later, theboy’s mother, Maggie turns up outside the flat, drunk. The boys take her inside and force her to drinksome Lucozade as she has diabetes. This is a regular occurrence which irritates Hench. Bobbie,however, still dotes on his mother and puts her to bed. The next morning, Maggie has sobered up.Bobbie and Maggie watch Lorraine, until they are interrupted by Hench who starts to play Call ofDuty. Bobbie goes out to steal some beers for Maggie, leaving Hench and Maggie alone at the flat.Maggie asks Hench for money and threatens to sell their TV. Hench forces Maggie to leave and tellsher not to come back. Jen, the girl who has been looking through the window, comes to the flat. Sheis worried about Taliban’s welfare and offers to take him home with her. This upsets Bobbie, whobegs Hench not to let her take him. Jen relents and gives Bobbie the dog chain she bought for Taliban.The three strike up a friendship and Jen visits the next day, this time bringing dog treats for Taliban.Bobbie goes to sleep and Jen and Hench talk about their families, which bonds them. Jen continues tovisit the boys and offers them a ray of hope in an otherwise isolated world. However, Maggie alsocomes back to visit and offers the boys a chance to leave the flat. For Bobbie and Hench choosingbetween Jen and Maggie is a decision that will have consequences for all four of them.Jake Davies as Bobbie and Alex Austin as Hench Richard Davenport6
4. About the DesignThe inspiration for the design came from the director’s experience working with boys with emotionaland behavioural difficulties. The idea was to create a playground where the actors could play aroundin the space. Elements such as the keyboard being used as a swing or the ladders as a climbing frame,helped bring a playful atmosphere to an otherwise bleak space. The use of the ladders also helpedcreate a feeling of containment as the actors are trapped in the space, giving the audience theimpression that this is all they see of the world.Annes Elwy as Jenny and Jake Davies as Bobbie Richard DavenportQuestions for your studentsWhen discussing the set with your students, ask them the following questions as a starting point: Do you think the set was effective in helping tell the story of the play? Did being close to the action affect you as an audience member?Did you think the staging (traverse) was successful in helping tell the story of the play?Did you think the minimalistic aspects of the set worked?Why do you think the director and designer used non naturalistic elements? Such as the fan heaterto represent the dog and the lights to represent the television.Design taskYen has always been performed in a studio space. This creates a feeling of intimacy and helps the audience engagewith the play more. Imagine you had to design Yen for a 400 seat theatre. How would you design the set to keepthe feeling of intimacy for a larger audience? Think about styles of staging. I.e. would you use end on staging or inthe round? How would you incorporate lighting and sound? In the play the PlayStation controllers are used tohighlight the sense of play. How would you use the stage/props to emphasise this?7
5. Points of Discussion/ ResearchDuring rehearsals the cast and creative team were visited by a child psychologist helpedthem better understand Bobbie and Hench’s behaviour. The flow chart below was used bythe director and actors to help them understand the reasons why Bobbie raped Jennifer.Discussion Point: In what ways could this chart help the actors understand Bobbie’sviolent behaviour?8
This is research used by the creative team, detailing attachment theory. This helped the castunderstand how Bobbie and Hench form relationships, and how this affects their bonds witheach other as well as Maggie and Jennifer.What Is AttachmentTheory?The Importance of Early Emotional BondsBy Kendra CherryPsychology ExpertAttachment theory is focused on the relationships and bonds between people, particularlylong-term relationships including those between a parent and child and between romanticpartners.British psychologist John Bowlby was the first attachment theorist, describing attachmentas a "lasting psychological connectedness between human beings."Bowlby was interested in understanding the separation anxiety and distress that childrenexperience when separated from their primary caregivers.Some of the earliest behavioral theories suggested that attachment was simply a learnedbehavior. These theories proposed that attachment was merely the result of feedingrelationship between the child and the caregiver. Because the caregiver feeds the childand provide nourishment, the child becomes attached these theories suggested.What Bowlby observed that even feedings did not diminish the anxiety experienced bychildren when they were separated from their primary caregivers. Instead, he found thatattachment was characterized by clear behavioral and motivation patterns. When childrenare frightened, they will seek proximity from their primary caregiver in order to receive bothcomfort and care.What is Attachment?Attachment is an emotional bond to another person. Bowlby believed that the earliestbonds formed by children with their caregivers have a tremendous impact that continuesthroughout life. He suggested attachment also serves to keep the infant close to themother, thus improving the child's chances of survival.He viewed attachment as a product of evolutionary processes. While the behavioraltheories of attachment suggested that attachment was a learned process, Bowlby andothers proposed that children are born with an innate drive to form attachments withcaregivers.Throughout history, children who maintained proximity to an attachment figure were morelikely to receive comfort and protection, and therefore more likely to survive to adulthood.9
Through the process of natural selection, a motivational system designed to regulateattachment emerged.So what determines successful attachment? Behaviorists suggested that it was food thatled to the formation of this attachment behavior, but Bowlby and others demonstrated thatnurturance and responsiveness were the primary determinants of attachment.The central theme of attachment theory is that primary caregivers who are available andresponsive to an infant's needs allow the child to develop a sense of security.The infant knows that the caregiver is dependable, which creates a secure base for thechild to then explore the world.Ainsworth's "Strange Situation"In her 1970's research, psychologist Mary Ainsworth expanded greatly upon Bowlby'soriginal work. Her groundbreaking "Strange Situation" study revealed the profound effectsof attachment on behavior. In the study, researchers observed children between the agesof 12 and 18 months as they responded to a situation in which they were briefly left aloneand then reunited with their mothers.Based upon the responses the researchers observed, Ainsworth described three majorstyles of attachment: secure attachment, ambivalent-insecure attachment, and avoidantinsecure attachment. Later, researchers Main and Solomon (1986) added a fourthattachment style called disorganized-insecure attachment based upon their own research.A number of studies since that time have supported Ainsworth's attachment styles andhave indicated that attachment styles also have an impact on behaviors later in life.Maternal Deprivation StudiesHarry Harlow's infamous studies on maternal deprivation and social isolation during the1950s and 1960s also explored early bonds. In a series of experiments, Harlowdemonstrated how such bonds emerge and the powerful impact they have on behaviorand functioning. In one version of his experiment, newborn rhesus monkeys wereseparated from their birth mothers and reared by surrogate mothers. The infant monkeyswere placed in cages with two wire monkey mothers. One of the wire monkeys held abottle from which the infant monkey could obtain nourishment, while the other wire monkeywas covered in a soft terry cloth.While the infant monkeys would go to the wire mother to obtain food, they spend most oftheir days with the soft cloth mother. When frightened, the baby monkeys would turn totheir cloth-covered mother for comfort and security.Harlow's work also demonstrated that early attachments were the result of receivingcomfort and care from a caregiver rather than simply the result of being fed.The Stages of AttachmentResearchers Rudolph Schaffer and Peggy Emerson analyzed the number of attachmentrelationships that infants form in a longitudinal study with 60 infants. The infants were10
observed every four weeks during the first year of life, and then once again at 18 months.Based upon their observations, Schaffer and Emerson outlined four distinct phases ofattachment.1. Pre-attachment Stage: From birth to three months, infants do not show any particularattachment to a specific caregiver. The infant's signals such as crying and fussing naturallyattract the attention of the caregiver, and the baby's positive responses encourage thecaregiver to remain close.2. Indiscriminate Attachment: From around six weeks of age to seven months, infantsbegin to show preferences for primary and secondary caregivers. During this phase,infants begin to develop a feeling of trust that the caregiver will respond to their needs.While they will still accept care from other people, they become much better atdistinguishing between familiar and unfamiliar people as they approach seven months ofage. They also respond more positively to the primary caregiver.3. Discriminate Attachment: At this point, from about seven to eleven months of age,infants show a strong attachment and preference for one specific individual. They willprotest when separated from the primary attachment figure (separation anxiety), andbegin to display anxiety around strangers (stranger anxiety).4. Multiple Attachments: After approximately nine months of age, children begin to formstrong emotional bonds with other caregivers beyond the primary attachment figure. Thisoften includes the father, older siblings, and grandparents.While this process may seem straightforward, there are a number of different factors thatcan influence how and when attachments develop. First is the opportunity for attachment.Children that do not have a primary care figure, such as those raised in orphanages, mayfail to develop the sense of trust needed to form an attachment. Second, the quality ofcare-giving is a vital factor. When caregivers respond quickly and consistently, childrenlearn that they can depend on the people who are responsible for their care, which is theessential foundation for attachment.Patterns of AttachmentSecure AttachmentSecure attachment is marked by distress when separated from caregivers and are joyfulwhen the caregiver returns. Remember, these children feel secure and able to dep
Yen Resource Pack CONTENTS 1. About the Production 2. About the Writer 3. Synopsis of Yen 4. About the Design 5. Points of Discussion/ Research 6. Interview with the Director 7. Practical Exercises 8. Useful Links and Research 9. About Young Court These resources are intended
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