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The team talk That’s Ace ahead of playing VAULT Festival
As we head into the closing weeks of this year’s VAULT Festival there is still plenty of shows worth attention. One of those is That’s Ace. The show sees Ace about to embark on her first time going to a night club, and looks at questions of attraction, asexuality and growing up. We planned a chat with producer James Creighton-Goode and ended up hearing from writer Jonny Brace and star Tiffany Marina Pearmund too. So lets dive straight in!
Hi James, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. So what’s your role and what can you tell us about That’s Ace?
Hello, I’m James Creighton-Goode, the Producer. That’s Ace is a one-woman show about a character called Ace who has been invited to go clubbing with her school crush, Sasha. In true Ace fashion, she rocks up ridiculously early and spends the entire time trying to decide whether her feelings for Sasha are romantic or platonic. Ace interacts with various others in the club until Sasha arrives in this 45-minute comedy about asexuality.
The show debuted last summer as part of the Mountview IGNITE Festival and received glowing feedback. It now makes its professional debut at the VAULT Festival.
How does the play engage with the broader topic of growing up and the challenges of navigating one’s own sexuality and identity?
Jonny: I think the play grapples with growing up by showing someone actively figuring out who they are as a person. I feel like that’s something we’ve all been through either at school or uni or even beyond, so hopefully it’s something that’s relatable. Also, for people in the LGBT+ community, it speaks to a time of questioning and exploring sexuality. Some people know instantly what they are in that regard but a lot of people don’t. Those with sexualities that aren’t as regularly highlighted or known about can find it hard to realise their identity if it is something they’ve never heard of. So the play grapples with the period of questioning for LGBT people as well as highlighting asexuality.
How did your personal experiences influence the creation of the play?
Jonny: A lot of my personal experiences have gone into this piece. Obviously, the play is about asexuality and so a lot of my own experiences of being asexual – especially how the realisation of such a thing occurs and feels – are baked into the piece. But also, the way the main character of Ace sees the world is slightly based on how I see the world – right down to her obsession with Doctor Who.
Tiffany Marina Pearmund plays Ace but also has been involved in collaborating on the script, how has that process worked?
Jonny: For me collaborating with Tiff has been a wonderful process. I actually wrote the role with her in mind (I didn’t actually tell her until after we finished the first run as I didn’t want to add pressure) and so was very glad when she wanted to come aboard. I wanted to get her on board early to help shape the script and the character, especially as it’s a female lead written by me, not a woman, to help bring authenticity. I think we have collaborated very well together, both when we were just meeting up to discuss the script and now, also in the rehearsal room, to create something together we’re very proud of.
Tiffany: That process has been absolutely wonderful. I really liked being a part of the script process so that I can make it even more personal and I could ask questions to help the character through that. That way, it really felt like a collaborative project and even though Jonny’s obviously written the play and it’s all his, it’s cool to know that with the bits that didn’t work, I could help him work round, and the bits that did work, we could just elevate them together.
James, how did you get involved initially?
Me and Jonny have known each other for years, having met at University. We were both involved in the drama societies and Jonny wrote several shows back then. Fast-forward to December 2021 where I’m now studying for my Masters in Producing. My end-of-year project was to produce a one-person show for a theatre festival and immediately, I knew I wanted Jonny to write the piece. The only brief I gave him was “I need a one-person show for a festival in May. Make it funny, make it real and most importantly, make it your own.” He came back to me with two different ideas, one of them being That’s Ace, and gave the most in-depth pitches for both. After some time to think and discuss, we decided to continue with That’s Ace.
What’s the shows journey from that initial festival to VAULT’s been?
It feels like it has been both the longest and quickest journey ever. This is the first live show I have produced independently so I have enjoyed having the freedom of making what we want to make. IGNITE finished in June and then I had to start my dissertation but the deadline for VAULT was in July so, naturally, I prioritised the application. From then, it went quiet whilst I waited for a response which was good because it meant I could actually finish my Masters. The hardest thing has been the transition from student theatre to professional. There are no safety nets, just you and the art but that has been my favourite part of it all.
Now James, can we put you on the spot for a question here please? What does a producer do? We talk with so many great creatives, writers and directors and actors and puppeteers but many of the producers we talk to wear multiple hats, they are writing and producing or directing and producing. So as a producer who isn’t also writing or acting or directing, can you give us an insight into what producing entails?
It’s fine, I sometimes still ask myself what my role really is. My background is in production and some directing, so wearing just the producer hat is seen as strange. In a line, I make sure it happens no matter what, it being the production. What I mean by that is I oversee everything and have a finger in every pie throughout the entire process. If someone needs to know something, I either know it or know who knows it. That’s Ace is a smaller production, so I am a lot more involvement in certain areas than I would be if I had a bigger team. Some of my busiest roles are leading the marketing campaign, budgeting and sourcing funding for the production, heading production with the Stage Manager and liaising with everyone, including VAULT. Again, some of these roles could be distributed around in a bigger team but that would be another job of the producer. I also think it’s really important for a producer to know how to share information to the team. What’s the point in stressing someone over something that you’re able to resolve quickly? I’m quite a hands-on producer so I like being in the room and in-person, not just a name behind an email.
Do you have any recommendations for other shows to check out at VAULT Festival?
I will never stop recommending Police Cops to people. If you see Badass Be Thy Name pop up again, make sure to get a ticket. We also went on a group trip to see The Silver Bell which was absolutely brilliant.
We’d love to get your thoughts on the Vaults ending their partnership with the VAULT Festival and what you think it might mean, and its impact on younger/emerging theatre makers like yourself and your plans with JCG Theatre Productions?
The reason I wanted to bring That’s Ace to the VAULT Festival is because of the support they give emerging artists. Being new to the field, I never expected to have such a smooth ride to producing my first professional show. Without the VAULT Festival, I would be so many steps away from where I am now. I know a lot of people in my position and many more are to come so the uncertainty around the future of the festival is devastating for young theatre practitioners. I hope they are able to raise the necessary money and keep the festival alive. Ultimately, it’s the people that make the VAULT Festival so successful and amazing to be around so that is what will keep it growing in the long run.
Our thanks to James for taking time to chat with us and for roping in Jonny and Tiff too.
That’s Ace plays at VAULT Festival 15 – 17 March. Further information and tickets can be found here.
