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Interview: Raising the Stakes and Climbs to New Heights

Documental Productions on bringing Scaffolding to The Pleasance

Documental Productions, a dynamic New Writing company from the South West, is set to captivate London audiences with their critically acclaimed play Scaffolding. Written by Lucy Bell and starring Suzanne Hamilton, Scaffolding takes viewers on an emotional journey to the top of a Devon church steeple, where quirky parishioner Sheridan faces life’s toughest challenges.

Selected as part of The Pleasance’s Best of Edinburgh season, the play promises a unique blend of humour, heart, and thought-provoking moments, all within an immersive theatrical experience.

We put on our climbing gear and clambered up the scaffolding to sit down with the team at Documental Productions to find out more about the show.


Great to meet you, and what wonderful views from up here!

We are Documental Productions (DP), a New Writing company based in the Far South West, and we’re bringing our new play Scaffolding to The Pleasance London. Scaffolding is written by Lucy Bell, produced by Jessamie Edkins O’Brien (in a tag team with Documental co-director Naomi Turner), and memorably performed by actor Suzanne Hamilton.

So where’s the show going to be on?

We’re at The Pleasance in Islington because Scaffolding was selected for their Best of Edinburgh season. Programmer Jonny Patton called the show – ahem – “an exceptional piece of writing”…

What can audiences expect from this exceptional piece of writing then?

You’ll be transported to the gusty top of builders’ scaffolding round a leaky church steeple in a Devon churchyard… and into the head of Sheridan, a quirky and endearing parishioner who has been pushed to the edge… and up the scaffolding. Expect to be taken through the full gamut of emotions in a story full of surprises.

What was your inspiration then?

Lucy Bell: Scaffolding props up church steeples and buildings, but every human being needs emotional scaffolding round them too. No matter how vulnerable they are, when that happens, all sorts of transformation can occur.

How long have you been working on the script?

Lucy Bell: The first draft sort of fell out of me in a fortnight during an Easter school holiday – which is always a good sign because it means the play really wants to be written. I’ve spent a bit longer since then redrafting, guided by the sensitive input of Ben Atterbury, Bristol Old Vic Literary Manager.

Is the version coming to The Pleasance London how you originally envisioned it, or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?

Lucy Bell: I have tried to be brave and push the envelope with what happens. It is quite extreme, but all has an emotional logic for the character, so hopefully you are rooting for her throughout.

What was it that drew you to this role?

Suzanna Hamilton: I liked that it was a comedy and that the character takes on some drastic (if understandable) coping strategies, and all the humour that flows from that.

What is it about your character that you most enjoy?

Suzanna Hamilton: I love Sheridan’s acceptance of her difficulties – the extreme frustrations involved in being a single parent and full-time carer – and how she grows as a person and her relationship with her daughter matures… through the most unlikely sequence of events… I find I enjoy telling the story more and more.

How challenging has this role been?

Suzanna Hamilton: Sheridan is a frenetic thinker, and sometimes her random thoughts are difficult to chart – certainly at the start they were difficult to learn!

What do you hope audiences think about your character?

Suzanna Hamilton: I hope audiences will think Sheridan is a true portrayal of someone who somehow overcomes being ‘stuck in the system’ and lives and thrives to tell the tale… and she does so with gusto.

What is your favourite element of the show?

Jessamie Edkins O’Brien: There’s a beautifully communal moment at the end of the play where something transcendental happens. (Shhhhh, sorry I can’t tell you more – you’ll just have to come check out the show!)

How important is audience interaction to you?

Jessamie Edkins O’Brien: My favourite type of theatre always includes audience interaction! I think breaking down the barrier between actor and audience and finding unexpected ways to do that provides the most exciting dynamics in theatre.

What was it that attracted you to this project originally?

Jessamie Edkins O’Brien: I was lucky enough to meet Lucy Bell and Naomi Turner from Documental Productions through a paid internship programme, and the rest is really history! Lucy reached out to me about this project, and after reading the script, I was gripped.

What is it you hope the audience leave the show thinking?

Jessamie Edkins O’Brien: I think the most beautiful thing about the show is how every individual takes something different away from the story. We’ve had audience members, such as speech therapists or carers, who connect with the material on a directly personal level, alongside others who have no connection to the play’s subject but still feel completely shattered by it. I believe the intimacy of the performance leaves audience members with reflections on relationships and how we care for each other that continue long after the show.

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned from preparing for and participating in this show?

Jessamie Edkins O’Brien: I’ve never loved a Google Drive spreadsheet more in my life.

Describe a moment during the production process that felt magical or transformative.

DP: When we arrived at Edinburgh Fringe and had our first show. Watching months of intense, hard work come together was so powerful. Watching Suzanne knock people’s socks off was a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

Will you be frequenting the bar after your show, and if so, are you hoping people might stay to ask you about the show?

DP: Ummmm, absolutely! There’s nothing I enjoy more than chatting to audiences after the show – what made them laugh, how parts of Sheridan’s experience resonated with them. “Connection with others” is what the show is about, so I love it when this carries on outside the auditorium. And if you ask people that know me, I can talk for England, so I’m always up for a chat, especially when accompanied by a pint!

If you had to describe your show as a colour?

DP: Yellow! I think yellow has a brightness that represents the strength and hope that shines through Sheridan’s story.

If you could perform this show anywhere in the world?

DP: Lucy wants to go to America. After meeting so many incredible creatives from Australia during the Fringe, I’d love to take Scaffolding to a church in Australia! But would people understand the slice of rural Devon parish life you get in Scaffolding? Would there be kangaroos in the churchyard?

If budget or reality was not an issue, what’s the one piece of scenery/set you’d love to have in your show?

DP: If the sky was the limit with our budget, I’d LOVE to send Suzanne up a life-sized massive steeple! Complete with bellringers inside.


Thanks to Documental Productions for chatting with us. Scaffolding will being playing at The Pleasance on the 26th and 27th October. Further information and tickets are available here.

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