PLAYWRIGHT JADE DEBUTS NEW WORK

Ribble Valley-based Jade Jones is making a name for herself on the stage and screen with her thoughtful writing that is full of wit and romance. Photography: John Harrison

Lancashire born playwright and screenwriter Jade Jones gets opening night jitters, and things will be no different come the middle of March when her new play, China Plates and Pearl Earrings makes its debut in the Northern Quarter – Manchester’s answer to New York’s Greenwich Village.

Nerves aside, Jade, 23, is doing just fine. Graduating with a degree in English Literature and Drama then a Screenwriting Masters in December 2017, China Plates and Pearl Earrings, which is Jade’s third play, is a familial drama, telling the story of three siblings packing away their recently deceased parents’ home. Which, when catching up with Jade, was inspired by real recent events.

“The story is primarily about grief and how we deal with it,” Jade said. “Experiencing first-hand the packing away of lifelong possessions of someone you loved dearly, creates a presence of absence that’s perfect for a play.”

Set in one location, their childhood home’s living room, along with a live band and original musical score, the story itself is juxtaposed with scenes from the siblings’ parent’s youth (1965-1973). Freddie and Linda are newly-weds, moving into the house, which is to be their lifelong home and this time shift has been a joy for the cast to rehearse.

“The movement backward and forward in time pushes the plot along, whilst bringing the parents back to life. Together, my grand-parents were a tour-de-force! I’ve tried to emulate that.”

Not only has Jade written the play, she’s also directing it. As the plot thickens, the children, Bryan, Julia and Nicola, discover that the house is subsiding and have to decide whether or not to knock it down. “This is a metaphor for their complex relationships. The play is partly about how life shapes you and pushes you in directions you never expected,” Jade said. “They have to decide whether they want to save their relationships or not. There’s certainly not going to be any shaking actors or crumbling sound affects!”

Jade honed the craft of dramatic writing at the University of Manchester. After leaving Westholme School, where theatre had always been a big part of her life, her passion continued. Commissioned by the University of Manchester, her first play, Magnolias in Manhattan, debuted on Oxford Road, telling the story of an Irish girl meeting a southern belle which went on to win her five Manchester In-Fringe Awards: “The play gave me a real confidence and showed me how to critique my own work.”

This was later followed by her second play, Laura Bradshaw, a period romance which discussed problems female writers faced when trying to get their work published. “The past has a certain charisma for me,” Jade said. “I always try to involve it somewhere in my writing. I think we can learn a lot from it.” Laura Bradshaw also received great acclaim and went on to win six awards the following year, one of these was for Best Play.

Whilst her shorts continued to flourish at theatre café scratch nights and her 20-minute piece, Falling Backwards was commissioned by the Contact Theatre, Jade expanded her writing to screen and has since written a short film, Kind Hearts and Cornettos, which is a coming of age tale about a boy from Blackpool, who falls in love with an Italian girl. This was a challenge for Jade and was a definite shift from writing live drama.

“Writing cinematically is about describing feelings and plot visually,” Jade said. “We hired an ice-cream van for a whole day, hung out the window of a local’s bathroom to reference a northern, Romeo and Juliet – we had a lot of fun filming it.”

Currently developing her TV series pilot, whilst editing a romantic comedy and teaching speech and drama at Oakhill College, it’s safe to say Jade is very productive.

“My grandparents used to say, success isn’t given, it’s earned, which is actually a line in the play!” said Jade, who is certainly living her life by this ethos.

China Plates and Pearl Earrings will be performed at the Three Minute Theatre (3MT), Afflecks Arcade, Oldham Street, Manchester from Wednesday 14th to Friday 16th March at 7.30pm

www.jadejoneswriter.com

Comments

comments

Tedd Walmsley

Be the first to know

To get exclusive news, be the first to know about our special offers and competitions, sign up to Live Magazines for FREE.

Tedd Walmsley managing director of Live Magazines shares his views on the latest topics in media.

Follow him on Twitter and connect with him on LinkedIn to join the conversation