ABSTRACT
Stockholm (2007) is the result of a collaboration between playwright Bryony Lavery and theatre company Frantic Assembly, acclaimed for their usage of expressive movement to develop narrative and character. Using devising methodologies, Artistic Directors Scott Graham and Stephen Hoggett wanted to explore a romantic relationship where both members love each other, but are caught in a cycle of insecurity, manipulation and abuse. Tod and Kali embody the ‘couple goals’ that many young, modern Westerners aspire to, but underneath the sophistication of their home, cookery and travel plans lurk destructive tendencies. At the centre of the relationship is an intense physical attraction to each other which is initially depicted on stage as an “accomplished and elegant sex act” which then evolves through the course of the play into something more dark and violent, explored in large part through interpretive physical movement. This chapter explores the development of the play alongside a critical evaluation of how these processes manifested on the page and stage. The collaborators intended to create a performance which made the audience feel they were complicit within the action, through competing senses of attraction and horror. Close examination of both process and product reveals the collaborators’ dual goals of portraying the complexity of passionate, but abusive romantic relationships while enabling the audience to question how they might respond to a similar situation.
