Before the release of ‘Spoonface Steinberg’ on on Friday 23rd October we spoke to the star of the show, Evie Guttridge, about how she got involved in the production and how she tackled such a difficult and complex character.
Hi Evie! How are you and what are you doing right now?
I’m doing well at the moment, I just recently moved down to London and have been enjoying the change in lifestyle. I’m heading up North to work on something special with ERT soon though which is super exciting!
I don’t remember ever feeling overwhelmed going into the process.
So, Spoonface Steinberg, explain a little about how you got involved in the project?
I first got involved with Spoonface Steinberg back in 2016. At the time I was planning on auditioning for drama school and H was helping me pick out suitable pieces, one of which was an excerpt from Spoonface! After I read it, we spoke about the subject matter and then H sent me the full script which I immediately fell in love with! And it all went from there really.
As your first one-woman performance, how did you feel going into the ‘process’? Was it quite overwhelming?
I don’t remember ever feeling overwhelmed going into the process. I think I was mainly excited to work on such a meaty script and because we didn’t have a set date at the start, it gave us so much time and space to play around with the character.
H and I would discuss the meanings of each line, both for Spoonface and for the viewer…
How did you relate to the character of Spoonface? What in her might you see in yourself and perhaps see in others?
I found that I could relate to Spoonface in terms of how she feels about things that she’s really passionate about. I think we can all resort back to child-like tendencies when we get carried away in what we love, and it’s beautiful to watch that. And I actually think we can all relate to some of the other characters that she mentions and learn a thing or two from Spoonface’s view of the world.
As the production covers the topic of terminal illness, did you find it hard emotionally to tap into the character? How did you go about trying to understand that side of the character? It must have been difficult.
I think the most challenging element of understanding that side of Spoonface was understanding how she, herself would view it with being a young girl on the autistic spectrum. H and I would discuss the meanings of each line, both for Spoonface and for the viewer, and I did a lot of research throughout rehearsals. That was something that I really wanted to try to understand as best I could so that I could approach the subject matter in a sensitive way that felt right for Spoonface.
Spoonface Steinberg is a really special and uplifting story that doesn’t come about that often.
Lee Hall is known for having a sense of humour and that shows in the story of Spoonface. Were there any funny and memorable moments putting the show together?
There were so many memorable moments for me in rehearsals, mainly just all of the different places and rooms that we rehearsed and being able to work so closely with H. I remember always having my script laid out on the floor and constantly panicking to find where I was when I forgot the lines. Once I also accidentally shrunk Spoonfaces’ jumper in the wash right before a show which was not fun, especially as it was actually H’s lovely cashmere jumper (whoops).
Lastly, why do you think people should watch Spoonface Steinberg? What about the story do you think people should see and empathise with?
I think that Spoonface Steinberg is a really special and uplifting story that doesn’t come about that often. The way that Lee Hall has channelled these themes through the eyes of this extraordinary person is what makes Spoonface a really special story to me, and I think that we can all relate and take something away from it – especially at the moment in current times.
If you would like to watch Spoonface Steinberg, which will be available from Friday 23rd October until Friday 30th October, visit our what’s on page at: www.eastridingtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/
