When I heard that SUTCo was developing their first horror production I was intrigued as this was without doubt their riskiest venture. Horror plays are notoriously difficult to create, but creating one with a student budget? Unheard of. Yet this didn’t deter exciting new scriptwriter, Darcey Severne with their ambitious play, Why We Stay. This piece has the proper horror storyline, with five friends going to a creepy hotel to celebrate their friend graduating, only for things to get bloodily spooky as the story progresses. Though I applaud the ambition and work by Severne, the final product isn’t flawless, and the faults of this play are apparent, even if they are just the unavoidable consequence of working with a student budget.
Finding actors who can show real emotion amidst such outrageous events must be a challenge when casting a horror play. That being said, Why We Stay has some undeniably fantastic performances within it. Kirsty Lucas is a brilliant lead, and she nails the awkward nervousness of her character, whilst managing to make me really feel for the character as she breaks down. She is frequently supported by Abbie Wright, another standout of the entire play. A lot of key emotional scenes hinge on her, and she smashes every single one, whilst demonstrating her perfect ‘horror-movie’ scream.
However, successful protagonists need equal antagonists, and I am glad to report that each villain is exceptional. Joe Edgar manages to display a brilliantly hateable figure that only gets more intriguing throughout, whilst Patrick Gregan steals scenes with his uncomfortably vile performance. I only wish both actors could be more prominent in the play.
The horror moments of this play really are the highlight, and my biggest issue is that they aren’t more plentiful. This is a long play, and the scary bits feel undeniably sparse within its two-and-a-half-hour runtime. Though I do appreciate that horror is one of the most difficult things to write, the plot feels oddly paced, with large sections being dedicated to exposition and relationship drama, rather than the creepy scares I was looking forward to. Furthermore, some dialogue feels rather repetitive and would benefit from some incisive editing. The script at times also forces characters to make constant irrational decisions and, whilst I enjoyed how the piece centred around developing romances, they can distract and sometimes feel unnecessary within the scenes.
Despite some frustrations, I applaud every individual behind this show for making SUTCo history and trying something that has never been done before. Though this play did miss the mark slightly, it still has some brilliant performances within it, notable examples of horror and a great premise. The play is overlong and needs a bit of work, but the ambition and good acting of the main players cannot be overlooked. As mentioned before, horror is a very difficult thing to create and Severne has proven their potential. I hope that Severne can utilise and expand on it in their next work.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
SUTCo’s Why We Stay is running until March 9th at the University of Sheffield Drama Studio. Get your tickets here
