THE MISTRESS CONTRACT
by ABI MORGAN
INSPIRED BY THE MEMOIR OF THE MISTRESS CONTRACT BY SHE AND HE
Tron Theatre Company is delighted to be working with Eve Nicol to bring to the stage the Scottish premiere of Abi Morgan’s intimate and thought-provoking play The Mistress Contract as part of our 2019 Mayfesto programme.
The Mistress Contract is based on a real-life couple in which the woman (known only as She) agreed to provide “mistress services” to the man (known only as He) in return for an income and a home. Over the course of 30 years, the man and woman document their experiment of living in a relationship defined by an unconventional contract.
Stimulating each other’s minds, bodies and appetites between blow jobs and breakfasts in bed, She and He debate body image, gender equality, generational divide and sex in later life. Inspired by the real-life couple behind the memoir, The Mistress Contract sets out to establish clear cut rules of engagement between the sexes in a complicated world of blurred lines and grey areas. In Eve’s words:
‘Moving through the human world today means compliance with the societal rules that tell us how to organise our relationships, families and genitals. We bind one another with expectations of what is acceptable behaviour and what we should accept from others… I’m looking forward to exploring the exploring the freedom that can come from creating your own rules.’
Lorraine McIntosh (God of Carnage, Beowulf) will take on the role of She with Cal MacAninch playing the role of He. Alisa Kalyanova will provide set and costume design while Benny Goodman will provide lighting design. The show will feature sound design by Kevin Murray and movement direction from Emma Jayne Park.
What was the inspiration for this performance?
The simple desire to tell a story in which a woman is invigorated because of sex, not diminished by it.
Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas?
It is, but the bar afterwards is even better. The Mistress Contract presents debates about sex, power and exchange in which there are no easy answers. The story comes from a real life source which means it can’t be dismissed as a fantasy.
How did you become interested in making performance?
I was sold on theatre as a teenager by seeing big characters tears pieces out of each other in tiny spaces like Citizens Theatre Circle and Stalls studios. The illicitness of being able to watch how people behave behind closed doors was fascinating and the closest thing I’ve found to developing telepathy.
Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?
I love to start work on a play with making collages with the company from found materials. It’s a way to find a shared language and identifying key imagery with the cast. The conversations that happen when hands are busy can be less guarded when facing one another across an empty table on day one.
Does the show fit with your usual productions?
Music and sex are regular features in the stories I’m drawn to. Music is taking a back seat in this one whilst debates around sex rattles to the fore. I’m big on character and language so The Mistress Contract is fertile territory for me.
What do you hope that the audience will experience?
I hope an audience will have their understanding of what makes a healthy relationship challenged by this unconventional couple and be inspired to rethink how get exactly what they want from their own relationships with their intimates.
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