In Conversation with Teresa Izzard | Shadow Boxing
- TW
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
In this week's Backstage Blog, we chat with director and producer, Teresa Izzard about her upcoming show, Shadow Boxing, coming to Explosives Factory in May! Keep reading to get all the insider knowledge on this amazing show!
Q. What should audiences expect when they come to see Shadow Boxing?
A. A physical and emotional rollercoaster! Sam basically doesn’t stop; not only is this a one man show, but on top of speaking, he’s also boxing or training most of the time. It’s funny, sad, violent, vulnerable… and ultimately empowering. We see the fallout of one man’s struggle to not only come to terms with who he is but also find his self-respect within that identity.
Q. What has inspired you to put on this show?
A. One of our founding members, who is our LGBTQIA+ advisor as well as being a creative on the show, Donald Woodburn, brought it to me. He had been advocating for Feet First Collective to include queer stories in our repertoire of uncompromising work. This show achieved that goal, as well as being an excellent way to spotlight our Associate Artist, Samuel Addison. As a director, I felt instantly challenged by the piece, which is something I need when I embark on a project. I also thought a solo show was an excellent way for us to distil our artistic process and ethos into a compact, intricate form. Importantly, Shadow Boxing taps into some important topics; the search for identity, the need for inclusion and the roots of male violence. These topics have become even more pressing since we started working on this show. James Gaddas, the playwright, states in his programme note:
“I never imagined that 40 years on, I’d be living in a world where politicians across the globe, are giving permission to society to once again ostracise, marginalise and even erase, the very essence of what makes us who we are.
Where titans of the internet can spread falsehoods, where anyone with a podcast can stir up hatred and bile, and where the simple act of being who we are, can become an invitation to discrimination and violence.
In Shadow Boxing, Flynn makes a choice. A stand. A moment that defines him. In what is becoming a regressive world, we can all make that same stand.”
Q. What is the significance behind specifically boxing in the show? Are there any parallels with the themes of the show?
A. Gaddas wrote Shadow Boxing for Australian actor David Field. Gaddas had always wanted to explore his father’s experiences as a boxer and, as described in his programme note:
“Field stated “I’m always cast as hard men, as villains, I want to break that mould.” In that moment – Shadow Boxing was born.”
In the play, we see Flynn grapple with the tough, uncompromising world of boxing, and the longings he has within for softness, for love, to create, to ‘break the mould’. Boxing becomes a metaphor for what society can often lead men to believe they need to do in order to be a man, and Flynn shadow boxing alone, a metaphor for how alone one can feel when you don’t ‘fit’ what society seems to be asking of you. I know this feeling myself within my own context. So, yes, I would say that boxing provides the central metaphor for the key themes in the play.
Q. What do you hope audiences take away after seeing Shadow Boxing?
A. I hope audiences will talk about the ideas in the show, we wanted to bring this piece to wider audience because we believe it is a provocation about the world we are living in. I also hope they were taken on a journey. This show is uniquely theatrical; it demands a lot of the performer, but also of the audience. I hope audiences breathe with Flynn, fight with Flynn and bear witness as he tells us his story, from his difficult childhood to his bittersweet victory.
Q. What has been the most memorable moment throughout this rehearsal process?
A. We’ve been with this show for almost two years now, so there have been many memorable moments. It has been amazing to get to work one to one with Samuel on this show and to go from knowing almost nothing about boxing to knowing a little more… and there’s so much more to learn always of course! However, most recently, we have been engaging with James Gaddas, which has been an absolute joy. We’ve been able to ask him questions and feed the answers into our reimagining of the play for this 2025 season, so that has also been really special.
Don't miss out on this moving, incredible show opening at Explosives Factory on 15 May! Secure your seats now using the link below:
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