Introducing… the debut production by Hedgepig Theatre, the independent York company set up by husband and wife Andy Curry and Gemma Sharp.

HEDGEPIG Theatre will be launched on Tuesday with a production of April De Angelis’s Playhouse Creatures at 41 Monkgate, York.

The play is on a theatrical theme, being set in 1670, when actresses were allowed to perform on stage for the first time.

In this bear-pit atmosphere, five actresses struggle to push themselves to the forefront, fighting against the prejudice of the industry, the preconceptions of the public and the bitter rivalries they share.

Six Lips Theatre founders Anna Rose James and Roxanna Klimaszewska will play Nell Gwyn and Mrs Rebecca Marshall respectively; York actresses Lindsay Smith and Barbara Miller will be Mrs Mary Betterton and Doll Common; and Hedgepig co-founder Gemma Sharp will take the role of Mrs Elizabeth Farley.

Charles Hutchinson asks director Andy and actress Gemma for a progress report.

What led you to choose April de Angelis’s Playhouse Creatures as your debut production, your mission statement if you like, Gemma?

“I first read Playhouse Creatures over ten years ago and fell completely in love with it. I was struck by how there was a part for an actress of every playing age and how they were all so well fleshed out.

“It’s a dream play for an actress. There’s such an exciting fringe theatre scene in York at the moment and it just felt like the correct time for us to do it. We’ve worked with some amazing actresses over the past few years and felt that we could pull together a cast worthy of the script. Our company ethos is to tell stories and create atmosphere with performance, this is a play that fits our aims completely.”

What about you, Andy?

“I was bowled over with how strong the writing is. It’s a play with five lead characters, each beautifully written, and I loved the way their paths arc around each other as the play progresses.

“April de Angelis’s writing has you laughing at an hilarious play-within-a-play scene one minute before throwing you without warning into truly harrowing and real human drama. That sudden switch is incredibly exciting to work with.”

What are the play’s themes, and how do you relate to them, as actors yourselves?

Gemma: “A lot of the themes in the play are still experienced by actresses today. I think the theme of ageing is the most relevant – even now an actress’s opportunities are lessened as she ages. It’s a wonderful irony that a great role in Playhouse Creatures for a mature actress is Mrs Betterton – an actress whose career is dwindling due to her age!”

Andy: “The play is, on the surface, about the first actresses on the English stage, but it uses these characters to talk about many other things that are just as relevant to audiences today – what people will do to succeed in a world obsessed by image; the effect that ageing has on how someone is treated; and the treatment of women in our world. As an actor, there are plenty of elements that will raise a smile, but the themes are universal to all walks of life.”

How have you found the experience of directing a show, as opposed to being the leading man, Andy?

“I’ve had an incredibly easy ride as director. The cast are simply fantastic – so incredibly easy to work with and so creative and responsive. Our crew have worked above and beyond the call of duty and their contributions are outstanding.

“The whole process has been one of the most creatively exciting I’ve ever undertaken – a massive, daunting challenge, but such a thrill. Every year my New Year resolution is to scare myself as much as possible. This has certainly achieved that aim!”

What have you discovered from combining an acting role with running a company, Gemma?

“I’d known from a very young age I wanted to act, but at the age of eight I saw an open-air performance by a company called Illyria, and was mesmerised by this company of four players pulling costumes and props out of a wicker hamper and putting on a show.

“That’s when I decided that one day I wanted to run a theatre company, a small, stripped-down company of my own. And I’ve not been disappointed.

“I’m always very passionate about the plays I do; I choose projects that I can really believe in, but producing is completely different. You have to invest in every element of the production. I’ve enjoyed making decisions that shape the play as a whole, not just within a role. I think the most wonderful aspect is having theatrical freedom, having a say and a broader creative input – a hired player no longer.”

What will distinguish the work of Hedgepig from such other independent York companies as Mooted and Six Lips?

Andy: “Every company has a visual style and a theatrical method that give it its own original voice – and this comes from the individuals involved. Our voice will develop with each of our productions – we’re already finding ways of doing things that suit us, aesthetic decisions and themes that we love – and this is what will give Hedgepig its own identity.”

Gemma: “I’m flattered that you would put us alongside such great companies. I’ve worked for both Six Lips and Mooted numerous times and have the greatest fondness and respect for them both. Every company has a different approach, and should we all choose the same script, the end results would all be completely different as every company puts its own mark on a play.”

What are Hedgepig’s plans for the future, Gemma?

“We have two projects boiling away. Our first is a devised promenade commission for this month’s Summer Saturnalia arts music festival at Skipton, called Olympia – a very silly comedy swipe at the state of arts funding in the face of the Olympic Games.

“The second is our next full-scale production: a reworking of Strindberg’s Miss Julie. I’ve set myself the challenge of writing a new adaptation over the summer. We’re bringing the play forward into the 1920s and setting it against the debauchery and social revolution of the jazz age. It’s a play we both love and we’re planning a Yorkshire tour in the winter.

“We also want to produce new writing and both have ideas that need developing, so we’ll both be spending the summer with pen in hand.”

For the benefit of the curious, how and why did you choose the name Hedgepig?

Gemma: “The company first came into being while I was playing a Witch in Mooted’s production of Macbeth last autumn. We had decided that we were going to produce Playhouse Creatures and we needed a company name. ‘Thrice and once the Hedgepig whined’ was one of the witches’ lines and it got stuck in my head. Ironically it didn’t even end up being my line!”

Andy: “The word also has a lovely sound to it, a folklore vibe that we think sits well with our company style. It’s a pleasing word to say – and for people who love good dialogue, we think that’s important!”

• Hedgepig Theatre presents Playhouse Creatures, at 41 Monkgate Theatre, York, July 10 to 14, 7.30pm. Tickets: £9, concessions £7, on 01904 623568 or hedgepigtheatre.co.uk