Some roles are a delicious mix of challenge and relief, and that’s exactly where Iolanthe finds herself in The Edit by Legit Theatre Co. and Unlikely Productions. Fresh from her own playwriting debut, she’s relishing stepping into a role that isn’t hers to create, just to inhabit. We laughed about slurping noodles during our chat over her rehearsal  break and bonded over our shared fascination with how women turn lived experience into art and the strange, addictive world of social media and reality TV.

In Belvoir’s stripped-back 25A space, Iolanthe and co-star Matilda Ridgeway expose every raw, messy tension of their two-hander, from the performative versus the authentic to the real versus the edited. Nia’s story, juggling trauma, ambition, and audience scrutiny, mirrors the complex world we all watch and navigate online.

So, without further ado, here’s Faith’s Top 5 with Iolanthe. Lets get scrolling! 

Q1. Having spent time between Australia and England and recently co-headlined Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner as well as starring in your playwriting debut Sistren, what has been the most surprising or rewarding part of returning to perform in a fresh original like The Edit?

I can’t lie, not being the writer and feeling I have to be across every single part of it is quite relieving. I really am enjoying that. It feels so relaxing to come into this space and just assume the role of an actor. I felt like a lot of the time I was on stage in Sistren I’d be fixated on so many elements while also being on stage.

I think it’s great to perform a role in a job that is written and directed by another woman (Gabrielle Scawthorn) who has a lived experience that she’s drawing from. For example, I May Destroy You by Michaela Coel, I Hate Suzie by Billie Piper and Lucy Prebble, and Fleabag by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. I love women who draw on autofiction. They fictionalise elements of their reality and make it for an audience. It’s really cool to engage in that same art form without it necessarily being my lived experience.

Q2. Performing a fast-paced, intense two-hander with Matilda Ridgway in Belvoir’s stripped-back 25A space must come with unique challenges. How did the minimalist setting shape your approach to your role and this media-saturated story?

It’s quite a bare stage, pared back using exposed beams of light. The reality of reality TV is big flashy lights, sounds, cameras and a big budget. It looks so glossy, but they’re building a veneer that’s entirely false. What Belvoir 25A space can offer is the authentic underbelly, ripping the guts out and putting it on stage. It’s not the Love Island aesthetic.

Q3. Has playing Nia changed the way you see social media or influencer culture?

I don’t think it’s necessarily changed the way I view social media or influencer culture. It cemented the scepticism I have. I was 11 when I got Instagram, so I’ve grown up with a semi-co-dependency. I’ve never assumed it’s real, which maybe people who didn’t grow up with it had to psychologically realise.

Even for me as an actor, the idea of turning an aesthetic into a brand feels attractive. Everything can become a brand: your lifestyle, your slang, your relationship, even your downfall. It’s strange.

I also think about women: single mothers, women fleeing violence, black women, women from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Social media can create safety and financial security for them. So I’m careful about putting judgment on it. I’m just sceptical because we haven’t yet seen the long run.

Q4. The Edit explores the blurred lines between reality and performance. What conversations or questions do you hope the play sparks in audiences?

How do you come across as relatable and authentic while editing out parts of yourself, without seeming to perform? Nia is clever and cunning. Moving from poverty to chasing status and fame. She knows authenticity sells, yet parts of herself wouldn’t. When in the show she has no phone or outside connection, then suddenly millions are watching with PR deals coming in. How do we stay relatable without seeming to perform, and not mistake that fake popularity for real validation? That’s what interests me in playing her. That’s the conversation I hope the play sparks.

Q5. If Nia could post one Snapchat after everything she’s been through, what do you think it would say?

Option A, I think Nia would post a fab picture of herself in the backseat of a Bentley, her stylist sat beside her (of course), on the way to Fashion Week – playing the game. Or Option B, she could announce her decision to shed light on her recent experiences. Maybe she’d tease a podcast or interview on the topic. 

I think in either world she wants financial stability, and I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. Regardless of which choice she makes; she’s looking to gain more and more traction through her social media presence. One geared towards justice and comeuppance, the other lucratively based in denial of what she’s experienced. I think it begs the question; how much truth telling and charity do we expect working class black women to give society? 

Bonus question: What’s the one question you were secretly hoping I’d ask, and what’s your answer?

• What’s your BSB number? I’m going to transfer you $1000.

Just let me just pull that up in case anyone wants it…

Note: (if you’re reading this bonus question thinking it sounds like the start of a social experiment… you’re right. For Iolanthe’s BSB and account number, please contact Faith in Theatres – faithintheatres@gmail.com)

The Edit opens 7th – 26th October at Belvoir 25a. Downstairs Theatre. For further details see: https://www.unlikelyproductions.co.uk/projects/theedit

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