THE JUST PRICE OF FLOWERS

Director's Notes

The Just Price of Flowers is deceptively simple on the surface. It follows the fortunes and misfortunes of the Van Leasing’s as they attempt to benefit from the financial frenzy of tulip mania, a brief eruption of speculative trading in early 17^th century Holland. But this play is no mere historical saga, a window on the past through which we can comfortably gaze and then dismiss as ‘the mistakes of the past’. It is after all, a Stan’s Cafe play, so it speaks to the here and now, the tulip mania symbolic of all financial crashes, that leave everyday people to pick up the pieces. 

I have been fortunate to follow Stan’s Cafe’s practice for over a quarter of a century, having worked with James on a short film as far back as 1999 and then watched their reputation grow across the UK and globally, renowned for experimental and playful theatre that is never afraid to take on the most challenging texts or subjects, and never underestimating the wisdom of the audience. In 2017 I had the privilege of working with James Yarker, the artistic director, on authoring a major book on their work entitled Devising Theatre with Stan’s Cafe. A principal characteristic of their practice is the diversity, from one-to-one shows, durational performances, site specific pieces, installations and many, many other forms. 

The Just Price of Flowers is typically atypical therefore, as it follows a more traditional narrative structure than most other company shows, yet the play carries all the central DNA of a Stan’s Cafe text, spare in its writing and its staging, rooted in ensemble performance, and subtly but unrelentingly sharp in its observation of humanities frailties and our vulnerability in the face of global shockwaves. This ethos has guided our rehearsal process which has been joyously collaborative but with a rigorous attention to the text, and a precision with every aspect of the show from the physical gesture to the colour palette of the set and costume. 

So how did we get to this point where we at The Loft are staging the play? This is a particularly pertinent question as Stan’s Cafe’s work rarely appears beyond the boundaries of the company’s own ensemble. Let’s roll back a few years …

Having seen one of the original performances of The Just Price of Flowers in 2011, it never dawned on me that I would one day find myself directing it, but relationships and opportunities with Stan’s Cafe often have a long gestation and find their way to fruition at the most unexpected moments. In this specific case, it was a curry and a pint with James and a mutual friend, by the end of which we seemed to think it was a great plan to propose the idea to The Loft. (maybe it was a pint and a half …?!) 

This production reflects our theatre’s ambition to stage experimental and contemporary work that gently challenges audiences with new forms of performance and theatrical interactions. I would like to extend my thanks to James Yarker and Stan’s Cafe for supporting me to take one of their amazing texts out into the world, to find its voice again in a new interpretation. To all those who have made the show with me, I am profoundly grateful, you are theatrical daredevils. 

In the Studio theatre this show is staged in and amongst the audience, with physical theatre, music and song, and a papier-mâché peacock. I hope you enjoy every intense minute of it.

Mark Crossley, Director