Second year English undergraduate of Oxford University, Helena Jackson, of Sleepless Theatre Productions talks about the exciting challenges of producing a play that forms part of trilogy and yet can comfortably stand alone

Trilogies are rather unusual in the theatrical world. Not least because it makes producers like me shiver because of the terrifying organisational effort needed to somehow put on three plays at once, but also because it takes a playwright of no little talent to produce three standalone plays that can also slot together impeccably.

Living Together is one of three Alan Ayckbourn plays, part of the trilogy The Norman Conquests, on at the Oxford Playhouse in early May. What differentiates this group of plays from other trilogies (the best-known probably Shakespearean Henry VIs 1, 2 and 3) is that they all take place at the same time, in the same house. The general plot arch is therefore the same, but we see all events from different angles – the kitchen, the garden and the living room, thereby making us privy only to parts of what is happening at one time.

What I think is so impressive about this feat is that Ayckbourn somehow manages to keep the tension and the humour within each individual play, even though once you’ve seen one you’d think the outcome of the story should be relatively clear. The way he manipulates the characters and the situation to end on a different note in each piece is truly magnificent to watch. It also makes things incredibly interesting in rehearsals, seeing as the actors don’t just have one play to base their characters on – they have three!

Some big moments (a cheeky kiss or two) also only happen in one room and are therefore only visible in one play, just hinted at in the others. This creates a rather delicious potential for double-entendres, as well as the audience finding themselves in the unusual position of not being handed everything on a silver platter.

Ruth comes rushing in red-faced from the kitchen followed by a sauntering Norman, we don’t know exactly what’s happened, but multiple possibilities lead us to listen to the following conversation much more closely and draw our own conclusions. This means that no one audience member has the same experience, they can interpret the relationships between the characters in multiple different ways; there is no one right answer.

Ayckbourn uses this tantalising uncertainty to truly draw out the humour in the situation. Since there is ‘no right answer’ there is also no one ‘right’ way to interpret the jokes, leaving a host of opportunities which Ayckbourn has exploited to their fullest. The result is a truly side-splitting spectacle of sibling relations at their worst.

* Living Together will be performed at the Oxford Playhouse from the 6th-9th of May, 7.30pm each day (apart from Friday when the performance will start at 8pm) with matinees on the Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm.

* Tickets can be found on the Oxford Playhouse website.