Why is Live Theatre celebrating the work of debbie tucker green?
debbie tucker green’s work stands as one of the most realised in our entire theatre culture. In the landscape of contemporary theatre production few artists have been able to hold on to such an unwavering line of intent. Her work is resolutely hers. Each play is more than itself. Seen together they feel like component parts of a perfectly formed, totally uncompromising body of work.
I had been a fan for a long time. In my early days as an usher at the Royal Court, my ticket tearing (remember those?) years were book ended by her productions. The first ushering job I did was on her vast play Stoning Mary and my last one for them, four years later, was on her condensed masterpiece Random, performed at the time by the mesmerising Nadine Marshall. Those plays set a pretty impossible standard that few in the four years between were able to reach. The work was always beautiful and brutal. And she seemed to achieve that with words alone.
My first encounter directing her work came years later in 2019, taking on her play Trade for a national tour. On the page it was terrifying – a series of slashes, repetitions and half sentences. Only when spoken out loud by the amazing cast of three (two of whom, Gracy Goldman and Rachel Summers, join us at Live next week) did the play’s power, tragedy and shining humour come through. Rehearsing it felt acrobatic. Even though there was no physical movement each of us were exhausted. It required total and utter precision, keeping us all at the top of our game at all times. debbie herself once came in to rehearsals, a kind quiet presence in the background. On her way out, she warned me that, due to the sheer concentration involved, tears might flow the following week. She was not wrong.
The performance that resulted, like all her work, was worth all the sweat and tears. Very few plays are so perfectly formed as to require nothing but their own razor sharp delivery. The fact that I will be returning to that play, with most of the original cast next week is both daunting and exciting. I am already doing stretches in preparation.
debbie has herself been a great support to this project, liaising with me on a daily basis about actors. She knows how top of their game performers have to be to do her work and each performer next week has had her stamp of approval.
We could have shared one play with audiences but that would have denied us all the chance to truly absorb wat this artist has achieved. So we begin with dirty butterfly, the play that first announced her unmistakable voice, which Maria Crocker will direct with Rochelle Rose, Ernest Kingsley JNR and Bryony Corrigan . Then after my trade we had to end with her solo masterpiece random, about a life changed through a violent action, performed by a major talent Deja J Bowens, specifically requested by debbie . We are also screening her film ear for eye and having a big meal with our good friends NEACCA. How better to mark a playwright’s cultural influence than with delicious food?
As a space founded on and dedicated to writing, I can think of no higher beacon for any of us than what debbie tucker green has achieved. The works themselves are short - 60 explosive minutes and they are over. But trust me, they will stay with you. And may well change your sense of what live words can do.
Jack McNamara
Live Theatre's Joint CEO & Artistic Director
Find out more & book for the celebration events taking place from Sat 22 - Thu 27 Nov 2025 at https://www.live.org.uk/whats-on/debbie-tucker-green-readings
