‘Little Deaths’ is a new play by Amy Powell Yeates that explores the “countless lifetimes” of a friendship, posing the question, “if a female friendship dies many deaths, how many can they survive?”

It’s Amy’s first full-length play, and is being presented at Summerhall this Fringe by her own company Nuthatch in partnership with Scissor Kick. I spoke to Amy to find out more about the play, the production and her career in the arts.

CC: Tell us about the premise of ‘Little Deaths’ – what story does it tell?
APY: ‘Little Deaths’ is a kind of romcom story of two friends, Charlie and Debs, spanning 25 years. From dancing through student unions to eating at a restaurant they can’t afford to some very serious discussions about the Spice Girls – it spotlights the power of friendship to hurt and heal.

CC: What themes are you exploring through the play?
APY: The play has the bonds and chaos of platonic love at its heart. Within that world we also explore girl/womanhood, and the changing experiences of the characters as they age.

CC: What motivated you to write a piece exploring these themes?
APY: The idea that a female friendship dies many deaths came out of a chat with a pal and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It felt like a kind of heartache that we don’t have a language for.

I was excited by playing with the genre of romantic comedy to centre platonic love in a way that embraced both the weirdness and loveliness of friendship.

CC: What process did you go through in writing the play?
APY: I mostly got drunk and laughed and cried with my mates.

CC: You’ve had short plays performed before – how did writing your first full-length play compare?
APY: I think I tricked myself into it! I was invited to write a 20 minute version of the play for a new writing night and then I thought, an hour is just two more of those…

CC: The show is a co-production between your own company Nuthatch and Scissor Kick. How did that alliance come about?
APY: I started Nuthatch with the hope of growing some small projects, I never expected to be going to the Edinburgh Festival for a full length run, so when that was becoming a reality, I knew I would need a partner in crime!

Enter Scissor Kick – they’ve got a burgeoning slate of projects at the moment so it’s been a particularly exciting time to get to work with them.

CC: Tell us about the cast and creative team.
APY: Olivia Forrest plays Charlie and Rosa Robson plays Debs – both wonderful actors with comedy in their bones. We also have an amazing wider team of experienced creatives led by the brilliant Irish director Claire O’Reilly. Lots of them have other shows on at the Festival that I can’t wait to see.

CC: How involved have you been in the rehearsal room?
APY: Pretty involved – probably driving everyone nuts! But if I was, they did a good job of hiding it. The whole team have been really collaborative and my background is in devising, so that’s an approach I really enjoy creatively.

CC: Let’s step back for a moment – tell us about your career in the arts so far.
APY: After making devised shows as part of a collective at Leeds Uni, I focused on trying to find a job in the arts. I got onto an apprenticeship scheme which led to a role in arts administration and through that, I learned how to put shows together.

Meanwhile, I wrote quietly for years, before eventually deciding to bite the bullet and enter some schemes. I was selected for the London Library Emerging Writers programme which gave me the confidence to try and get some short plays on.

CC: As you mentioned, you also work in arts administration and production – does that experience have an impact on your creative output?
APY: I think that experience has given me the tools to know how to get stuff on, which is so important for creative growth.

Earlier in the year, some pals and I were feeling beat by rejections, so we pulled together a new writing night in a pub so that we could get the scripts in front of an audience.

It’s empowering to remember that you don’t have to let the story end with an ‘unfortunately on this occasion’ email.

CC: How have preparations for the Fringe – and the first few days of the Festival – gone?
APY: It’s been busy and such a whirlwind, but we’re really excited to share the show with audiences in Edinburgh alongside some brilliant artists.

CC: What are you planning to do in Edinburgh this month when you are not performing?
APY: I can’t wait to dive into other theatre and comedy – and get a bangers and mash from MUM’s.

CC: What plans have you got beyond the Festival?
APY: Give us a break, we only just opened…

‘Little Deaths’ was performed at Summerhall at Edinburgh Festival 2024.

LINKS: amypy.com | scissorkick.co.uk

Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic