Banner image: Credit: Michael Matthews
After receiving rave reviews at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, BLUE landed in the West End earlier this month.
Centering on a detective’s investigation into the shooting of an unarmed black motorist by a white officer, it explores issues of systemic racism and authoritarianism in the U.S. police force. The one-act show has been described by critics as a “nail-biting powerplay” and “extremely engaging and thought-provoking”.
As the show’s run at the Seven Dials Playhouse comes to an end on the 30th, we sat down with writer-star June Carryl (56) to discuss what inspired her to write it and what she hopes audiences will take away.
“On stage, I could be all the things I didn’t give myself permission to be in waking life”
June grew up in Denver, Colorado, and initially planned to become a lawyer. However, while studying political science at Brown University, she became disillusioned by the inner workings of the judicial system.
“There’s too much about the law that’s subjective for someone like me who needs objective right and wrong. The idea that all I had to do was make up a story and find the right case to make my point – and suddenly I’d win – just didn’t sit well with me.”
With that, June transitioned to studying in the English literature department, where she landed in Broadway legend Paula Vogel’s (The Baltimore Waltz, How I Learned to Drive) playwriting class. This eventually led her to step out on stage herself.
“I always wanted to do something creative. But it didn’t occur to me that it might actually be viable for me; that I could write stories for a living, talk about the world in a way that put my political science degree to use, and use my critical thinking skills.
“And then, on stage, I could be all the things I didn’t give myself permission to be in waking life, and not apologise for it. I could get mad, or I could be sad – that was just so electrifying.”
Since then, June has written and produced a variety of plays in the U.S., and featured in plenty of film and television. This includes David Fincher’s serial killer series Mindhunter and the American adaptation of Shameless.
“I was just so struck by feeling like the enemy; like, at any moment [...] the situation would turn bad for me”
BLUE follows Los Angeles detective LaRhonda Parker (played by June) as she investigates the shooting of a black motorist by a white officer. However, things are complicated by the fact that the officer in question, Boyd Sully (played by John Colella), is her family friend and husband’s old partner on the force.
“It’s the disintegration of a relationship,” June says. “The conversation sort of devolves as Boyd tries to defend himself and LaRhonda realises that he’s not seeing her as a person.”
June tells us that she wrote BLUE in response to real events – namely, the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer in May of 2020 and the January 6th U.S. Capitol riots in 2021.
“The show itself was inspired by a lot of things. I still have the picture in my mind of Derek Chauvin, who murdered Mr Floyd, staring at the camera; the glazed look in his eyes. That sort of, ‘So what?’ Someone is dying underneath him, begging for his mother, and he’s just staring at the camera.
“I think that combined with the sense of entitlement felt by the people who stormed the Capitol. They were telling themselves that something was being stolen from them when what really happened was that they didn’t get the [election] result they wanted.”
June continues, “The two events are very much intertwined because, at least in the States, as far as I can observe, [lots of] people who get into policing are looking to exercise power and control in ways that they can’t in their normal lives. And I think that power plus the idea that they’re losing something is a deadly concoction. So BLUE sort of ties those two lines together.”
As a black woman growing up in America, June wasn’t only drawing on headline events when she wrote BLUE but also encounters she’s had with police officers throughout her life.
“When I was in graduate school, I was at home alone one day, and I heard a blood-curdling scream. It happened again and again, so I called the cops – because that’s what you do. And I’ll never forget: the police came to the door, they both had their nightsticks out and were beating them into their hands as they talked to me – and they had this weird smirk.
“They were both white cops, beefy guys, and they drilled me about whether or not I belonged in the house. It was a good five minutes before we got to the reason I called them – which was because somebody was in trouble.
“I was just so struck by feeling like the enemy. Like, at any moment, if I said the wrong thing, wasn’t gracious enough, or did anything out of turn, the situation would turn bad for me – never mind this poor woman, whatever was happening to her.”
“The audience [...] were so lovely, welcoming, and received the work with so much generosity”
As a play set in America and written by an American, we asked June what BLUE has to offer British audiences and whether it takes on any new meanings here in the UK.
“I think what I’m learning is that there’s a subtler kind of racism here. It’s a wonderful place, I love being here, but there’s a way in which racism isn’t talked about. There’s a discomfort with the topic, and it boils over, I think, with things like Brexit. The issue is there, but there’s just not the language for it because there’s not the open dialogue that we’ve been having in the States for the last three or four years.”
One specific example June brings up is the government’s recent condemnation of Black Out nights: special performances where the black community is specifically invited to attend shows. As June explains, these aren’t intended to exclude others but to provide a space for people to experience sensitive material alongside peers who share similar experiences.
“It’s not ‘reverse racism’,” June says. “It’s simply saying, ‘Hey, come and see a show that might resonate with you in a way that’s very different, with others with whom it also resonates differently.’”
So far, BLUE has clearly struck a chord with its UK audience. During its run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year, it received rave reviews and the prestigious Fringe First Award.
June says, “The audience there were so lovely, welcoming, and received the work with so much generosity. You could hear people responding to it, and it was just like: it translates! And Edinburgh is just gorgeous. It was a really magical experience.”
“I think age gives you a sense of clarity and honesty”
At 56, June is a veteran of the performance art world. However, as she explains, age and experience have only made her a better craftsperson – and the best is still yet to come.
“As I’ve gotten older, I think I’ve become clearer in my work. When I was younger, I was this sort of fountain of angst and feels and rage. It was fine for what it was, but it was unstructured. And it’s really only in the last seven years that I’ve honed my voice.
“Just being able to accept my limitations and be brave enough to face what I don’t know has made me a better artist. I think age gives you a sense of clarity and honesty. It’s like, ‘OK, I don’t know how to do that, but I’m gonna learn.’ It’s so liberating not to feel guilty because I don’t know something. It’s confidence, which, for me, is a big thing because I was not a confident person for so much of my life.”
Going forward, June hopes to take BLUE to New York and get more of her plays produced. She’s also written a few screenplays, which she’d love to see on the silver screen.
But for now, you can see June in BLUE at the Seven Dials Playhouse until March 30th.
Are you interested in June’s story or going to see the show? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.