Stef Smith

The Present, written by Stef Smith, directed by Katherine Nesbitt, and performed by Moyo Akandé, produced in association with the Traverse Theatre, sees a young woman in lockdown alone, lamenting an absent loved one and imagining a time when they can be together.

What is your Scene about?

I wanted to keep my piece relatively simple and give an accessible and honest reflection of lockdown. I know early on I threw myself into tasks – cleaning and organising – but as lockdown has continued the rhythm of our lives has changed. This piece is much gentler and more hopeful than my work usually is, but I think that is just where my heart and mind was at when I began writing.

What is it like writing in isolation? On a practical level, writing in lockdown is not that different. I am sitting alone at my desk. Although I miss the distraction of coffee shops and walking with abandon – integral to my process, even if they seem like procrastination. But emotionally it is very different – there is a lot of collective cognitive noise and anxiety to try and hold at bay if you are to work on projects not linked to lockdown.

Some days it feels impossible to write, other days I can disappear into work.

How has the lockdown affected your other work?

The final week of Nora’s run at the Young Vic has been cancelled and my new adaptation of Antigone due to open at Guildhall (directed by Orla O’loughlin) placed on hold, indefinitely. I also had a TV series in early development which was about a pandemic and for now had to be shelved.

How has lockdown changed your life?

I will never forget lockdown; I don’t think many people will. It’s part of our collective political, social and cognitive DNA.

Are there any changes you will take forward?

I hope to spend more time with loved ones. And with consent, my hugs will probably last a little longer – and I was already fond of a long hug.

How do you think the arts and entertainment industry will change?

Until a vaccine is available, theatre will have to fundamentally change because of the way we will have to organise audiences. Live music and comedy will change too. It’s impossible to know what the future looks like and I do my best to maintain a balance of optimism and realism.

Due to money and resources I think TV and film will find a way to get going quicker – with closed sets and cast and crews isolating together.

What have you learnt in lockdown? That not even an end-of-the-world pandemic makes me want to do a jigsaw.

What have you been watching, reading, and listening to?

I watched the TV series The Leftovers and was gripped from the start. It’s adapted from a book about what happens when two per cent of the population disappears in a split second. The parallels of that – written over two years ago – to now are eerie.