Shotgunned - A new play by our very own Matt Anderson — Falmouth University English & Creative Writing

Last week, Penryn’s AMATA saw the premiere of Matt Anderson's Shotgunned. Co-directed by Joe Cobb and starring Liv Bradley and Brad Follen, the play was an immediate success, judging by the roaring audience and their standing ovations.

Shotgunned tells the story of Roz and Dylan, two (at first sight) unlikely characters who meet at a mutual friend's party. Anderson then takes us through the stages of their relationship in mostly non-chronological order. A clever way of keeping the audience on their toes whilst being reminiscent of that bitter-sweet way our mind presents us with memories.

The play touches on various topics: grief, loss, love, life goals, and friendship. It is a poignant reflection of the messy and the beautiful in relationships and how we can come up against a dead end, no matter how much we love each other.

‘You don’t love me anymore.’

‘Do you still love me?’

‘... I don't know.’

The standout is how real and relatable it all feels. When we go through the ups and downs with Roz and Dylan, it calls back those awkward moments in life when we were trying to catch someone’s interest.

‘I smoke. I smoke all the time. At parties. Friends call me the chimney cause I’m always smoking. At parties.’

Or when we came upon the first difference of opinion and did not know how to handle it. Or even how it feels when you're suddenly not on the same page regarding big life choices.

The sober moments are painfully accurate, too. At some point, Roz’s monologue is very telling in how it criticises a healthcare system that needs people to suffer before they are deemed worthy of support.

Both actors did an amazing job, giving a realistic portrayal of all the little things that matter when we get involved with someone; like how the difference between an X-box and a PlayStation can become hugely important in the context of something bigger we just can’t voice.

Despite the tension, Roz and Dylan's story is told with a healthy mix of charm and wit. You find yourself laughing out loud one moment and groping for tissues the next. A fun dance choreography follows a particularly intense scene in the script. Shotgunned mirrors how nothing is only ever just sad or just easy.

Finally, the play speaks about dreams and the courage and resilience it takes to follow them. We often follow something else, however, trying to make it through life as best we can.

And many years later, when the hurt has gone away, we can sincerely thank the other for having walked part of the journey alongside us.

Shotgunned breaks your heart, patches it together and then breaks it again.

If this has piqued your curiosity, Shotgunned will come to the Poly in February 2023

For more info see: https://thepoly.org/whats-on/event/2196/shotgunned

Words by FalWriting