The marketing for Rachel E. Thorn’s new play Me For You has the opening line “Choosing sperm is weird. The one thing we know for sure is these guys are all wankers.” So I knew speaking to her was definitely not going to be dull.

In the realm of creativity, there are those who wait for opportunities and those who create them. Rachel belongs to the latter category. With a background in acting, she found herself facing the harsh reality of the industry – jobs were scarce, and opportunities seemed few and far between. And having a baby not long after graduating added to these pressures. But Rachel wasn’t about to wait for her big break,

It just felt like if I wanted to have a creative career, I was going to have to take charge of it myself.

And so, she did. Embracing improvisation as her tool of choice, Rachel delved into the world of creating her own work.

Improvisation is just such a wonderful art form, keeping your acting skills sharp. You’re playing a new character in a new situation every time you step on stage, so it keeps your range nice and broad, and it’s very liberating because you’re not confined by your casting type, how you look and how you sound.

But Rachel didn’t stop there. Fuelled by her passion for writing, she began crafting sketches and scripts, which soon caught the attention of podcast producers and BBC Radio shows. Her knack for writing led to opportunities in script editing and collaborations with talented impressionists, further expanding her creative repertoire before turning to stage writing, penning her solo show Lovefool and embarking on a journey of self-discovery and resilience.

Fast forward to the present and Rachel finds herself on the cusp of a new chapter – the debut of her latest play, Me For You. Set against the backdrop of a lesbian relationship, the play delves into the complexities of love, identity, and the human condition.

Rachel explained that love is very much at the centre of her new work and that everything else is secondary.

It just really hinges on two people loving each other. It’s so nice when we see love, isn’t it? You know, when you see a couple walking down the street holding hands, we just have a little moment of, “Oh, that’s so nice.” We’re all such horrible people really. And we really struggle to be good enough to be worthy of that love.  

I asked Rachel if it was external circumstances that sometimes made us the horrible people we can be:

Absolutely. Look at the external circumstances in the play; they want to make a positive difference to the political situation, the climate crisis, but they just feel very hamstrung by their circumstances. And that’s not to say that they don’t have privilege and they know that. They do have privilege; they have good jobs and each other. It just doesn’t seem to be quite enough to make a difference. They feel left behind, disempowered, disenfranchised. And while they love each other so desperately, they discover through the course of the play that they’re hamstrung by being selfish.

With Edinburgh Fringe on the horizon and a summer tour with Red Ladder and Slung Low, the future brims with possibilities. Yet, amidst the uncertainty, Rachel remains grounded in her commitment to storytelling and the transformative power of live theatre.

In Rachel’s world, creativity knows no bounds. From the stage to the page, she continues to push the boundaries of artistic expression, one improvised line and scripted scene at a time. And as her journey unfolds, one thing remains certain – wherever Rachel goes, creativity follows.

By John Heywood

Red Ladder Local dates for Me For You

Queen’s Mill, Castleford

17 Jul 2024 7:30pm BOOK TICKETS

Marsden Mechanics, Huddersfield

21 Jul 2024 7:30pm BOOK TICKETS

Rockwell Community Centre, Bradford

26 Jul 2024 7:30pm BOOK TICKETS