Interview with Gwithian Evans and Marie Williams

Ahead of He Said/She Said, I caught up with Gwithian Evans and Marie Williams to talk about the themes at the heart of the production, the journey behind it, and what audiences can look forward to when the lights go up.

What initially drew you both to these roles?

Geebs: The character of Her is strikingly loud and bold, with an inner life that feels intensely charged—and, I think, heavily shaped by trauma. That energy leapt off the page for me and was my first strong pull toward the role. I’m equally drawn to the greatest challenge she presents: the need to peel back layers of deception and uncover the truth of each moment.

Gwithian: Richie is very unlike me in real life, which, for any actor, is an exciting prospect. Getting to push yourself to fit into someone else’s skin - that’s why we do it, right? I’m already observing people like Richie on the street, studying their mannerisms, what they sound like. I am particularly interested in Richie’s moral compass. It’s certainly not aligned with mine, however there are a handful of moments where I can relate to Richie. All in all, it’s a wonderful character study and writer Dom Riley has done a marvellous job in creating such a detailed character that you love to hate.

These are two very different monologues, how do they complement each other when presented as a double-bill?

Geebs: I hope that putting two monologues—each showing an act of violence, yet unfolding in totally different circumstances—will prompt the audience to question not only why these moments occur, but what shared vulnerabilities might lead to them. By bringing these contrasting pieces into conversation with one another, we aim to encourage a deeper sense of empathy, inviting the audience to look beyond surface differences and recognise the shared human impulses that connect them.

Gwithian - Both pieces depict a random act of violence or rage and deal with complexities of rationalising that, whether it be justifying it or denying it outright. Both ask questions of our own animal instinct of rage, are we capable of violence? Murder? I think Claire has smartly picked these plays as, whilst they’re totally separate worlds, both plays share a similar core.

Gwithian, Richie is navigating friendship, masculinity, and change, how did you approach building his emotional journey?

Gwithian: Dom Riley’s dialogue is packed with smart observations that I’m sure any man who’s been in a male friendship group can relate to. With Richie, his state of denial is important to get right, so I’m working a lot on the different ways he ignores reality, and what his reaction to that is. Denial, blame or laugh it off, anything not to avoid facing the truth. Building those moments is the key to finding his emotional journey I would say.

Geebs, Ladykiller is psychologically intense and unsettling, what was your way into understanding her mindset?

Geebs: I try to resist assigning Her any fixed labels, instead focusing on the behaviours she presents. My aim is to understand her mindset through the limited facts available to me. This is where the real challenge lies: discerning what is genuine and what is deceptive. Ultimately, I can never be certain where reality ends and her lies begin, so I need to make very deliberate choices. Once I have made choices about what the reality of the situation is, I can understand how she uses deception as a tool and why. All these questions, once answered, will help me to get closer to understanding her mindset.

Director Claire Evans is revisiting these plays years after their original success, what fresh perspective does this revival bring?

Geebs - It brings a new opportunity to an audience to challenge their ideas of good and bad, to find empathy for those who are commit heinous crimes and all within the context of the extremely violent world in which we live. This play will be relevant for as long as we live in such turmoil.

Gwithian - These plays already change so much just by changing the actor. Funnily enough, I was the sound operator for Ladykiller in its early stage of development, when it was just a 10 minute monologue. I have also seen the full-length show since, but hearing Geebs at the readthrough - it’s a totally different show. I also believe the linking of Misconduct and Ladykiller will affect it in a way we can’t measure.

What has surprised you most about audience reactions during rehearsals or early performances?

Geebs: I will be able to answer that question soon!

Gwithian – Right now, we are only in rehearsals, but at the readthrough we had some of our crew as well as friends to observe. It’s always so difficult to know whether something will land with an audience, but the reaction of those who were listening at the table read was enough to reassure ourselves why we do this. Some were disturbed, others enthralled. Someone said it feels like a runaway train. It has made me so excited to get this in front of an audience properly.

What’s been the most challenging moment in your respective monologues to get “right”?

Geebs: The initial moment of the breaking of deception.

Gwithian: Nothing is “right” in theatre. If it was, we would’ve stopped long ago. However, if there was one thing to get right, it would be hitting those core beats of the story. The twists, turns and overall rhythm of the piece to really sell the two brilliant stories written by Dom and Madeline. Oh, and lines, we should probably get those right too.

What do you hope audiences are questioning or reflecting on after watching both pieces?

Geebs: I hope the audience is prompted to question their own thinking—those moments when we instinctively label someone as “criminal” or “bad.” I want to encourage a people to pay attention to the language they use, and to try to cultivate a deeper curiosity about why someone might exhibit certain behaviours. I also hope they are invited to reflect on their own emotional privilege, and to consider how that privilege has shaped the choices available to them.

Gwithian: These are two plays that I would love to witness as an audience member. I want the audience to be disturbed and excited all at once. I would challenge anyone to see these two high stakes pieces about violence and not be enthralled by the end.

Three words to describe He Said/She Said?

Geebs: Chaos, deception, shame.

Gwithian: Explosive, Frightening, Disturbing

Most surprising thing about your character?

Geebs: She’s capable of love.

Gwithian: I can’t really describe that without spoiling it, so you’d have to just… see the show.

And Finally, why should audiences book a ticket to He Said/She Said?

Geebs: These pieces of writing are razor-sharp, cutting through the noise of our judgemental minds to hold the audience in the present moment and compel them to question themselves and most fundamentally, put themselves in someone else’s shoes.

Gwithian: These are two exciting pieces of theatre for the price of one! So really it’s a BOGOF.

He Said/She Said comes to the The White Bear Theatre from the 21 April - 2 May.

Book your tickets here:https://www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk/whatson/he-said%2Fshe-said