Preview: The Road to Huntsville, Tobacco Factory Theatres

“I’m trying to understand why British women fall in love with men on death row. I’m corresponding with Jonny, incarcerated in Texas. I’m trying to understand how the death penalty fits into our world. I’m trying not to be judgmental.”

Here is writer/performer Stephanie Ridings on The Road to Huntsville, her award-winning one-woman show which mixes film and storytelling as it explores how a small but significant number of British women correspond with – and sometimes fall in love with – American prisoners on Death Row.

Does the show comment (or seek to influence audiences) on the rights and wrongs of the death penalty? Or are you simply exploring this strange phenomenon of modern American life?
I would like to think the show examines all of the described elements and presents facts and information relating to them, but leaves enough room for the audience to make their own minds up about how they feel.

“The most unlikely looking love is not as strange as it first seems”. What is going on here, for both the prisoners and the women corresponding to them?
It’s more common than you think. There are men and women all around the world starting relationships through letters with inmates. There has been a high-profile case in this country just recently, involving Charles Bronson. I believe these relationships are complex and that one size does not fit all. It’s very easy to write off these women as lonely, or are unable to have a ‘normal’ relationship – but it appears not to be that simple.

Can you tell us the mix of thoughts and emotions you experienced while standing outside Huntsville with families and protesters?
It was quite a harrowing experience. I hadn’t realised that the man being executed would have family outside among the protestors. I’d assumed they would witness the execution, but he had three teenage children and they held banners with pictures of their Dad and let balloons go in his memory. The prison is quite central to the town and it was very odd to see the town going about its business, unaware that the state were executing a man 100 metres away. Myself and filmmaker Rachel Bunce were very quiet for a long time afterwards.

In the intro film you say that the piece is not really about executions and the death penalty, and that there’s quite a bit of humour in there. Can you explain a bit more about both of these?
The work touches upon many subjects but fundamentally it shows that we need to be a little bit kinder to each other. It is so easy to judge people, but you don’t always know what has happened in their life leading to that moment.
And I always like to include humour in my writing – mainly as I pick quite heavy subjects and it gives the audience (and me) some breathing space.

Can you say a bit about the mix of footage, theatre, presentation that the show uses, and why you’ve chosen that particular mix?
It wasn’t a conscious decision, but I knew I wanted to be able to show the audience what I had experienced during the research and in Huntsville, as this was quite a big part of my process in understanding the world. The work is also a combination of truth and fiction. I wanted to blur the line between these two elements, to reflect the nature of these kinds of relationships.

The Road to Huntsville is at Tobacco Factory Theatres from March 14-17. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com/shows/the-road-to-huntsville