When I think of 'Shooting Stars' I picture Vic Reeves hitting Bob Mortimer with a frying-pan, or Matt Lucas in a baby suit playing the drums. So when I learnt Paula Wharton's satirical play of the same title consisted of murdering a reality TV contestant over a pantomime part, I knew we were dealing with a different type of comedy. Fame from frustration
 | | Trigger-happy TV |
The two lead protagonists are out-of-work actresses living in a world dominated by a backdrop of the media fascination with reality television and the cult of celebrity this creates. Unemployed actors aren't attending glitzy premieres or dining at fashionable restaurants, but auditioning for parts. They simply face slightly more high-profile competition for jobs than a large percentage of the population. Paula explained that whilst her character Emma continues to plug away and look for work, her compatriot Karen (played by Andelys Tomlinson) reacts badly to losing a panto part to a reality TV contestant. In a pretty radical twist "she then goes mad and decides she's going to kill this girl who has taken the part." The irony of course is that Karen receives more fame as a murderer than she ever did as an actor, and therefore becomes a media creation in the very same way as the reality TV contestant. "She goes out and shoots people, it makes the news, and she becomes famous for the wrong reasons. She becomes what she hates." Paula explained. Shooting down the stereotype
 | | Ski someday? |
Despite the extravagant plot, Paula insists that "this is a play for normal everyday women; these are ordinary girls that happened to be actors, not actors that happened to be girls." As an actress herself, the play has understandable autobiographical roots. The show presents how hard it is for actresses to find work, but also pokes fun at society's eagerness to propel some people who perhaps don't have to work quite as hard to get where they want. "There are so many more scripts for men, women always play second face to a male lead as the innocent female or hard-done-by woman; there's nothing strong for actresses to hold onto, this is different," said co-star Andelys. "I wanted to show that two women could be funny without talking about stereotypical female subjects," Paula added. All alone on the fringe
 | | Charge of the fright brigade |
In order for Paula to get her play made it is entirely self-produced, self-directed and self-funded. "It's something I really want to do. No-one's going to knock on my door, so I've got to do it myself." Paula said. "To me fringe theatre is low budget, bare bones acting, and it's important that venues in the region like the MAC allow people like me the chance to portray our message in this way." I wasn't going to argue, she had already killed off one media wannabe, I didn't fancy being next. 'Shooting Stars' plays at The Hexagon Theatre a the MAC on 5th and 6th July 2007. The performance begins at 7.30pm both nights. For tickets and information, call the Box Office on 0121 440 3838 or visit www.macarts.co.uk | 
