Need for speed hits old ways head on in Badapple Theatre's village drama The Last Station Keeper

Writer-director Bramley tackles issues such as mental health, the perils of modern living and changes in village life while "still giving the audience a rousing night out and a vote at the end on whether to save or sacrifice the old Station House, now under threat of closure from a new high speed rail link".

Here Kate tells Charles Hutchinson what put her new comedy drama on the right track.

Was there one particular trigger that set The Last Station Keeper in motion, Kate?

"I suppose there were a few triggers that combined! A good friend of mine, a theatre designer I worked with many times at Hull Truck, had her own brush with the HS2 development down in Amersham and I guess I saw first hand how divisive it could be as a subject for local villagers.

"As ever with trauma, some were galvanised to action. Some moved away. Some got a little bit mad. Coupled with that, at the back of my mind was a story I heard from my Uncle John about an old railway station house he used to visit as a child in the holidays. It turns out it was less than a mile from where I live now!

"And lastly, there was a Yorkshire Post feature about a young lady called Joanna Francis who has decided to re-invent her house to live like it’s the 1940s. All of these things set me off on an idea about a set of characters where some are looking forward and others looking back."

Fiona Organ in The Last Station Keeper. Picture: Tom Jackson

You live in a village, so you will see how village life is changing in the name of progress. Do you fear for the future of villages, no longer able to sustain what defined them in the past, or should they move with the times?

"I live in a very vibrant village [Green Hammerton]and we tour to around 130 villages every year with the theatre company. Just about all of these are thriving because they do move with the times in a lot of ways but don’t lose the sense of community at their very heart.

"It feels like the drive to ‘virtually upgrade’ villages with technology, such as better broadband, solar panels for the village hall etc. means that working people can re-define the expectations placed on them.

"As a working mum myself, I know that I can work from a rural location as long as I can be connected to the world. Physical development, such as new houses, new motorways, new train links, are much more divisive of course. And bringing us back to the train theme, I think the high speed rail-development has at its core the emphasis of decreasing journey time from London to the regions.

"One might argue that the same investment would be better spent on the development of regional capitals and rural capacity, rather than simply letting people travel to and from faster."

Can the need for speed be stalled or is change irreversible?

"Of course the world is always changing! And we live in an age now where we can access information about what is happening all over the globe at the touch of a button. I think it’s wonderful in itself but it can be stressful, I think.

"We we can try and move too fast and it can have dire consequences! Many of us find it hard to unplug but I do think it’s necessary for happiness. As sociable human beings I think we still need to kick back and enjoy the company of other human beings in person. And stop and gaze at the stars every now and then. Or the hills. Or the sunset over the coastal factories. You don’t have to be in an idyllic part of our world to see beauty in it if you stop and look."

Fiona Organ at a country railway station

You bring the issue of mental health into the play, with the blurring of reality and sanity in our everyday lives. Why are mental health issues on the rise? Is modern life that much more complicated to endure than the past was?

"Our technological lives – lived out across Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram and even the many news outlets – can foster a virtual reality that we can find hard to reconcile with daily life. And more and more pressure to be like the people we see ‘enjoying’ their lives online. Our whole concept of reality is changing, sometimes by the minute!

"And I suppose what I was more fascinated by in this show is the difference between one person’s reality and another. In the show the three characters all have a very clear perspective of what is going on for them. And all look completely bonkers to the others! It’s not meant to be a serious debate about mental health, there are other forums for that, just raising a question or two about how we can jump to conclusions about others!"

What gave you the idea of having an audience vote in the show?

"Aha. Well, interestingly this show started on its journey pre-Brexit when I was witnessing some very zealous local council elections where some Yes votes had been lost under the No pile! But of course now this is the Year of the Vote. And a real test for democracy on so many grand stages worldwide. I just wanted to give our audiences a chance to contribute and have a little prod at democracy in a fun way! We’re publishing the final count of the audience votes at the end of the tour."

Although these questions have been serious in tone, the play is nevertheless a comedy. How come?

"There’s always comedy isn’t there? Even in our darkest hours great poets and diplomats have managed to see the funny side. Yes, there are stories I wanted to tell in this show but I’d rather we all sat down together and had a laugh while we’re thinking about it. Someone told me it was politics by stealth while they were looking the other way! I said as long as they enjoyed themselves I was happy! I’ve always said our Badapple shows should be more about community and having a good night out. If some other thoughts were raised along the way then it is just an added bonus."

Badapple Theatre Company stage The Last Station Keeper at Marton cum Grafton Memorial Hall, October 25 (box office, 01423 325179); Sand Hutton and Claxton Village Hall, October 26 (01904 468376/468195/468001); Gilling West Village Hall, October 27 (01748 823556 ); Yarm Fellowship Hall, October 28 (01642 888786); Luddington Village Hall, October 29 (01724 798543) and Markington War Memorial Institute, near Harrogate, October 30(01423 771748 or 01423 339168). All shows start at 7.30pm.