Evanna Lynch Talks “Disco Pigs” and 20 Years of “Harry Potter”
Just like Harry Potter, Enda Walsh’s Disco Pigs is also celebrating its 20th anniversary this summer. To mark the occasion, it is being revived for Trafalgar Studios and starring Evanna Lynch and Colin Campbell.
Disco Pigs is an Irish play about Runt and Pig, two best friends who are in a very intense, unhealthy relationship as they approach their 17th birthday. The show follows them as their relationship begins to change as romantic interests blossom and forces the two of them to consider their relationship and its future.
Evanna recently took time out of costume fittings to discuss the show and returning to theater for her second production.
Opening for previews this week, Evanna said that rehearsals had gone well but were very full on. She’s never been in a show that’s so small – Disco Pigs is only two characters – and it’s incredibly intimate. She talks about having to build a trust and dependency on everyone, especially since there are no breaks in the show and it’s all down to building a fierce trust and surrender dynamic. It’s something new and not something she had to do on projects like Potter.
Evanna was drawn to the play for a number of reason, but its Irish context was probably the biggest. A great admirer of Irish writers, Evanna feels the show has given her an opportunity to explore her culture through the play’s references. She also believes the play is really romantic, in a sense. What would it be like to have a best, best, best friend? She hasn’t had a relationship like that but appreciates the challenges of these characters.
They’re not people I morally approve of…I want the challenge, I want a character who will push me and make me find these sides of myself.
It’s her second professional production, after touring with Houdini in 2013, and it feels like she’s back learning everything anew.
On Potter, they used to put a microphone in my hair ’cause I had a quiet voice and… David Yates didn’t want to interfere with that…so I’m having to learn about projecting and still speaking natural. To me I think sometimes I think that I’m shouting.
Despite its age, Evanna is confident the show and its themes are still relevant to today – the loss of youth and innocence as well as growing up and falling in love and then not – quite like the themes in Harry Potter. It’s the idea of feeling isolated and being on the cusp of adulthood – an identity crisis that everyone experiences.
Talking about the recent 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Evanna mentions she feels very happy for J.K. Rowling. The anniversary has made her think of the creative journey Jo went through and how inspiring she is. Yet it is the anniversary of Order of the Phoenix that always means more to her – it was her first big release in the fandom and it’s also the birth of Luna and she loves that it’s on the summer solstice.
Fancy getting £10 off tickets for Disco Pigs? Use the code POTTER and receive our exclusive discount for performances between July 12 and 20. Tickets can purchased here.
