Interview with Lauryn Redding, Standing at the Sky’s Edge

Today we’re chatting with writer, composer and actor Lauryn Redding. Until recently, Redding has probably been most notable for her debut play, Bloody Elle. The play debuted in 2021 at the Royal Exchange before a run at the Traverse Theatre, Soho Theatre and recently a West End transfer last year at the Lyric Theatre. Now performing West End production of Standing at the Sky’s Edge (a multi-award-winning British musical set against the backdrop of the iconic Park Hill estate in Sheffield), we spoke with Lauryn to find out more about this musical and her exciting career until now! 

Can you tell us a little bit about your journey into theatre. Where did it all start for you?

My journey into theatre sort of began with music. I used to go on tour with my dad’s band when I was younger so was surrounded by music a lot and picked guitar when I was about 12. I used to sing and write songs, and loved writing songs that told a story. I signed to a record label in my late teens after busking and doing the gig circuit up North but also did a BTEC in acting alongside my music. There was a point when I had to decide between going to drama school and continuing a career in music. The opportunity to train in acting in London swung it for me and now I’m lucky enough to have carved out a career that heavily features both. I feel very lucky.

You are a writer, composer and an actor - which thread of your work do you find the most challenging?

They all pose their own challenges. Working in the arts right now isn’t for the faint hearted(!) but actually having a few strings to my bow has made all of them slightly easier. I love going on stage and performing other people’s worlds and words and ideas - but I also thrive in creating those worlds myself. I think art allows us to use our voice and challenge our ideals, and writing and composing scratches that itch for me! The challenges - as ever - in each strand - come with funding and opportunity.

Lauryn Redding and Laura Pitt Pulford in Standing at the Sky’s Edge. Photo by Brinkhoff Moegenburg

You are currently performing in the multi-award-winning musical Standing at the Sky’s Edge, can you tell us about your character Nikki..

Nikki is a young queer woman who is still madly in love with her ex-fiancée Poppy, who has moved to Park Hill to start a fresh. Nikki comes to Sheffield to try win her back. She’s a joy to play - if not, complex! But aren’t we all! She wears her heart on her sleeve, her actions are often ahead of her thoughts, so she acts on a whim and hopes for the best. If she wants something - she will do her darnedest to get it! And I can relate to her in that. As an actor it’s a gorgeous opportunity to play someone who is so in the heart of their feelings and isn’t afraid to act on them. There’s gnarly corners I’ve had to navigate as an actor, trying to make her likeable as some of her behaviour is questionable! But the audience must understand why Poppy can’t quite let her go! My job, alongside the wonderful Laura Pitt-Pulford who plays Poppy is to have the audience wishing they’d reconnect. Even if the circumstances seem black and white - the grey is what I’m interested in! I think we all should be a bit more Nikki, it’d at least make things more interesting!

This musical is based on an iconic estate in Sheffield which I know you visited as part of your development process for the show. How do you think visiting that place helped you to shape your character.

Visiting Park Hill was a day I’ll never forget. I grew up not too far from Sheffield so I’ve often seen Park Hill from a distance, but to go into those ‘streets in the sky’ was a really special day. We met people that grew up there in the 60s, along with current residents since it’s been done up. The overwhelming feeling from that day was the pride people have of Park Hill and the community it still holds. I think we all left feeling a responsibility to tell their story properly.

Standing at the Sky’s Edge has won the hearts of thousands of audience members since its foundations in Sheffield. Why do you think it resonates with people who come to see it?

I think it resonates because - although it is a story about a very specific housing estate in South Yorkshire - it is a universal story everyone can relate to. Standing at the Sky’s Edge spans 3 generations of people living there, dramatically we cover a lot of bases. Love, loss, friendship, grief and what it means to find a home. The overall sense of Standing at the Sky’s Edge for me, is what it means to belong… that can be as simple as a home, or place but it can also be a person. I think we’ve all felt that.

Is there anything in this production which may come as a surprise to people seeing it?

Well, I have to mention the band. Firstly Richard Hawley’s music is something else but it is expertly led by the brilliant MD Alex Beetschen and orchestrated by Olivier award-winning Tom Deering! I think the show feels like a play with music. In most musicals the band are in the pit, or out of sight. Our band are onstage with us - in the flats and they SLAP! There are moments where we as actors communicate with them - where some of us grab a mic and it’s like we are the lead singer - and also, I don’t want to give any spoilers but the beginning of part 2 - there’s a moment where you could be at the Pyramid stage in Glastonbury! It’s quite something!

The West End cast of Standing at the Sky’s Edge. Photo by Brinkhoff Moegenburg.

What makes this show a brilliant production to go and see in the West End?

I can’t think of anything else like it in the West End! The story of working-class people in the North that’s full of hope and heart and humour. The funnies are FUNNY and the bits that make you grab a tissue will stay with you for some time. That’s testimony to the incredible book written by Chris Bush. She’s a magician. I don’t know how her brain does it - but the story is SO strong. It’s a like a beautiful jigsaw that slots into place bit by bit. One thing to add - this show was made with proper heart and care in the theatrical home of Sheffield, the Crucible Theatre way before it came to London. From the beginning the people and residents of Park Hill have been part of its fabric. It’s an authentic, powerhouse of a show - that doesn’t rely on gimmick. It’s special. Truly. And I know I’m in it - but you’d be mad to miss it.

This musical contains songs from the legendary singer-songwriter Richard Hawley, what can you tell us about the type of musical score that runs through the story? Do you have a favourite at all?

As I said earlier - the music and the band are a real highlight. Every song has its own texture, and it weaves to together to create such a rich musical world. It’s hard to pick a favourite song - but I love ‘Cole’s Corner’ which Elizabeth Ayodele sings as Joy. And also ‘For your lover give some time’ which Joel Harper Jackson lilts through like a boss - but also I duet with Laura Pitt-Pulford, and it’s such a stunning song, lyrically and musically. Also wait for Rachael Wooding’s ‘After the Rain’… too good!

Are there any characters in Standing at the Sky’s Edge that resonate with you particularly?

I mean, am I allowed to say Nikki?! We are very different in many ways - but as a lesbian I rarely get to play one(!) so it’s been so joyful to represent my community on stage - especially through the lens of such a buoyant and complex but inevitably joyful character. I also resonate with the Rose and Harry storyline, the decimation of northern industry by the Tories and the effect that had on families and humans still feels apparent today.

Finally, why should people come and see this musical in a few words? 

It’s mint. Genuinely. The music. The words. The humans on stage. We’d love to have you along!

Catch Standing at the Sky’s Edge at the Gillian Lynne Theatre until 3 August.