Rising Stars: The journey of Hart & Sparks Theatre Company from Warwick to the Edinburgh Fringe

On a casual Wednesday, amid the summer sun of the post-exam period, I had the joy of chatting to the founders of Harts & Sparks Theatre Company, Lizzie Hart and Daisy Sparks. As a love letter to their joy in creativity and writing, especially at the University of Warwick, Hart and Sparks decided to establish their own theatre company, to make their mark before they graduate.

Prior to the founding of Hart & Sparks, both Hart and Sparks had a passion for writing and drama, with Hart reminiscing on taking part in various shows throughout her time at Warwick. However, their inaugural play, Trashed, felt like a new challenge, wanting to alter the norm of male-centric writing, and introduce authentic female stories to the Warwick drama roster. Beginning in term one of this academic year, the pair would sit down every Tuesday in their favourite coffee shop, culminating in Trashed being performed at the end of term three. Both Hart and Sparks praised the commitment of their nine-person team in making Trashed possible, allowing different personalities to play to their strengths and organise their production.

Both Hart and Sparks found pride in telling an ‘unconventional coming of age story’

The story of Trashed, whilst not directly based on the lives of Hart and Sparks, was transformed as a personal exploration into the imperfect lives of women in their twenties. Both Hart and Sparks found pride in telling an ‘unconventional coming of age story’, both about the complexities of female friendships and the difficulties of growing up. Trashed follows the lives of two couples, focusing on the two women involved, with one struggling with her Christianity and faith, and the other facing the difficulties of an abusive relationship. Whilst focusing on difficult issues, the play culminates in reiterating the importance of finding soulmates in female friendships, with Hart and Sparks stating their audience found peace and healing within the story and could truly relate to the difficulties faced by the female characters.

Hart and Sparks relished the importance of discussing the ‘messy’ side of women, and often the stories of less likeable women.

Hart and Sparks relished the importance of discussing the ‘messy’ side of women, and often the stories of less likeable women, finding inspiration in the likes of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s feminine classic, Fleabag. Considering how genuine and true to life the art of theatre is, Hart and Sparks felt that their early 20s was the perfect time to write, being the time in a person’s life where everything is uncertain, and often filled with difficult choices. The pair felt that if they had waited any longer to write Trashed, and their latter works in the making, the writing and dialogue would feel inauthentic and filled with dreaded ‘theatre icks’.

Hart and Sparks’ love for theatre and authentic storytelling radiates through every aspect of their production company.

Within our conversation, Hart and Sparks said their dream for Trashed was to conquer the challenge of taking it to the Edinburgh Fringe. After much discussion of the difficulties of finding funding, especially due to the changing dynamic of the Fringe in a post-Covid world, the team recently found out they would be taking their show to the Fringe over the summer. Even before this confirmation, I could tell how important this was to the Hart & Sparks team, especially after all the hard work they’ve put into making Trashed a success. I am personally so excited to hear about the future of Harts & Sparks, especially being founded by two fellow Warwick students.

Our conversation ended on a funnier note, discussing our favourite theatre shows. Hart praised the inspiration she found in the works of Duncan Macmillan, and his ability to portray the vividity of real-life people, as well as Sparks discussing her love for the recent West End arrival of the My Neighbour Totoro show. Hart and Sparks’ love for theatre and authentic storytelling radiates through every aspect of their production company. The future is bright for Hart & Sparks Theatre Company, and I hope to see the company stay present after they depart from Warwick.