Knowing that the cast and director of Disco Pigs were well into their intense rehearsal process, I expected to find them haggard, exhausted, perhaps even dispirited with the show. This would be a fairly reasonable state to be in, given that this play is exceptionally demanding, requiring both characters to have convincing Cork accents, deliver passionate pieces of physical theatre and maintain an incredible bond between them.  Instead, I’m greeted by the remarkably calm and fantastically motivated figures of George Johnston (playing ‘Pig’), Maria Pawlikowska (‘Runt’) and Charlie Risius (director). Almost impossibly, given the impressive list of challenges presented to them, it seems as if everything is in hand.

What strikes me almost instantly is the sense that the lines seem to have been delightfully blurred between rehearsal process bonding and real-life banter. As George attempts to regale me with anecdotes about his personal affection for the 90s rave scene, Maria and Charlie roll their eyes, deliciously teasing him for what they perceive as a tendency to delve into personal asides. Seeing such a tight-knit group of people made me wonder how long the two characters had known each other – but George and Maria inform me that they hadn’t met before starting work on the show. ‘We met in London over the summer to do some photos,’ says Maria, ‘and we had some accent coaching together, but we didn’t really know each other beforehand.’

Given that the play hinges entirely around the interaction and impossibly complex relationship between Pig and Runt, it therefore seemed intimidating to me that two near-strangers should have to evoke such great emotion for each other within such a short time-frame. Even though their characters are only seventeen, they are deeply intricate and inextricably linked to each other, which requires significant devotion of time to develop. It’s not something they’ve skimped on though, as Maria clarifies. ‘They’re seventeen, but we don’t want it to be anything like Skins,’ she says. ‘It’s much more complex than that.’ Charlie agrees with her, and describes how they went about creating a relationship between them. ‘We spent a few days just playing around, workshopping,’ he explains, ‘and we didn’t even touch the script. Those sorts of games just really help to form a bond quickly.’

It seems to have worked. The more we discuss the play, the more it seems there is to work into the characters – subtleties that can only be put in on top of a really stable understanding of their relationships. Even just in passing comment, influences ranging from the rave scene to the persistent undercurrents of terror threats from the IRA bombings were touched on - and although all three of them stressed that this is neither a play primarily about violence nor about politics, a consideration of the turbulence of the time is going to be crucial for an understanding of life in 90s Cork. This level of comprehension seems to be important to Charlie, who isn’t intending to put any arbitrary modern influences into the play. He goes on to explain himself, saying very astutely that ‘we’re not just going to throw in a reference about David Cameron and say, “hey! We’re relevant!” - there’s no point in just doing a token update.’

Despite a wealth of background influences to consider, there is still plenty of room for personal influence on the overall aesthetic and energy of the show. Refreshingly, this has never been put on in Cambridge before, and there have only ever been a handful of professional runs in the UK. While Disco Pigs has been made into a film, the whole team agrees that it functions as a great accent reference, but little else. ‘The whole pacing is different in the film,’ George says, ‘and they’re very different characters.’ This creates quite a significant absence of influences from past productions, leaving a very exciting opening for this team to put their own mark on this very promising show.

I leave them running lines, switching with almost disturbing seamlessness into Cork accents. While they gently mock each other continuously, giving the impression of a feisty love-hate relationship, there’s a clear sense that this team works. They’ve taken on an impressive challenge, but if there’s anyone who can deliver it with due aplomb, however, it’s this group – and they seem ready and prepared to put an impressive start to this term’s theatre programme. 

Disco Pigs runs 10-13 October, 11pm, at the ADC Theatre