Actor, writer and producer Sarah Cameron-West stops by on Close-Up Culture to chat about her critically-acclaimed show, KAREN.
Hi Sarah! It is a pleasure to be speaking with you. How is your 2025 so far?
Hi there! Such a treat to be chatting to you as well. 2025 has been a great year so far as I am so excited for my show KAREN to be making a return to The Other Palace. We had the most amazing experience last time so really looking forward to being back in the space working alongside such a wonderful team. Equally in January we also had some very exciting news that KAREN has been optioned by Hat Trick Productions for TV development as well as Yada Yada Productions for radio development so the year is really off to a
cracking start!
This March you are bringing back your wildly successful show KAREN. For our readers, could you tell us what KAREN is all about?
Absolutely – KAREN is a one woman show about our Protagonist getting dumped on her 30th birthday at Alton Towers. Mid-way through a calippo. Can it get any worse? YES IT CAN! Turns out her ex has been having an affair with her arch-nemesis: Karen. And the cherry on top? They all work in the same office. It is a story about petty revenge and office politics as we watch our heroine face a comic emotional rollercoaster that leads straight to the ultimate office showdown. It is a battle of self discovery that will leave you in stitches.
What was the writing process? Is there anything autobiographical about the show?
I love this question and happily I have not been dumped at Alton Towers mid-way through a calippo. However, the show, albeit fictional, is grounded in universal themes that I have experienced such as heartbreak, workplace politics, and having an office nemesis. Also, I have to confess, as I play the part of Protagonist, I did base a lot of her character on my mannerisms and her struggle for working towards not being a pushover is one I resonate with. There are some autobiographical stories and lines dotted in there but I haven’t taken the “write what you know” too literally as this was a fun exploration of imagination and what I love about being both an actor and a writer.
The writing element was very organic and just started as a little one sided conversation on my notes app. I was fascinated with the idea that you could understand exactly what was happening in an argument by just hearing one person reacting and I wondered if I could make a monologue with that. I initially wrote KAREN as a 10 minute sketch that won Velvet Smoke’s monologue competition back in 2021 where I got to perform it at the White Bear Theatre. That was actually the final 10 minutes of the current show. When I was encouraged to expand KAREN, I already had the ending so I ultimately just unravelled the story from the end to the beginning – I knew she got dumped so let’s start there. I then wrote out a whole load of vignettes that I thought would be funny to see her in, like on a date or speaking awkwardly to her boss. I wrote these on pieces of paper and with my director we had such fun putting one next to the other and seeing what order would be the funniest for the story and the structure became clearer and clearer. Once I had the backbone of the show, I started tweaking it to read as a full story and before long I had a tight 50 minute version of KAREN ready for stage.
Has the performance changed much since its run in Edinburgh?
The story is very much the same but some elements have been added or completely changed to make it clearer, more heartbreaking or funnier in certain areas. That being said, we continue to hone the script with every performance and keep space for improvising as some of my funniest lines have come from an off-the-cuff moment so I like to keep adapting it. Also, because the show breaks the fourth wall, every audience is different meaning that every performance will be slightly different which keeps me on my toes and keeps the piece fresh and exciting.
KAREN of course has its connotations in this modern day media. How would you convince a Karen to come see the show?
My favourite thing is when we have people called Karen come and see the show and give us 5 stars. It is the best PR and always makes me smile! That being said, we have also had to send out a few email replies to some Karens who have gotten in touch to explain why they are personally offended by the show…very on brand. I would convince a Karen to come and see the show by saying that actually, despite KAREN being the title, the story is all about our unnamed heroine and how she is dealing with her heartbreak and how, in the end, we see that our Protagonist misdirects her fury at Karen because it’s easier to rage at the symptom rather than face the cause of her pain – her ex-boyfriend, Joe. And not to give too many spoilers, the show really isn’t what you think it is, so come along and enjoy being centre stage whilst I do all the leg work.
What do you hope people take away from seeing your show?
I mainly just hope that they had a good time and a laugh but if they had to take away a message, I think it would be never be afraid to use your voice and that bottling up your emotions won’t get you very far. And don’t make Protagonist a role model for professional conduct…
We have heard a little about this show’s future in other medias. Do you mind talking to us a little bit about this?
Absolutely – as I mentioned earlier KAREN has been signed on for TV development with the Hat Trick team and I am over the moon. We are now preparing the pilot script and a pitch deck and once we are happy with that we are looking to approach a commissioner for the work. I have been writing TV scripts for a while but this is the first one to be optioned so I am very excited and also feeling quite humbled by the fact that this is one that I see so much of myself in and that this the one that has finally broken through. I am also delighted that KAREN is being developed for radio with Alison Vernon-Smith at Yada Yada Productions and writing for these two different mediums the same story but adapting it for each has been a real education.
And finally, when can people come see KAREN ?
KAREN is on at The Other Palace website and you can now get your tickets for the next iteration of the show 18-23rd March. You can also follow the show and the whole team across many social media platforms if you want to stay updated!
Instagram:
The Show: @karen.theshow
Actor, writer & producer of KAREN, Sarah Cameoron-West: @sarahcameronwest
Sound Designer, Sarah Spencer: @sarahspncr
Lighting Designer, Oliver McNally: @omlighting
Set Designer, Roisin Jenner: @roisinjenner
Movement Choreographer, Jules Chan: @julesdpchan
X:
The Show: @KarentheShow1
Actor, writer & producer of KAREN, Sarah Cameoron-West: @SCameronWest
Director, Evie Ayres-Townshend: @EvieA__T
Websites:
Director, Evie Ayres-Townshend: https://www.evieat.com/
Lighting Designer, Oliver McNally: https://www.olivermcnally.com/
Title image by Dylan-Woodley
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