{"id":179013,"date":"2025-05-15T11:40:44","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T09:40:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=179013"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:49","slug":"this-students-play-about-boxing-premieres-on-friday-i-want-the-audience-to-feel-part-of-the-spectacle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2025\/05\/15\/this-students-play-about-boxing-premieres-on-friday-i-want-the-audience-to-feel-part-of-the-spectacle\/","title":{"rendered":"This student\u2019s play about boxing premieres on Friday: ‘I want the audience to feel part of the spectacle’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Campus poet Will Makin has written a theatre play about boxing that premieres at theatre De Lugt on Friday 16 May. Alongside a cast of twelve other students, the play will portray the intense rivalry between established boxing champion Billy Buccaneer and rising star Joe Bronco.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Will Makin is the producer of the Gloves Off play.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTyna Le<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Will vividly repeated one word to describe the play: obsession. \u201cA story of obsession, with the sport, with perfection, with the glitz and the glam of boxing fame, and the spectacle of the drama.\u201d To the EUC student, the project is a combination of a passion for playwriting and combat sports: \u201cI\u2019ve done boxing for seven years, so I\u2019m very comfortable in creating a play that has something to do with boxing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspiration<\/h2>

For Will, the possibility of creating his own play felt like \u2018the stars aligning\u2019: \u201cI worked on my writing capabilities, I learned from my previous experiences, and had the opportunity to approach the network I had created to receive funding.\u201d He\u2019s no stranger to theatre: \u201cI participated at the EUR Open Stage Nights, performing poems of mine, which led me to become the campus poet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Gloves\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

The play contains a choreography for an entire boxing match.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTyna Le<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

What inspired Gloves Off<\/em>? Will says Samuel Becket\u2019s \u2018theatre of the absurd and surrealist\u2019 Waiting for Godot<\/em>, a play published in 1952, was what first came to mind. Although not boxing related, Will tried to show Waiting for Godot\u2019s repetitive nature through the recurrent trainings needed for the boxing fight. Other than that, Will and his team took designing and aesthetics inspiration from vintage boxing stories, such as the Rocky<\/em> and Creed<\/em> sagas. Part of the play is a choreography of a full boxing fight. \u201cIt will range from walkouts, to announcements, to press conference and then boxing on the stage\u201d, Will explained. The end goal is to \u2018integrate the audience by making them feel like the extra character\u2019.<\/p>\n

Creation<\/h2>

Experienced in the field of theatre, Will took a step in the unknown by directing his own play: \u201cI had gone back home to Cape Town and had an abundance of time to write which drove me partially insane.\u201d To him, it felt like \u2018gnawing at this giant bone of a story, bringing it to life\u2019.<\/p>\n

Along his journey, he received help from Alex, a friend who supported him with the play: \u201cWe had long calls, and we worked very regularly to critique the story line by line, getting into the weeds to finish the script.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

Will as Billy Buccaneer.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTyna Le<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Identity<\/h2>

Will poured in many hours into what he considers his \u2018perfect project\u2019. So much so that his character, Billy Buccaneer, carries some aspects of him: \u201cBilly is a nickname my parents use for me, and my best friend in Cape Town has always been Joe. I brought this character resemblance in the play.\u201d Although he does specify that Billy is not an alter-ego: \u201cHe has his own life, place of birth, wife, family, friends, hobbies and talents which could overlap with me, but also with anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

That aspect of adapting characters and stories to the larger audience was Will and his team\u2019s main goal when creating this play: \u201cThe experience we\u2019ve created is catered towards having the audience feel completely immersed into this world of Gloves Off<\/em>, to feel as if they would be a part of this spectacle.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the play, Will hopes that the guests remain \u2018entertained and engaged\u2019: \u201cI want people to talk about how it made them feel and think. The play should have a lasting effect so that people can reignite the story again by discussing what took place, whether it puts a smile or frown on their face.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t

De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t