Reviews
A Little While Longer (Staged alongside others) - 3 Stars
I enjoyed this play by Melanie Hunter best; a beautiful performance by Samantha Leverette and a touching and compelling monologue that gave the audience an insight into a woman’s world in Newcastle in the early twentieth century. Recounted by her spirit, which has been trapped on the earth up until today and marvels at technological innovations such as Twitter, we learn of Marjory’s harsh life, in which a woman does what’s expected of her. Her anguish at the death of her only son melts into a belief that his death saved him, at least, from becoming like his drunkard father – a sad tale with a happy ending nonetheless. - Everything Theatre
Sleeping Truths Lie - Self produced (Camden Fringe) - 3 Stars
The writing and mannerisms behind Sammy's character are very clever, leaving subtle clues as to the identity of the 'real' Sammy, after whom this one has been named. Creeger brings out his instinctive affinity with Anna with plenty of humour and lightness, helping to even out the tone. Hunter does take us to some fairly dark places and although these are upsetting, the tension is always broken by Sammy saying or doing something daft. He may not know who he is, but he's there to support Anna, and that comes across in spades. - Views From The Gods
Testimonials
"I always grab at an opportunity to work with Melanie as she is a very special artist. Her writing is incredibly truthful which enables an audience to truly connect with both the characters and their situations. This is true regardless of the style of the piece, audiences were as engaged with the realism of "Life Meaning Us" as the more absurdist "Sleeping Truths Lie". During the Sunday Surgery Scripts workshops, Melanie's work always produces the most discussion during the feedback session as she draws an audience in. However early a draft - and she will often bravely bring in some new ideas - she provokes interest in her characters and the direction that play will take. Melanie is exceptionally easy to collaborate with and open to allowing actors and directors to explore and interpret her text as they feel. She is also generous with her advice regarding my own writing work, and I recently introduced her to a less experienced writer to whom she reached out with no hesitation. I truly value both the working and personal relationship that we have developed and look forward to directing her writing time and again in the future." - Rachel Creeger (Time2Shine Productions), Director, Writer, Producer & Stand up comic.
"Melanie asked me to describe a character I'd like to portray and I gave her a little insight into my life as it looks at the moment. She then freely wrote a piece, which resonated so much with me. She created a believable, complex character which I am thoroughly enjoying investigating and performing. She writes in a way that is natural and deep, which deals with serious issues in a humorous and kind way." - Kristine Bass
"Working with Melanie was a wonderful act of collaboration. She was very open to any ideas or thoughts I had about what kind of monologue, character and subject matter would be helpful for me, and she took the time to discuss and understand my casting type in order to craft a bespoke monologue that would showcase my strengths in an audition or showreel. She was always kind, interested and lovely to work with and delivered a great speech very quickly that completely fit the brief. I absolutely loved both the result and the working process and give her my warmest recommendation!" - Amanda Elizabeth Rischel
"Melanie’s approach to creating me a bespoke monologue was perfect for what I needed. I asked her for a monologue based on one found in the TV series Cobra. In what was a very quick turn around she had created a new monologue that resembled the character’s inner struggle from Cobra but in a new and engaging story." - Pete Stevens
"Melanie was great to work with and produced a hilarious and
well suited bespoke monologue for myself. She made sure to chat with me beforehand to get an idea of what style and character I was looking for in a monologue. She was very easy to work with and listened to all of my requests. She delivered the material very quickly and was happy to adapt and change anything if I requested." - Catherine Boyle