Families have a habit of creating their own versions of the past. Some are comforting. Others conceal things we would rather not confront. The ancient Greeks understood this particularly well. Their tragedies are full of family secrets, divided loyalties and people whose determination to put things right leads them into even greater difficulties.Sophocles’ Electra is a case in point. Electra demands vengeance for her murdered father, Agamemnon, although he was hardly an innocent man himself. It raises an uncomfortable question: how much of what we believe about the people closest to us is actually true?
Writer and performer Sophie Max has taken that ancient story and given it a contemporary setting in Sharp Edges, a one-woman play at Camden People’s Theatre from 11 to 14 November.
Her central character, Ellie, is 24 and still trying to make sense of events that changed her life when she was six. Her father and older sister disappeared on the same night. She has grown up idolising one parent and resenting the other, but the truth about her family may be rather more complicated than she imagines. Now, with her mother threatening to throw her out, Ellie believes the time has come to settle accounts.
What interests me is that Max hasn’t created a character who simply invites our sympathy. Ellie is angry, stubborn, quick-witted and sometimes outrageous. The play is described as a dark comedy, which might seem an unlikely approach to such material. Yet humour often tells us more about people than solemn declarations ever could. It can reveal their contradictions, their determination and their refusal to be defined by what has happened to them.
The production, directed by Blair McAlpine, is presented in partnership with One in Four, a charity supporting survivors of childhood sexual abuse and related experiences.
Counter Culture spoke to Sophie Max about her fascination with Greek tragedy, the creation of Ellie, women’s anger, the uses of dark comedy and whether justice and revenge can ever really be separated.
The Interview
Counter Culture: One of the things that strikes me about Electra is that nobody in the family is entirely innocent. Electra worships her father, yet Agamemnon himself was responsible for a terrible act of violence against his own daughter. Your Ellie also idolises her father and feels alienated from her mother. Are you interested in challenging the stories we tell ourselves about our families, particularly when we’re too young to understand what’s really happening?
Sophie Max: Absolutely! Life is never that simple; people are way more complex, more full of grey areas, than we think. As a child, when you experience events you don’t understand or when the truth is hidden from you, you create narratives to explain things for yourself. It’s a form of protection. Then, you have to come back and recontextualise those stories as an adult. This is absolutely what Ellie is wrestling with in this play- the gap between her imagined version of her past, the stories she told herself, and the reality- and then what that means for the beliefs she’s built her life around.
We don’t always appreciate how scary it is to be a child in a dangerous situation. Children can sense when they’re not safe, even if they can’t always articulate it- or have the truth hidden from them by the adults around them. So it’s important to me that the play takes the stories Ellie tells herself seriously, and doesn’t ridicule her for holding these beliefs, even as we uncover what the truth is.
Counter Culture: Ellie is only six when her father and older sister disappear. At that age, you’re dependent on adults to explain the world, and sometimes those adults are hiding things or telling outright lies. How much of Sharp Edges is about the damage done when a child has to construct her own version of events, and then carries that understanding into adult life?
Sophie Max: That’s definitely a major thread within the play. Ellie has the truth of a lot of really massive events in her family hidden from her, and that impacts how she sees the world and how she thinks she needs to solve problems. Sharp Edges is about how growing up in a violent home, surrounded by secrets and lies, impacts the psyche, personality and relationships of a child. But it’s also about family, about cycles of violence, about justice vs revenge, and about how we deal with grief and loss.
Counter Culture: Revenge is central to the original Greek tragedy, but revenge and justice aren’t necessarily the same thing. Ellie believes she’s going to put right the wrongs of her childhood. Is there a point where the pursuit of justice becomes another form of violence? And can somebody who’s grown up surrounded by violence really escape that cycle simply by deciding to behave differently?
Sophie Max: These are exactly the big questions the play is hoping to provoke! Sharp Edges really wrestles with justice and revenge, what they mean, how they differ, and whether they have any meaning at all in such a violent world. We’re not used to seeing female characters face concepts like revenge and violence in this way- but I think especially in the world right now, we need to be asking ourselves these questions. How can we break cycles? How can we take back control of our own life while breaking cycles of violence we’ve inherited? They’re not easy questions with easy answers- but hopefully give the audience a lot to think about…and discuss after the show!
Counter Culture: You’ve spoken about being drawn to the anger and defiance of women in Greek tragedy. I think there’s something quite contemporary about that. Angry men are often portrayed as powerful or passionate, while angry women are still too easily dismissed as unstable or unreasonable. Do you think we’ve really moved on very far from the attitudes Sophocles was writing about?
Sophie Max: I think our society is still collectively so uncomfortable with angry women. That’s why I was so drawn to these characters and plays- even as a kid reading them for the first time, I sensed that these emotions weren’t ones we were ‘allowed’ to express as girls. Society is so ready to question, dismiss, ridicule, and even harm women, especially women bold enough to speak out. The world still expects victims and survivors to look and behave a certain way, or they are vilified. Modern society is uncomfortable with the very vocal expression of grief that was common for much of human history. At least the women in these Greek tragedies are given space, time and voice for their rage and grief, and allowed to express it without demonisation- on stage, at least!
Counter Culture: Your earlier play Banned explored a world in which reproductive rights are taken away, while Sharp Edges deals with abuse, control and the consequences of childhood trauma. There’s a common thread here about power and who gets to exercise it over women’s lives. Is that something you consciously return to in your writing, or does it emerge naturally from the stories you feel compelled to tell?
Sophie Max: I’m often motivated to write by big questions I’m searching for answers for, the things that make me sad, angry, uncomfortable, that keep me up at night. What do we do when faced with impossible choices? What happens when a scary reality crashes into our homes and lives? I’m a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, so I think I’m drawn to writing stories that excavate women and children’s survival specifically, and the multitude of ways we live and rage and grieve and hope and survive when powerful people and systems harm us. I want to channel my own experiences into art which illuminates and represents the reality for my fellow survivors, and which hopefully at least gets people to think about change. Because stories have, I believe, the power to really impact people.
Counter Culture: You’ve described Sharp Edges as darkly funny, which might surprise people given the subject matter. But humour can be a way of surviving dreadful circumstances, and sometimes it’s the only means of expressing things that are otherwise unbearable. How important was it that Ellie should be funny, difficult and occasionally outrageous, rather than simply someone the audience feels sorry for?
Sophie Max: It was vital! Ellie is more than what happened to her- as all survivors are. It’s super important to me that she’s a whole person, not just the sum of her trauma. The voice that emerged as I built this character was quick, witty, acerbic, stubborn, imaginative, loving, angry, mercurial- a whole spectrum of the human experience. She’s the protagonist of her own story, and she’s definitely not to be pitied. Plus, pity kind of allows audiences to sit back and be ‘off the hook’, I think. Whereas I want the audience to care about Ellie, to root for her, to be involved, to will her to do (or not do) certain things- to be active.
Counter Culture: There’s an interesting practical detail in the story: Ellie’s mother threatens to throw her out. We talk a great deal about people escaping abusive homes, but leaving isn’t always straightforward when you’ve nowhere else to live or lack the money to support yourself. Did you want to explore how circumstances beyond an individual’s control can keep them trapped, even when they desperately want a different life?
Sophie Max: Definitely. There’s so many circumstances and elements which complicate situations like Ellie’s; it’s never as simple as just leaving. There’s also this pull in the play between leaving or not, that allows us to explore what justice means to her. I was interested in investigating: what does physical freedom mean after what she’s been through? Would leaving actually change anything? Would she even be able to feel free in her mind, without some kind of justice? Especially given the state of our justice system for survivors of domestic violence or sexual abuse, there is a part of me interested in questioning through the play how we find peace, or a different life, when ‘justice’ is so out of our control.
Counter Culture: You’re both the writer and the sole performer, which must create an unusual relationship with the character. You’ve also worked closely with director Blair McAlpine in developing the production. When you’re so immersed in Ellie’s world, how important is having somebody who can challenge your interpretation? Has Blair ever made you reconsider something fundamental about the character or the way her story should be told?
Sophie Max: As both a writer and an actor, it’s lovely to have someone I trust like Blair at the helm. I know our visions align, and our collaboration has really allowed me to realise my vision for who Ellie is in performance. Blair has definitely interpreted moments in the writing differently and we’ve discussed things deeply. That’s the joy of rehearsing- we get to try, experiment and blend all the different colours and ideas and aspects to figure out what works best for the story. One of my favourite things has been finding the moments of hope and lightness and joy- Blair has been so great at advocating for Ellie’s humour.
Counter Culture: The production is working with One in Four, which supports survivors of childhood sexual abuse and other forms of violence. I think that’s an important partnership because theatre can raise difficult questions, but people may need real support long after the performance finishes. What responsibilities do you think artists have when dealing with traumatic experiences, and what do you hope this partnership will achieve beyond simply raising awareness?
Sophie Max: My focus as a theatre maker when it comes to this issue, is on fellow survivors. I want us to feel represented, to be centred in the narrative, but not feel triggered, or like our experience is seen salacious, gratuitous, there purely to shock or as the butt of a joke.
In terms of this partnership, I’m thrilled to be able to raise awareness for One in Four’s vital work. It means we can signpost relevant support for anyone who needs it after the show. Beyond their work with survivors, One in Four do amazing advocacy work to increase public conversations around childhood sexual abuse specifically. The topic often remains ‘taboo’, yet only by opening conversations do we make it safe for survivors to come forward, and learn how to support them and how to prevent further abuse. I hope audiences can learn about their work and join the conversation.
Counter Culture: We’ve had inquiries, reports and repeated promises about protecting children from abuse, yet we still hear about institutions failing the very people they’re supposed to protect. There’s a danger that audiences see stories like Ellie’s as private family tragedies rather than recognising a wider social failure. Do you see Sharp Edges as a political play in that sense? And what would you most like people to question, or perhaps even change, after they’ve seen it?
Sophie Max: The reality is, we’re in an epidemic of violence against women and children, and it starts young- often younger than people are willing to face. One in Four states on their website: ‘Evidence shows as many as one in four adults have experienced some form of sexual abuse before the age of 18. Only one in eight children come to the attention of the authorities and 85% of all abuse is by someone known to the child.” It is, absolutely, a societal problem and honestly until it’s treated as such, until we stop seeing it as individual tragic stories and address the systemic issues, we won’t be able to stop it.
So absolutely, in that way, Sharp Edges is a political play. Ellie’s story is specific, but it is also universal. And I hope that audiences come out questioning what we can each do, in this moment, to change the culture of violence, or to support and advocate for survivors. What can we do when the systems built to protect us don’t, and many slip through the cracks?
Sharp Edges – Production and Ticket Information
Sharp Edges is written and performed by Sophie Max, directed by Blair McAlpine and produced by Zac Hamilton Wancke.
Venue: Camden People’s Theatre, 58–60 Hampstead Road, London NW1 2PY.
Dates: Wednesday 11 to Saturday 14 November 2026.
Performance times:
- Wednesday 11 November – 7pm
- Thursday 12 November – 7pm (Press Night)
- Friday 13 November – 7pm
- Saturday 14 November – 3pm and 7pm
Tickets: £12–£18, plus booking fee.
Running time: 75 minutes, without an interval.
Age guidance: 14+
Content advisory: Contains references to violence, weapons, murder and childhood sexual abuse. The production also uses atmospheric effects, flashing lights and loud noises.
Creative team:
Writer and performer: Sophie Max
Director: Blair McAlpine
Producer: Zac Hamilton Wancke
Set designer: Jida Akil
Lighting designer: Laurel Marks
Sound designer: José Guillermo Puello
The production is presented in partnership with One in Four, a charity providing specialist counselling, support and advocacy for survivors of sexual abuse. The partnership aims to raise awareness of its work and direct audiences towards appropriate support.
Book tickets directly through Camden People’s Theatre:
https://cptheatre.co.uk/whatson/sharp-edges
Box office: 020 7419 4841
Further information: www.cptheatre.co.uk
Sophie Max on X: @sophiemaxs
