Phoebe Eclair-Powell is a playwright and an actress. One of the plays that she has written is called These Bridges and will be performed by many youth theatre groups as part of National Theatre connections.

These Bridges is set in a dystopian London when the Thames burst its banks and submerges London. The North and the south of the city become separated and myths about 'the other side' speculate. This causes four sets of teenagers to explore whether the opposite side is really better despite the significant risks.

When I was fortunate enough to speak to the playwright herself, I asked her many questions about the nature of the play and its inspirations.

Myself- "Why did you pick the city of London to base your play?"

Phoebe- " I chose London because I was raised and lived in South London so I could know where the setting was especially in areas like Camberwell and Peckham. But also, it's a brilliant landscape with a variety of people with individual stories. It would be inauthentic of me to write about anywhere else.''

Myself- ''What was your inspiration for this play?''

Phoebe- '' When I was commuting in London, I found there was such a divide in the commuters of London but also the city itself. There is a stark division between the North and the South of London and the characters in the play reflect this division because of where they come from and how their lives are. ''

As this play was written before Brexit, Phoebe also highlighted how the political event showed and emphasised divisions in our society that are spoken of in the play.

Myself- '' Why do the teenage characters have such materialistic aims despite the destruction and devastation in London?''

Phoebe- '' The characters have such materialistic aims despite the destruction because even in an apocalyptic situation we will desire certain objects because we are a consumptions society. It is ironic in the play because all the teenagers are in a life and death situation when travelling across the waves of the Thames but their desire is Wi-Fi. It also allowed me to have fun with challenging meaty issues because we all have something to say on this matter.''

The comments made by Phoebe in her play often reflect true events in our current society but like how the teenagers come together in the end to build a better society, hopefully we can do the same.