Presented by Rainbow Stout Productions Ltd., and directed by Vivi Bayliss, “Have You Met Stan?” is a bold exploration of queer identity, migration, and belonging, incorporating elements of both the Irish and Polish languages. The story follows Stanisław (Stan), who is from Poland, and Seán, a recent arrival in London from Ireland. Over the course of eleven months, we observe them as they navigate life, love, and nightlife in a city that struggles to understand where they fit in. We spoke to Jamie Douglas-Turner who plays Stan about his character and the musical play, Have You Met Stan?
What attracted you to the role of Stan, and how did your involvement in Have You Met Stan? come about?
So for me, it started almost the way it does for most. I saw the advert, realised I was available and thought, why not? I’ll have a little look at what it’s about. It was at that moment that I knew I HAD to apply. As someone who group up in a catholic family and came out as gay at a very young age, I felt that I have a lot of similarities to this role and playing Stan could be almost cathartic. I was super lucky to be given an audition, however, I didn’t expect to fall in love with the show more after that day, as I was introduced to it being “Musically like if Legally Blonde meets Irish folk music”. From that moment, I was checking my emails every day to find out if I could help bring this incredible show to life!
Cut to now, and we’ve just recorded an incredible album and are raring to do a first show!
Stan is such a multi-layered character—what’s your process for getting under his skin, and has he surprised you along the way?
Stan has been the most interesting character I’ve played to date for sure. I’ve come to know that not even Stan knows who he wants to be, he has these incredible fantasies that he talks about but isn’t quite sure how to turn those dreams into a reality. To get this balance right, I worked with the amazing Vivi Bayliss, our incredible director, who often asked how I felt in moments and sometimes questioned why. This helped me to find those reasons, building layers to this complicated and frequently misunderstood character. Stan has made me realise that being unapologetically yourself (which I often am) isn’t always easy for some, which has led me to have a deeper respect for those who struggle to be themselves on a daily basis.
Music plays a huge role in storytelling – how would you best describe the musical world of the show, and what’s it like to perform?
The music in this show is out of this world! Bart Thiede, our composer and writer, put his soul into this show, and it seriously comes across. With the addition of our super talented musicians, Lucy Gowen, our guitarist, and Georgia Ayew, the drummer, the show is elevated just the extra bit! The music for Stan goes through multiple genres from a Cabaret style to a Patter song, doing that is not only the most amount of fun but it makes absolute perfect sense as he can’t land on one thought. Sean, however, is going to give you your classic musical theatre that we all love, as he has a complete one-track mind and cannot go wrong. Having these two mixes is so enjoyable; everything has been thought through, and it also comes across.
What do you think sets Have You Met Stan? apart from other queer theatre or musicals out there right now ?
For me this is because it’s not about just being queer. I’ve found that a lot of queer shows have become performative and sometimes can tell unrealistic stories. In have you met Stan the characters are in a gay relationship but instead of it being about them being gay it’s about them as people. Being gay is not their personality, and neither is it for us in the real world. Of course, it’s part of their stories, but it is not who makes them. It’s a story that I wish I saw when I was younger because I would have stopped worrying about my sexuality much younger.
The show deals with identity, queerness and memory – how have those themes affected you personally or shaped performance?
As some who grew up similar way but in a MUCH better way and loving home than Stan, I also struggled with all these things, so this reminds me of a conversion of a conversation I had with my mother who was also brought up catholic. She asked how I felt about being gay, and I responded, “I’m comfortable with who I am, but I would never choose to be like this because it’s hard”. At that time, I was living in a small village, and although no one cared, it always came with looks and odd comments. Because of this I had an understanding with Stan that we didn’t want to live like this but we are going to damn try. Luckily I had it better than Stan.
Why should people come see Have You Met Stan? and what can they expect form the experience?
From a completely biased point of view, they should come see it because it’s incredible! But on a much more serious point, I think watching a show like this will benefit everyone. We all know someone who is queer or an immigrant, and if you don’t, I’m sure you know someone who does. The show will make you smile and laugh but also feel sadness for these characters. There’s a lot to relate to in this show, so it will absolutely tug a few heartstrings.
What’s been a standout moment for you in rehearsals or performance that encapsulates what the show means to you?
My biggest standout was once my worry before we started, as I knew that it would be just Stan and Sean I means that if there was no connection between us as actors it be immensely hard to build this believable world. However, in saying that, working with Matty Molyneux has been a dream! We have found this bond which allows us to have these super serious moments but also to ask if he’s down to go to the pub later (Which, as an actor, I can’t help), to also sit back and watch him perform, is so amazing, sometimes I forget I have the next line. Overall, the company has my heart as usually there’s one person that rubs you the wrong way, except in this case, there’s no one to be seen… unless it’s me…
Have You Met Stan runs from 21 – 24 May, 2025, at The Grounds at platf9rm, Church Road, Hove BN3 2AF, United Kingdom.
Have You Met Stan runs from 26 – 28 May, 2025, at King’s Head Theatre, 116 Upper Street, London N1 1QN, United Kingdom.
