In Conversation with Medina Dizdarević – Sunday Reset
In this edition of In Conversation, we shine a light on Sunday Reset—a new play by Medina Dizdarević, premiering at The Blue Room Theatre from 21 to 25 October. Sunday Reset is about Zara, who hasn’t left the house in three weeks and is determined to get her life back on track by Monday with the help of her best friend, Sofia. It’s a sharp, cathartic comedy about burnout, rebuilding, and the friends who sit with you when the world feels like it’s ending. We caught up with Medina Dizdarević to dive into the creative process behind the work and what audiences can expect from this thrilling new production.
What motivated you to apply to be part of The Blue Room Theatre’s 2025 season, and what drew you to this project?
I have been toying with various iterations of Sunday Reset for a few years now, and none have progressed past a few scenes or pages of plotting, so I have always considered this work quite early in its development. The Blue Room was therefore the perfect place to give this show its first real life, to have the space to play and experiment, to try to create a big effect with very little and see how far we can go; to figure out all the ways we can stretch this story into something larger than life. This project felt so appropriate for me at the time of applying, wading through the depths of burnout myself, that it felt both immediate for processing and a way to alleviate the stressors, as I approached this subject matter primarily through comedy.
How has the creative journey been so far—from concept development to rehearsals?
The creative journey has felt like a long road, having been programmed for this season almost a year ago. It’s odd now to look at the week ahead and know that we will finally be bumping into the space and bringing the story to life in all its glory, transforming the Kaos Room into this little world we have been building.
I split the process for this play into two parts – the first being writing it, and the second bringing it into the room for consultation (and subsequently rehearsal).
This script in particular felt like a hefty one to tackle; I think the concept, having had so many variants in the past, set me up with too many possibilities when I finally sat down to write. It was a lengthy process trying to simplify the story and decide what I could live without, and at many points it felt like an impossible task to condense a story with so many moving parts into 50 minutes and still retain the narrative integrity, comedy, and clarity. I must have written something like twelve drafts of this script in the past year, some vastly different to the one previous, before suddenly circling back to an older draft and reverting the changes.
Bringing it to the room and working in conjunction with my team has been the other side of the coin. It was invaluable to get their feedback and hear them read the script out loud, and reassuring to listen to them engage with and relate to the narrative. As they experienced various drafts of the script, it was always most interesting to hear what had stuck with them and the questions they had about the new paths the characters were carving.
This work has felt like a real labour of love; it has reiterated that so much art is perceiving the tip of the iceberg. Knowing how many drafts were written, all the conversations we’ve had, all the things that we agonised over versus things said or done on the fly have all, one way or another, shaped this show, it’s fascinating to know only a few people will ever really see all the lives a work has lived before it’s cast out into the world.
What has stood out to you during the rehearsal process—any unexpected discoveries or moments of growth?
Without delving too deeply into spoilers, I have seen certain elements of the story come to life in ways I never anticipated. To be fair, I didn’t really know how they would come to life when I had written them, but seeing other creative visions cast onto the work has expanded what I thought was possible. I realised how limited my viewpoint had been, and that so many of the things I had dreamt up thinking would immediately be shut down or met with ‘it’s not possible’ were rather met with an attitude of ‘we’ll figure it out’.
How has the collaboration with your cast, crew, and creatives shaped the work and your vision for it?
Without my team, this show would not be even a tenth of what it has turned into. I made great use of the note “I don’t know what happens here, maybe x?” throughout the script, writing in vague stage directions, to indicate I both genuinely don’t know what happens by way of action, but also flinging the creative door open to the other team members to play and bring something of themselves to it. In doing so, I have seen creative solutions emerge from my brilliant team, elevating the work beyond my imagination.
What does having your show programmed in The Blue Room Season mean to you as a lead creative?
This is my first work to have gone up at the Blue Room, written in full without being part of a devised process; one I have been able to see go from concept to stage in its entirety, and this is a significant milestone for me. A few years ago, I was looking at Blue Room application forms without any idea of how to start or connect with anyone to make a show possible. Cut to today, I am making work and fully immersed in the industry, with wonderful friends and colleagues I can connect with on a whim to see what’s possible. To know that I can approach so many established creatives and have them believe in my idea has felt incredibly exciting and reassuring for my future as an artist.
As you move closer to opening, what are you most excited—or even nervous—about sharing with audiences?
There are a few elements of the show we have purposely kept under wraps in the promotion of the work, and I am excited to see audiences respond to them. It’s quite in line with my style of writing, but having had only one staged work in my career, this will be the first time this sort of concept is brought to life within a narrative I have written. I am really keen to watch my team make it happen, gauge what works and what doesn’t, and witness audience reactions to the surprises we have in store.
Image by Sophie Minissale