The Rock

Have you ever imagined a night out which combines one of the biggest names in entertainment, a unique venue, songs, puppets and a glimpse into a dystopian future?

If so, you’re in luck. A brand new musical based on Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is debuting in London next week as part of the Vault Festival.

Created and produced by women’s collaboration project Nevertheless, She, The People’s Rock is a play which looks set to reflect the paranoid edge of 1984 with the warmth and atmosphere of Hairspray.

Set in a world situated 30 years in the future, but carrying eerie similarities to the present, a teenage girl is living in America under the leadership of Emperor Trumpus.


The People’s Rock poster

There’s no television, internet or democracy, and everybody has forgotten about the past, but one girl is obsessed with the idea and the legend that is Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.



The all singing and all dancing play presents a teenage fantasy/religious role model hybrid of The Rock, as a bleak world attempts to curb momentary hope.

We caught up with producer Emma Shaw to learn how and why this audacious project came to life.

Hi Emma, what were the origins of The People’s Rock?

It came about as all the best ideas do when we were taking the piss out of one of our friends. She is obsessed with Dwayne Johnson, and had alarm clocks and cardboard cut-outs of him.

We were making comments about it, and someone mentioned that this could be a good idea for a play, and it developed from there.

It was a group piss-take which turned into a 60 minute play with ten songs and a full cast.

Tell us about Nevertheless, She?

It’s an all-women’s writers group. We had our first meeting about a year ago, and we all work in different parts of the industry. Some of us are in television, some of us are in theatre or talent agencies for our day-jobs.

Putting on a play involves quite a lot of work and it’s a financial risk, but if you split it between five people, not so much. The idea was to form a writing group to help and support each other as females working in the industry, but also for a different funding model.

It’s like a co-op, we’re all contributing different things. As well as the writing, we all have different areas of expertise in the industry.

Dwayne Johnson made his name as The Rock inside the professional wrestling ring. Are there many links between wrestling and theatre?

WWE is theatre in its purest form! Wrestling has the narratives that go through it and they have storylines. If you go to the Globe on a good night, that is very much like WWE.

Of course if you go to a very serious show, there are rules and etiquette to be polite, but I’ve seen RSC Shakespeare productions where the audience are totally engaged, laughing and shouting back.

Okay, maybe it’s not hurling abuse like you might see at a wrestling show, but certainly the Globe used to be like that.



Wrestling and theatre has got quite a lot in common, there’s no difference really. Both are live events, you want to be there and be in the action.

The Rock is being played by a puppet in your show. How come?

Yes, that’s correct because we couldn’t quite afford Dwayne Johnson! The puppeteer for The Rock is quite a big lad, but he’s not quite The Rock, who has a very distinctive look. The eyebrow alone is one hell of an acting job.

In the world that we’ve created, it’s not the real Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, it’s the teenage fantasy of him. In the script we call him ‘The Fairy RockMother.’ He appears when she needs him.

He’s a really tough guy in the play who thinks he can take on everybody, but he’s still really small! Because it’s a musical and it’s fun, it works really well.

Is he the only puppet in the musical?

Yes, the rest is live-action. He’s the only fantasy element in it. It’s a very drab world where everyone is controlled by Emperor Trumpus.

The premise is that Dwayne Johnson has been turned into a cult figure like in Stalinist Russia, and is still the People’s Champion, but he’s also keeping them in line and doing time checks.

When he suddenly disappears overnight, everyone pretends that he was never there and it becomes a post-truth fake news event. Our main character won’t accept it, and she doesn’t understand why everyone is asking her to be quiet.


It’s a colourful night out, we want to talk a bit about what’s going in the world but what we didn’t want to do is depress anybody, or be heavy-handed. It’s very subtle.

We want to be relevant and talk about the way women engage with the messages someone like Donald Trump sends, but at the same time, its primary role is to be a piece of entertainment.

What’s the venue like where you’ll be putting on the show?

We’re playing at the Network Theatre, and we’re on as part of the Vault Festival. It’s a great festival with over three hundred shows, and the team that puts it together are very helpful.

There’s such an eclectic mix of stuff on, there’s straight, serious plays, there’s a tragicomedy about ISIS, plus some other musicals, and comedians too.

Something's cooking and it smells like revolution! Proud to announce @NS_Writers debut show THE PEOPLE'S ROCK @VAULTFestival, 24-28 JAN. Book now: https://t.co/oZQzABmcUx … pic.twitter.com/JmdW1SYDyA — Nevertheless She (@NS_Writers) December 5, 2017

The venue is really cool, it’s underground near Waterloo with a bar in the middle, and all the theatre rooms feed off of it. There’s a night out feel, and it’s really fun.

So finally, why should people come to see The People’s Rock next week?

Because it’s a fun night out. It’s raining here, it’s January, and this is an hour of pure fantasy with music, puppets and a great story. You’ll leave feeling uplifted, which at the moment is the best anyone can hope for!

The People's Rock Story by Nevertheless She

Written by: Ceci Mazarella, Emma Shaw, Tilly Lunken and Beth Crane

Music by: Hedley Knights and Joshua Batch

Directed by: Sophie Benefer Cast:

Tee – Francesa Mintowt

Seth/Fairy Rock Mother: Jonathan McEwen

Nana/Mill: Jiggy Bhore

The People’s Rock is playing 24-28th January at The Network Theatre