Denise Gough

“To me, it’s incredibly brave for an addict to get clean,” she said. “The most avant-garde thing you can do in the world today is live sober, because if there was ever a time you’d want to switch off all the feelings it’s now, right?”

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Her experience has made her an outspoken supporter of immigration as well as government support for those out of work or on low incomes — a fraught subject in Britain.

“I am an immigrant, but the difference between me and the immigrants dying in the sea is that I’m white and English-speaking, and that to me is deeply troubling,” she said. “England saved my life, really. I took advantage of everything this country has to offer, and now I’m giving back.”

She is troubled by contemporary politics in her adopted home country, particularly Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. That, followed by the election of President Donald Trump, left her reeling. Yet “People, Places & Things” has also provided her with a framework for understanding the current turbulent state of the world.

”An addict has to hit rock bottom before they change their lives,’’ she said. ”Maybe the world is hitting rock bottom, and there’s going to be a glorious spiritual awakening where we all start looking after each other.”

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“Someone said to me, she’s really angry,” Ms. Gough explained. “Well, wouldn’t you be? Harper has to save herself. That’s why the speech at the end is pure joy. It’s got to be: ‘It’s going to be really hard, but I’m going to be free.’ Free from addiction, free from a husband that doesn’t love me, free to leave.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/11/theater/denise-gough-st-anns-warehouse-angels-in-america.html