As I write this, I’m at my day job trying to cram another meeting into an already over-stuffed Outlook calendar. I’m also texting my partner about what we’re going to feed the kids for tea tonight and working out if we can make our money last to the end of the month. Life is hectic. Not much time to dedicate to my inner Playwright – I call her Petunia.
I’ve been writing as a hobby for about fifteen years but, for some ridiculous reason, I’ve never actually studied the craft of stage writing. I come from a theatre background and I think I thought that maybe being an actor was in itself enough to become the next Sarah Kane/Oscar Wilde/Simon Stephens. Turns out that’s not the case. I’ve written things I’m really proud of and I’ve written plays so shockingly misjudged that the cringe factor when I think about them actually boarders on physical pain.
With these humiliating failures weighing heavy on my mind, I rocked up to the WriteForTheStage workshop with no fixed idea of what I wanted to write. We were asked to think of three themes we were particularly passionate about and from the back of my mind my twelve year old self shouted ‘Animal Rights!’ Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t believe in animal rights, I’m just not convinced that it’s up there in my top three causes these days. It definitely surprised me, so I decided to roll with it. From that point onwards, coming up with the idea for Vermin was uncharacteristically effortless. Through various exercises the characters made themselves known to me and the world around them grew and developed into something I felt really excited about. Petunia was happy.
Inspired by recent political events, stories from old friends and the incredible work of Charlie Brooker, Vermin is a journey into a Dystopian reality where class divides have led to Caste System like segregation. Only the most ruthless and ambitious will survive. I found that writing the piece became a good outlet for my own frustrations and fears surrounding the recent changes in western society, and it was interesting to see my thoughts translated into the lives of my characters.
I’m very excited that an extract of Vermin is going to be shown at Take Back Theatre’s latest performance. I think my success is testament to the process outlined by the WFTS course. Also, dedicating two full hours every week to focus on writing instead of being half distracted by potty training, minute taking, toast burning, bill paying, Facebook feuding, den building, carb eating and boo-boo kissing, gave my brain space ask questions and explore answers. In essence it gave me routine, structure and guidelines – a system I look forward to recreating on my own.
