Interview - Guidlines For a Long and Happy Play...
By Damien WhinneryIt won't be the first time the Castlereagh Road has been described as a post-apocalyptic world but this month one of its warehouses well be given a dystopian makeover for an exciting theatre production. Guidelines For A Long And Happy Life, written by Belfast playwright Paul Kennedy and directed by Michael Duke for Tinderbox Theatre Company, will be an immersive, intimate theatre experience. Staged inside a disused warehouse, the show is being performed as part of the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queens. The “promenade” theatre experience will see audiences of 50 people move around the warehouse taking in the terrifying new world where only a few survivors remain. We caught up with writer Paul for a quick chat about the play and its inspiration. Enjoy. Why inside a disused warehouse? That's why it's going to be put on. We needed a bigger stage. I think it hasn't been without it's difficulties, but I'm delighted with it so far. When every thing comes together it's going to be really exciting. When you get commissioned to write something like this and you see it go on for the first time, it's a big deal. It's a huge responsibility. What is it about post-apocalyptic worlds that makes them so compelling for audiences. Im not sure it it's fashionable or not to be making post-apocalyptic productions. For me, I wanted to write about something that captured a huge wasteland and an epic journey. Maybe everyone is so wrapped up in work and rules, they want to experience somewhere without those rules and restrictions. It's like Lord of the Rings and I am Legend and those sorts of things. A group of decent people trying to get on. Maybe that's the attraction, to see what happens when the rules aren't there. It also allows you the scope to put together some bad, bad characters. You mention you had lots of artistic freedom for this play. Is it easier to right without constraints or harder? It's much easier. This is one of the first times I've written a play to a commission and I thought I'd be given a lot of direction but in the end they didn't. If you wrote a screen play 'on spec', a lot of producers, who think they know the art of writing better, will come along and tell you to rearrange it. But the producers of this show encouraged me to go to really dark places. What can audiences expect from 'Guidelines'? A spectacle, really. It's not a traditional play. There are strange time structures and lots of varied characters. It's not really for the faint hearted. There's a lot of hard core scenes in this too. It's going to be a very different theatrical experience. Has a background in acting influenced how you write? Well, for a long time everything I'd written I had though, 'would part what would I be good for?' I was always trying to write myself a good part but when I got rid of that, I found it a lot more freeing. A few scenes now I think 'this is going to be a tough job', but then actors like that. A lot of actors don't get to push themselves, but I like a bit of meat for my characters. A little birdy tells me you're also the narrator for Channel 4 show Slim Chance. Is that right? That's hilarious! How did you know that? I've done voice over work for years and a lot of people would know the sound of my voice from advertisements. I got asked to narrate Slim Chance and jumped at the chance. Guidelines For A Long And Happy Life will be staged in the Old Victor Stationery Warehouse, Marshalls Road, Castlereagh Road, Belfast BT5 6SR. The production will run from Friday 14th to Friday 28th October (excluding Sundays) at 8pm. The performance length is 60 minutes and attendees are encouraged to wear warm clothing and comfortable footwear. The show is suitable for 16+. Tickets are priced at £12 / £10 concession and are available online at www.belfastfestival.com or by calling 028 9097 1197
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Incoming Incoming….Prepare For Evacuation!
