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Play Talk: Conor McPherson on working with Bob Dylan's songs and why you should put on your own play

Dave Benett
Dave Benett

Haunting dramas such as The Weir, Shining City and The Seafarer have comfortably placed Irish playwright Conor McPherson in the contemporary theatre canon for many years. His latest play Girl From the North Country, a collection of stories intertwined with the songs of Bob Dylan, looks set to become another classic. Our five-star review described the show, which McPherson also directed, as "exquisitely heartbreaking".

What was the first play to make you want to write plays?

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.

What was your background to becoming a playwright?

I read Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet in my first year at University College Dublin where I was studying English and Philosophy. That summer I wrote a play that imitated Mamet’s swearing and mad energy. I brought it into the Drama Society at college in the autumn and they accepted it. I started directing the play and it feels like last week.

What's the hardest play you’ve ever written?

The Seafarer was tough because it has poker games being played as part of the action. That was tricky — and also difficult for the actors to learn -- but so much fun when it all worked and a wonder to watch them do it and make it seem so effortless.

Which brought you the most joy?

Girl from the North Country has been pretty joyful because of all the music. What an honour to spend your working day arranging Bob Dylan songs!

Which playwrights have influenced you the most?

Caryl Churchill, August Strindberg, David Mamet, Sean O’Casey, Tom Murphy, Brian Friel, Billy Roche.

What is your favourite line or scene from any play?

Billy Roche’s play Poor Beast in the Rain is set in a betting shop in Wexford. A boy called Georgie is in love with the girl who works there, Eileen. The moment he tells her he loves her is brilliant, because like all great drama it has entirely contradictory energy. By telling her loves her he is destroying their relationship. Absolutely brilliant.

What’s been the biggest surprise to you since you’ve had your writing performed by actors?

Every time is a surprise. Only when they actors start doing the play can you see what its about. Until then you have no idea.

Buy tickets for Girl From the North Country with Evening Standard Tickets

What’s been your biggest setback as a writer?

There are no setbacks really. Failure is incredibly useful for a writer. It brings you to a very free place so you can start again. Of course, failure is painful and confusing in the moment, but experience teaches you that failure is ultimately a lot more interesting and valuable than success — strange as that sounds.

And the hardest lesson you’ve had to learn?

A big lesson in theatre is that you are always learning! Your last play cannot help you with your new one. Each play is its own unique set of problems to be solved. You are always starting again.

What do you think is the best thing about theatre? And the worst?

The best thing about theatre is how do-able it is. You can put a play on anywhere really. You can make it happen. All you need is a room, and the ancient magic of holding an audience who want to watch the story unfold is always available. This is not to say it always works — but anyone can try. You don’t need money or scenery. All you need is a few actors who want to have a go. The worst thing about theatre is probably also what gives it its universal power — its transience. Each magic moment that happens is gone forever.

What’s your best piece of advice for writers who are starting out?

Don’t depend on theatres/agents/producers to give you your break. Just put the play on yourself. If it’s good, it will work.

Are there any themes and stories you find yourself re-visiting with your plays?

Absolutely. Most writers are telling the same story over and over again. Birth, death and resurrection are always at the heart of my plays.

Why did you write Girl From the North Country?

I write any play for the same reason. I see a world I want to explore.

How do you spend opening night?

Watching the show. I usually direct the premieres of my plays so I feel it’s my duty to be there and be with the cast as the work meets its audience for the first time. That’s the moment the work is truly born.

What’s the best play you’ve seen this year?

Travesties by Tom Stoppard.

What’s your favourite place to watch theatre in London?

I couldn’t pick one theatre. Although currently I certainly love the Old Vic. It’s become like my home from home.

What other art forms do you love when you’re not in a theatre?

Music is probably my first love.

If the Prime Minister said they were abolishing the theatre tomorrow, what would you do?

Ignore them. Theatre will always survive. You couldn’t abolish it if you tried.

Girl From the North Country is at The Old Vic until 7 October; www.oldvictheatre.com