Today we are speaking to Fraser, a Director and playwright who is bringing the show Common Tongue on a tour around Scotland starting in Ayr today and finishing in Paisley Arts Centre on the 18th October. We find out all about the show and what they have in store for audiences.
Hello! Tell us about yourself.
I’m Fraser, I’m a director and playwright from Paisley.
Tell us a but about the show ‘Common Tongue’.
Common Tongue is a play about a girl called Bonnie, who is trying to understand how she fits in. The show follows her as she grows up with her Papa; a staunch lover of Scots language, and as she moves away from home she begins to question what it means to sound the way that she does.
It’s a piece about language, identity and interrogating ideas of Scottishness.
How are rehearsals going? Tell us a little bit about the rest of the cast.
Rehearsals for Common Tongue are a joy because they mean I get to work with the wonderful Olivia Caw, who plays Bonnie. It’s a play for one actor, so Olivia is the only person on stage, which is a huge challenge that she takes to like a duck to water. Olivia has been a part of the show since it’s development and the piece has really evolved with her. Really Common Tongue would be nothing without Olivia’s performance, and so really I’m indebted to her for bringing it all to life.
What can you tell us about the stage set?
The set is really simple; we wanted to highlight the text and Olivia’s ability as a performer to transport us, the set functions as a multi-purpose canvas to explore all the parts of Bonnie’s life. The main visual is this collage of different tartans that make up the floor and geometry, as well as all these microphones that hang around the edges of the space. It makes the show feel a bit punk-y, which I think is part of its spirit.
What is the most challenging thing about doing the show?
It’s a different challenge directing your own writing, compared to just directing a show. You have to really trust your gut, because you don’t have that collaborative partnership you normally would on new writing. In some ways it’s useful because if somethings not working you can quite easily tweak the script, but I do try and be quite disciplined with myself and work on the draft as if I’m not the writer – which is hard, and makes watching the show with an audience nerve-wrecking, because it really feels like you’re putting a lot of yourself on stage. Of course, it’s Olivia doing the actually hard bit of performing it, who I’m sure is just as nervous as I am, because we both just want to do the story justice and give audiences something that will really affect them.
The best thing about touring the show?
Getting to go all over Scotland is so exciting! And to some really meaningful places as well. A couple of our locations actually feature in the show, like St. Andrews, and Paisley is my home so it’s really special to be finishing our run there. Really, we just want the play to reach as many people as possible, and the tour feels like the perfect way of doing that.
What have been some of the best highlights since doing the show? What is the best reaction you have had from an audience member?
We were recently talking about how actually, it isn’t a “solo show”, because the audience feel like such a huge character in the play, and it’s always great being reminded of that. The best highlights are when audiences respond exactly how you wanted them to. It feels really gratifying, and hopefully means you did your job right. There’s a specific moment that I won’t spoil that is absolutely electrifying with an audience that I didn’t quite plan for, but is always the most exciting thing to watch.
If people want to follow you on social media where can they find you?
For Common Tongue updates, @JGProducing
For my own work, @frsrsctt
Finally in three words why should people come to your show?
Great Night Out.
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