Name: Alistair McDowall
Hometown: A very small village called Great Broughton, near Middlesbrough.
Which play do you wish you’d written? A lot. Most recently The Flick by Annie Baker. Felt like she’d somehow, and for some reason, written an ode to a very specific time in my own life. I guess a lot of people who saw/read it felt like that.
6 words to describe your play? Ramshackle talk show in a basement.
Favourite character in your play and why? I couldn’t do that to them.
What does the title mean? It’s about a Talk Show. Also it’s a show about talking, or not talking.
Where do you write? A university library I’m not actually allowed to be in. They have very lax security.
What do you like to do (not including theatre)? Anything that involves other people, since I spend 90% of my time on my own, in silence.
Favourite thing about London? My friends are mostly all here.
What makes you happy? Lucky finds in charity shops.
What’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought (excluding a house)? My TV, which is as big and as ominous as the monolith in 2001.
Which words or phases do you overuse? “It’s underrated” or “It’s overrated”
What is your greatest fear? Karaoke. Or, you know, Nuclear War.
What would be your last meal? I would request incredibly specific cuisine that would have to be flown in from as many different parts of the world as possible, the excessive air travel causing a lot of damage to the atmosphere. If I’m going down, I’m taking the whole planet with me.
Where would you like to be right now? I’m on the sofa in pajamas, so I’m fairly content.
What would you be if you weren’t a playwright? An electrician. You would call me ‘Sparky’ and I would have fuses intermingled with the loose change in my pocket. It’d be ace.
What time do you go to bed? About one.
Did you do any research for your play? I watched a lot of tv. I was doing that anyway, so it was very convenient.
What would you say influences you? Music and laughter.
What’s your favourite line in your play? No idea. I hope they all serve a purpose.
If you could have any super power what would it be? As a reader of comic books, I can assure you that the gaining of superpowers leads to nothing but pressure, misery, spandex, and dead loved ones.
Do you like surprises? I like the kind that involves presents. Don’t like the kind that involves fear or blood loss.
Talk Show by Alistair McDowall will be performed in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs 16 – 20th July 2013 as part of our Open Court Weekly Rep season. Click here* to book