The Monthly interviews playwright, and actor, Patricia Gormley – Part 3 – Looking at issues using humour

What issues do you look at through your writing?

I tend to just start writing and things come up as I write. In the play “I’ll tell my Ma,” I look at loss, grief, and eventually how you come through that.

I other plays I have looked at isolation and ageing which I am well aware of, working in the Fold.

I tend to use humour even with very serious subjects. I think if you lighten the mood, if you find the funny side of life, if you can make people laugh, I think that helps address the more serious subjects.

What is the latest play you are writing?

The play is set in that period when we were coming out of Lockdown. The granny in the play is trying to navigate the situation where it is very difficult to communicate with her family. She moves to Spain.

There is an air stewardess and she has a boyfriend, Mohammad, who looks after her children while she is working. And there’s a plot twist regarding a relationship.

The play looks at the impact of Covid, it looks at social climbing, and it looks at the question of class.

How do you know the comedy works?

I think I have a good ear for humour and so far at each play people have laughed and that is such a good feeling. It’s the best feeling in the world. Actually everywhere I have performed I have had people laughing. I think because it is based on working class experiences it works quite well and I think it work anywhere working class people were part of the audience.

I performed it at a Trade Union conference and there a couple of English girls there in the audience, they were local girls, and they talked to me afterwards and said they really related to the characters.

I have been asked to do the play in London at a small community centre, so we will see if that can happen.

And where will this new play be performed?

It isn’t fully ready yet but we are going to put on a preview at the Argyle Centre and we will see how it looks in front of an audience.

Where to now?

I am just trying to get everything ready with this new play and we will go from there.