Interview: Get the slim with Tim (Foley)

An interview with playwright and director Tim Foley, about his new play ‘Short caption for stick figures’.

JA: So Tim, you’ve recently enjoyed a successful run at the Fringe for your play, ‘Meat’. Are there any resemblances between ‘Short Caption for Stick Figures’ and ‘Meat’, either thematic or stylistic? Or were you trying to take a different approach?

TF: Thank you! The Fringe was amazing, even if I haven’t quite recovered from sleeping on wooden floors. I think with every new script I write, I take techniques that work from previous scripts and try them in new contexts. But it’s no fun just doing the same thing over again – and like my dreadful cooking, I want to experiment! ‘Short Captions for Stick Figures’ is a breath of fresh air after the grimy gothic world of ‘Meat’. It’s a more downright comedy that should appeal to an absurdist’s sense of humour.

JA: Okay, so I won’t be expecting any public masturbation or suggested cannibalism this time round! But gender divides still seems to link the two – is this something you feel particularly strongly about?

TF: Divisions in general are where drama lies, where you can bite into juicy bits of conflict and write the best arguments. If people have problems with other people, they tend to be with other people’s differences – and I do tend to focus on gender and sexuality, because it’s jointly the most obvious and the subtlest difference. The divisions are everywhere, but we’re so used to some, we tend to ignore them. From clothes shops to bathroom doors, all the way to gay clubs and the institution of marriage, we’re constantly grouped and sectioned off – and we’re guilty of doing it to ourselves too. Often, there’s absolutely nothing wrong in that. I wear men’s clothes, pee in urinals, hit it up in the Kremlin, and I plan on making some riotous Best Man speeches. But the moment I choose not to conform, then what? Have I shifted teams? Were there really any teams to begin with? The mistake in any play is to group a character with their gender, or to assume that they can speak about themselves with any authority. In ‘Stick Figures’, all the characters are pretty horrible, be they man or woman, and none of them really have any grip on what they’re arguing about. I should point out I am no authority either. But that’s half the fun.

JA: It sounds very controversial. You said in a previous Stand article that Mamet had a big influence on your writing.  Has the American playwright continued to have this fruitful effect on you?

TF: Yes, indeed he has. I approached ‘Stick Figures’ with the brief of a ‘reverse Oleanna’ – i.e. with the woman in control and the man on the offensive. As I discovered, this makes the situation much more bizarre and quite unrealistic, so it was fun to find the humour in this. I also watched on in awe a few weeks ago when, in the space of a few days, every politician decided to have a publicly ill-informed opinion on rape. If it weren’t so tragic, it would actually be quite funny. I played with aspects of this in my characters, aiming for a similar level of complete unawareness about the opposite sex.

JA: Very interesting. Is this to say that ‘Short Captions’ wasn’t originally intended as a comedy but rather turned into one as the creative process picked up momentum?

TF: All my plays start seriously and end humorously. I think I sabotage myself with all the terrible wordplay.

JA: And how have you found directing your own work? Would you be happy for someone to take over directing ‘Short Caption for Stick Figures’, perhaps for next year’s Fringe?

TF: I love people directing my stuff! I enjoy it myself, but I approach it very much as a writer. A fresh pair of eyes brings a whole new creative element to a production. My two shows that transferred to the Fringe (‘Scene of the Titans’ and ‘Meat’) were helmed by new directors and really benefited as a result. Anyone who saw both ‘Meat’ in St Andrews and ‘Meat’ at the Fringe will tell you they were very different shows – and they are surprised to hear how little of the script actually changed. A good director makes all the difference.

JA: It will be exciting to see who the directing baton of ‘Short Captions’ may be passed onto. But for now, the most important question of all must be addressed: what is ‘Short Caption for Stick Figures’ all about and why should people come see it?

TF: It’s the first original play of the semester. We’ve only had a week to put it together and you’re going to be overwhelmed at how hard both the cast and crew have worked, and how fresh the show feels as a result. It’s a talented bunch of actors that tear up my awful puns and will have you splitting your sides. As to what it’s actually about… well, forgive the obnoxious cliché, but that would be telling.

JA: How secretive! But I hear you’ve got an even newer play coming up later this October – could you tell us a bit about that?

TF: It’s the big one! ‘Baby Bottle Cosmo’ is a play that goes up on the Byre Main Stage this Halloween. It will be my fifth and likely final play in St Andrews (I should probably start rescuing my degree), so it’s not one to miss. It’s a dark comedy about gay parenting that’s swimming in medicated cocktails and fictional pigs. Should be fabulous.

If any of you are interested in seeing ‘Short Captions for Stick Figures’, tickets are £4 and will be sold outside the Barron theatre from 12 to 2pm on Monday and Tuesday. Performances are at 8pm at the Barron on Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 19th of September.

Meanwhile, auditions for ‘Baby Bottle Cosmo’ are 12 to 2pm Wednesday and 8 to 10pm Thursday. All are welcome!