Interview with Alexandra Blanchard. Writer of 'What Would Harold Pinter Think?'

26.2.18

I spoke to Alexandra Blanchard about her upcoming tour of 'What Would Harold Pinter Think?', which opens March 1 at the Judith E Wilson Studio....

1- This is your first staged play. How long have you been writing for? And is stage your main focus, or do you write in other mediums?

I’ve always written but not seriously until three or four years ago. I’m more interested in performance rather than the stage in particular. I’m fascinated by ways of performing, ways of seeing performances and the fragments of performance that lodge in the dusty nooks of your brain that grow and reshape your interactions with the world. I think that’s a discussion that all performers run into - what you create will never be seen or remembered as a whole. But as long as one shard get stuck, then something remains of that one unchangeable and unrepeatable night. That has to be enough. I write a lot of poetry which I often think of as a collage of shards that I’ve collected from performances and people and reading. It’s very curious what the brain remembers. 

2- ‘What would Harold Pinter think?’ is about class, feminism, mental health and freedom. Is there any theme you don’t want to address? 

I’m interested that you think that ‘What Would Harold Pinter Think?’ is a discussion of class, I mean, it does touch on class but I’m not sure that much work that is set in England isn’t haunted by the spectre of class. But again, my discussions of feminism and mental health are in no way exhaustive. How could they be? Everyone experiences those ‘themes’ in entirely different ways. I also wouldn’t say that this piece is ‘about’ themes but rather they are questions and discussions that crop up in a story about a woman trying to figure life out. I write about whatever interests me and I wouldn’t want to put a limit on that. Whether I have a right to those discussions is another thing altogether. 

3- How does the writing process go for you? What inspired you to write ‘What Would..?’

Procrastination is a bitch. But ultimately procrastination is just fear - so all I need to do is be more scared of not writing than writing! 

No, I always think that my writing brain is quite like a river. There’s always curious artefacts - words, sentences, ideas - floating by, but if you miss them, they’re not going to wait long for you. I couldn’t tell you exactly what inspired me to write ‘What Would Harold Pinter Think?’. I decided that I wanted to write something bigger so I blocked out a week or two for writing and then dredged what I could from my river and sculpted them into people and opinions and conversations. Then it’s just a matter of listening hard enough to them.  

4- The play is transferring to the Judith E Wilson studio in Cambridge with The Old Vag Club. That’s a curious name: tell me about them and what connection you have with them?

I am so thrilled to be working with the Old Vag Club. They’re such an exciting group of young female and non-binary creatives that have already produced some extraordinary work. Their last piece, ‘Public House’, was an incredibly innovative and intimate performance of sexual harassment and assault. They are working with such difficult material and making very wise decisions about the staging of it. And beyond the way they handle the material, they’re working with Relaxed Performances and donating ticket profits to BEAT charity. I went to school with one of the founders of Old Vag Club, Eliza Bacon, my director, but we were never particularly friends at the time but we met last summer and I fell instantly and deeply head over heels. I am so delighted to hand over my piece to Eliza due to her understanding of the script and the characters and her absolute capability. My praise for OVC is never-ending. If you have any chance to support them and their work, even a like on Facebook or Instagram, know that they are thoughtful, kind and brilliant. 

5- Every writer is always looking on to their next project. What’s next for you?

I’m working on two very exciting projects at the moment - but then, every new project is exciting - that’s what keeps the work flowing. One is a rewrite of a living newspaper play discussing New York housing and tenement buildings in the 1930s/40s. I’m making it relevant to London today, looking at London’s council housing and in particular, Grenfell Tower. It’s a big and incredibly sensitive topic. I am asking myself more and more about my right to represent, the closer I get to writing it. The other is poem collaged from the works of various authors that I am pairing with film from my friends, many of them artists. It’s not finished yet so I can’t tell what it has achieved but it’s very interesting and beautiful so far. And you can’t ask for more than that!

'What Would Harold Pinter Think?' opens March 1 at Judith E Wilson Studio
Tickets available here
Or email here
Proceeds are put towards BEAT charity as well as staging new and innovative writing.