Matthew Bulgo on Last Christmas

Thinking of coming to see Last Christmas this December at the Soho Theatre? This is an interview writer Matthew Bulgo did with the New Current....

Acclaimed Welsh theatre company Dirty Protest present an important contemporary story in a boldly theatrical style with a very Welsh context. The play follows Tom, played by Sion Pritchard (Blink, Muscle), as he is confronted by the ghosts of his past when he returns home for Christmas. Forced to face his demons, he attempts to rescue his family and his future.

Directed by Clwyd Theatr Cymru\’s Associate Director, Kate Wasserberg.

Hi Matthew how's it going, you all set for the fringe?

I think so. I was at the fringe last year as a performer and I think my mind and body have just about recovered. I try and make it up to the festival most years, usually just as a punter. Most people who know me will tell you that I see an unhealthy amount of theatre. I have to admit to being a bit of an addict.

What does it mean for you to be able to bring your show to the festival?

It means a massive amount to me. It's been at the top of my 'bucket list' for a quite a while now and it's going to feel unreal to finally be able to cross it off. Add to that the fact that it's a very personal show for me...and that we've got an awesome team on board...well, let's just say the sleepless nights have already begun!

Tell me a little bit about Last Christmas, how did the play come about?

I wrote a short play for Paines Plough a few years ago. It was part of their Come To Where I'm From season. The provocation was to write a short play about the place that you call home. I wrote a very personal piece about my home city of Swansea, the love-hate relationship I have with it and the fact that it will always be inextricably linked in my mind with my father.

Last Christmas is a lot less autobiographical but deals with a lot of the same themes. It's a show about family, work, life-long friendships, the place we call home, dwelling on the past, being scared of the future and finally having to admit you're an adult – there's all sorts in there. Christmas is a time when all these things come to the foreground for us, they come into a sharper focus because life gets put on hold and we actually get some breathing space to think about those sorts of things. So Christmas eve felt like the perfect time to set this play...but it's not a Christmas play. Far from it!

Is there anymore tweaking left to do or are you all set for the fringe?

Oh, yes. A little. It's been really interesting to come at the piece with fresh eyes having had some time away from it. The piece was first performed in December 2012 and I feel like I've learnt a heck of a lot since then. The Edinburgh version of Last Christmas is looking a bit more svelte.

How important for you was it to keep this production in a Welsh Context?

Not massively so, to be honest. The play starts in London and finishes in Swansea. I thought about it as being a sort of one-man road movie for the stage when I was writing it. My intention was to write a play about 'home' and 'family' – to make that as authentic as possible I used the place that I call home but I'd like to think that the events and the people that the audiences will be faced with in this piece are universal and very recognisable, wherever you may come from.

What have been the biggest challenges you've faced with the new show?

Cutting it! You get very attached to every word of a script once it's been performed but we knew from the start that we wanted to find a version that was a little leaner this time around. It's always hard cutting your own text – Tim Price likes to call it 'killing your babies' – but it certainly feels like the cuts we've made have improved the piece. I've learnt heaps from the experience.

How did you get into theatre, has it always been something you wanted to do?

For a wee while there as a teenager, I wanted to go into psychology. Then I daydreamed about being in band (who doesn't?) and then finally I went to drama school. I'd been into theatre since I was about 13 or 14. I ended up going to LAMDA and I've been an actor now for just over 10 years. Eventually this sort of naturally segued into wanting to write plays and thankfully I've been lucky to be surrounded by people like Kate Wasserberg and Tim Price who've convinced me to stop daydreaming and actually write one. And here it is! Ooo, I think I just started having palpitations.

What was it about theatre that really spoke to you?

Above all, I love the fact that it has the ability to transport you. When you see a great piece of theatre, for an hour or two hours or however long, you forget where you are and you engage with a character and the journey they're going on. When that happens, it's beautiful. As soon as I realised that that's what theatre is capable of, I wanted to be part of that.

Do you have any rituals before you start a new production?

I'm a bit of a magpie. I'll have a vague notion of what a play might be about and for months I'll just collect things that might be useful – phrases, characters, images, books. Then eventually, it starts to feel ripe and I'll put pen to paper. I'm not sure it's the most efficient process but it's where I'm at at the moment.

Who have been your biggest inspirations?

Ooo, far too many to mention probably. I'm a pretty voracious reader and I sort of take inspiration from all over the place. In terms of literary inspirations, Albee, Wesker, Miller, Pinter, Osborne, Lorca. More recently – Nick Payne, DC Moore, Will Eno, Neil Labute, James Graham. Kate Wasserberg once described me as “like a foul-mouthed James Graham” which I think is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me. Ever. I'm serious. I mean, like, even including my mother.

I'm heavily influenced by a lot of fiction too – B.S. Johnson, Camus, Raymond Carver, Graham Greene, J. D. Salinger. In retrospect, both The Catcher in the Rye and The Outsider were influences for Last Christmas.

On a personal note, Kate Wasserberg (who directed Last Christmas), Sion Pritchard(who plays Tom in the play) and Tim Price (who mentored me through the process and was a dramaturg on the piece) have all had a massive influence on me as playwright and on this piece in particular.

What are best 5 words describe your show?

Oh, that's far too difficult to answer. I'll be a cop-out and plump for 'Just come and see it'.

What has been the best advice you've been given?

Don't get it right, get it written. First drafts are always crap. Just get it on the page and then at least you've got something to mould.

And finally, what do you hope people will take away from your show?

I love theatre that makes you forget where you are. I hope the audience forget that they’re in a black box for an hour and get sent out into the Edinburgh sunshine a little different than when they went in.