Welcome back to OPENING LINES, the interview series that puts playwrights centre stage by diving into the world of new writing and original work. Each interview explores the creative process, the challenges and triumphs of developing new ideas and work for the stage, why new voices and stories are essential to the future of theatre and what the industry is doing to nurture and support new writing.

With the fringe in full swing, I spoke to the fab Alice Mogridge – writer of POUR DECISIONS which is on at Lime Studio at Greenside @ George Street til 16th Aug aka today so last chance to grab your tickets! Available here!

A cabaret bar. Dead end job. An awful lot of Pour Decisions. This is a dive bar like no other. Toilets so backed up they resemble lasagne, cheap vodka in branded bottles and two members of staff who have gotten themselves into a predicament. It’s the morning after a wild work party and Frankie has awoken with no recollection of the night before. Where has everyone gone? Have her actions had irreversible consequences? Can she clean up her mess before this evening’s shift? This dark comedy follows Frankie and Jess as they uncover what has happened.

What inspired you to write POUR DECISIONS ?

POUR DECISIONS was inspired by the perils of working in hospitality, more specifically a particular dive bar I used to work at. The whole place was a play waiting to happen. I’ve just taken that and turned it into a dark comedy. I was heavily influenced by the things that make a dive bar bad. If you have never experienced ‘toilet lasagne’ before. Lucky you. It changes a person. 

What does bringing a show to Edinburgh Fringe mean to you? Is this your first time or have you been before? 

I have never been to the Edinburgh Fringe before, let alone perform here so I didn’t really know what to expect. It feels like such an achievement to be able to show this new piece of writing. I feel very grateful to have the opportunity to be able to do this. 

Were there any moments during the writing process that surprised you?

When writing POUR DECISIONS, I was shocking myself with what I was writing. The stories surrounding the dive bar are true, mixed in with some fictional darkness. It was so funny reliving these events whilst writing the play. I also loved experimenting with how dark comedy can actually go. 

As the writer and creator, how did it feel to bring your own words and vision to life on stage?

It was terrifying at first, I always hate that first read through, I could just feel myself cringing. It made me realise that some stuff that I think is funny in my head isn’t so much when said out aloud.  I loved seeing the shock in the faces of the team when I told them that this was all true. It was a picture. 

Did you learn or discover anything about the show during rehearsals that you didn’t expect to?

Absolutely. I learnt that this show is a lot weirder than I anticipated it to be.  Also thanks to our incredible director, Molly Fraser, the play has gone in a completely different direction to what I expected. Molly’s direction has lifted the script from the page and created something really exciting.  It also helps that my scene partner, Sasha, just understood the assignment straight away and created the perfect character. As a team we have shaped and changed the play so much since our first read through, I am so proud of what the show has now become. 

How do you want audiences to think and feel about your show? 

Hopefully they will be able to relate to parts of it, (I would hope not all of it). I want them to feel completely different at the end of the play from how they felt at the start. I hope there is a clear shift in emotion. 

If you could ask your audience one question after the show, what would it be?

Did you see it coming?

Do you see yourself continuing to explore similar themes and topics in your future work?

Absolutely. The perils of working in the hospitality industry is never ending. There is always another story to tell. 

Do the works of other playwrights, writers or theatre-makers influence your own writing? Are there specific writers or plays that have shaped your approach to storytelling?

Yes, I am heavily influenced by British comedies, in both TV and theatre. I love Daisy May Cooper, Kat Sadler, Dawn French, Caroline Aherne. These are the sort of writers that make me realise that you can write something that’s really weird and a bit ridiculous and people will still be able to relate to it.  

Do you feel that the theatre world is doing enough to support and nurture new writing? If not, what changes would you like to see?

There are certainly schemes in place to nurture new writing but there could aways be more.  I think there needs to be more to support for working class writers as the industry does still seem quite inaccessible.  The Fringe as a whole is so expensive, and at times it seemed completely impossible, I think if there was more support I would have come before now.