So, I sat down with my friend Franki Le-Voguer who is a drama student, but also a very talented script writer and director. Franki wrote AND directed her first play 'The Plumbing'. Which to me is pretty fucking amazing at our age, most people can't juggle between deadlines and being drunk. Never mind single handedly running your own rehearsals and drafting a script! (As she reveals below she had some help from coffee).
Her debut play 'The Plumbing', in a nutshell as stated in the programme, 'focuses on the myth, misconceptions and many awkward moments young people experience regarding sex.' The play addresses falsities and issues that the education system fails to acknowledge never mind answer. The play discusses both the male and female side of sex. It also explores sexuality, where you're labelled like a tin of soup and categorised on a shelf of either straight, gay or bi. The play examines all of the above in a comedic yet serious way. Even I learned a thing or two, (not saying I'm a nympho).
A review of the production will be posted next Wednesday so keep your eyes peeled!
Anyway, I talked to Franki two weeks after the performance of her two SOLD OUT shows and here's what she had to say about the whole process.
The Interview:
Bekka: So, what was it like writing your own play, how did
it start?
Franki: Well, it all started two years ago. I had an idea
for a play about sex, basically. I wrote a scene which was Will and Vera’s
scene in the first act. It’s awkward and it’s quiet, with minimalistic speech
and stuff like that. I wrote that scene and then left it. I came back to it
last term and I needed to sort my sleeping pattern out, so I thought you know
what, fuck it, I’m going to write a play. (Laughs).
Bekka : Stay up all night?
Franki : Yeah, stayed up all night and wrote the first act,
and I took that first act down to Kennedy and Sam, my friends, and they said,
you know, you’ve got to make this a full length thing. And so we talked about
ideas for a second act and thought, okay, this act is kind of Vera’s act, the
girl’s side of things. Where can it go from here? Should we do a boy’s side of
things, or a different topic? Basically, I fucked up my sleeping pattern again
(Laughs) and I decided, right I’m going to have another all-nighter, I’m going
to write the second act. That’s how it came about really.
Bekka: So act one is the girl’s side?
Franki: Yeah.
Bekka: And act two is the boys?
Franki: Yeah, and if you want to see it from a different
perspective, it’s like act one is about the way sex is perceived, the way sex
is taught (or not taught, as the case may be). And act two is more about
sexuality, and figuring out whether people like girls or boys, or whether they
just want that emotion.
Bekka: Ahh right. So when it came to directing it (yourself)
how did you feel about that?
Franki: It was scary for me because I’ve only been on one
directing course with 20 Stories High. It opened my eyes to a lot of things, but
other than that I’ve just watched (people direct). I’ve had experience being the actor but this
was the first time I’ve directed my own play. And with it being on such a small
time scale, I would’ve liked to have done a lot more with it. But we had two
weeks intensive rehearsals, so it was about blocking and bringing out characterisation
and then polishing it off. There was only one small bit in the middle where I
thought that I could’ve really done some more development with the time we had.
Had I had that time I would’ve. I know that I came to realise that I’m a very authoritative
director.
Bekka: Right?
Franki: I kind’ve like, put on this voice. Which is really
weird.
Bekka: So you yourself became a character?
Franki: Yeah, definitely! It was kind of like becoming a
character myself. And my cast picked up on it. People who watched the directing
process noticed it. So if I was going to change something it would definitely
be that I’d like to be a more laidback director and less of a character, more
like a person.
Bekka: Yeah?
Franki: I had a lot of help from Matthew Plummer. He was my
lighting and sound technician for the play. He was also my director last year.
He came in towards the end and he was a massive, massive help. He showed me the
sort of things that we should’ve been doing that I was missing out on.
Bekka: But it was nice to have that little bit of guidance?
Franki: Oh absolutely, it was wonderful. I honestly don’t
know where I’d be without Matthew. He was a mentor. He was constantly saying “You’re
doing alright.” (Laughs).
Bekka : “It’s alright keep going,” kind of thing. So, if you
could’ve done anything different, what would you change?
Franki: I would’ve made the acts longer. I think it might
have been a little strange for the audience to have two 40 minute acts with an
interval in between. Maybe I’d have just pushed it up to an hour for each act. But
at the same time, I think that the play was straight to the point, so I’m kind
of torn about saying that, because on the one hand I feel like it had
everything I needed and I liked what it said, the way it said it. But, for it
to be a full length play would’ve helped the credibility of it. But I feel like it was around the right
length for what it was, you weren’t sat on your seat for too long, you got what
you needed out of it. Because the play was intended to be multi-roled, everyone
expect for Will and Vera was supposed to be played by two other actors. But
there was so much interest in the auditioning process, and so many good actors
who came for the auditioning process, that I had to give out all the roles. I
would’ve definitely written longer scenes for the people who got smaller roles,
because they were just brilliant actors and they just deserved more lines.
Especially poor Tom who got like nine lines or something and reminded me constantly
(Laughs).
Bekka: Are you pleased then with the response you’ve had
from people?
Franki: Absolutely yeah, I’m thrilled. Like I said at the
start, this began from two coffee filled all-nighters, then it’s become a full
length play, with great responses on twitter from theatre groups and it’s been
sent to writing competitions and new theatre competitions. The response is just
phenomenal and I never, ever, ever thought it would get this far.
Bekka: In relation to the themes, what made you want to talk
about sex and address that head on?
Franki: Well, the whole idea was that the more I grew up,
the more I learnt about our sex education system and relationships and things
like that. I never felt like we get enough adequate sex education in schools. That’s
where the name comes from. It’s what you get taught in schools, The Plumbing. “This
is a penis, this is a womb.” Not even a vagina! It’s the womb. And so you don’t
get taught about relationships. You don’t get taught about consent. And those
are things that really, really should be in our education system, in my eyes
anyway. That’s what drove me to write it. I always knew from writing that first
scene two or three years ago that I wanted my first play to be about the state
of sex education, at its heart. So yeah I think, personally, as the writer,
even if I do say so myself; that we got it across in the right way.
Bekka: They definitely did.
Franki: It wasn’t too preachy, it wasn’t too conservative.
It was out there. It was honest. It was raw.
Bekka: And real.
Franki: And real, yeah. And that’s what we need. We don’t
need teachers standing up in a classroom saying “abstinence is key blahblahblah.”
“…This is how to use a condom but don’t ever have sex,” kind of thing. We need
to know that sex happens and it’s messy, and it’s awkward, and…
Bekka: You can’t beat around the bush, literally.
Franki: (Laughs) Yeah, exactly. It’s always been like that
and it always will be you’re going to make mistakes. But you’re going to have to
learn to deal with that. That’s the tool kit we need. We don’t need to be
handed out…well, we do need to be handed out free condoms (laughs) and learn
about birth control. But we also need to be handing out advice and support. And
telling people that life’s not perfect. But you’re going to be okay.
Bekka: Where do you go from here? What’s your direction for
the future? Another play in The Plumbing?
Franki: Well, yes (laughs). First of all, The Plumbing was
supposed to be a trilogy. Looking to further Lucifer’s story and also Katie’s,
as well. But other than that, I’ve got ideas for some work for a couple of
different plays. The main one I’m focusing on right now is one called ‘Woman in
Tracksuit’. Which is about these ridiculous Cosmo articles about ‘how to please
your man’.
Bekka: Oh god. I actually read them.
Franki: (Laughs) Well, it’s about this couple. The woman
reads these articles and thinks they’re the bible. So he comes home to her
lathered in Bolognese and saying “Why don’t you like me anymore?” It’s about
their downfall basically, because of this magazine. It’ll be looking at the way
women are perceived in the media. So that’s my main project right now. But
there’s exciting things coming up with Grin theatre and places like that so,
exciting stuff.
Bekka: So other productions may be coming?
Franki: Hopefully, this is talking about after university.
Because I want to get my degree out of the way first. But I would really love
to revisit The Plumbing. Make those scenes longer, get it performed
professionally. Hopefully in a couple of years we’ll be seeing a tour of some
kind. I hope. (Laughs).
Bekka: Right, I’ll leave it there.
Hopefully you got some advice or inspiration from that. I know I did. With thanks again to the very talented Franki Le-Voguer and congratulations on the success of The Plumbing! And a big thanks again for letting me interview her, only right the woman who wrote a play solely about sex stole my interviewing virginity.
You can check out the plumbing's Facebook here and twitter here for more info or updates on future productions!
Thanks for reading,
Bekka.
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