‘I'M TOO OLD TO BE A YOUNG WRITER NOW BECAUSE I'M 26'
Missin % thri led
Steve Cramer spea s to young writer CATHERINE GROSVENOR about lost folk and those left behind in the Traverse premiere Some Day All This Will Come to Nothing.
ixxing in .v\ction ix an aul'ul pliraxc which man} a \\;tl’lllllL‘ \xil‘c or child liax had to tlcal \\llil. Hut cxcn inixxing in .r\cton ix pi'ctt} traumatic. \\'hat happcnx to l'ollx \xlicn tlic} tlixappcai' \xitliout cxplanation‘.’ \Vilitl. niorc to thc point. liappcnx to tlioxc \\|ltt arc lcl‘t licliintl'.’ In that xituation. tlic crticllcxt lilo“ ol all ix \ll'llL‘ix. ior tlic onc lci't hcliintl ix Ici't \\lliiUlll tlixcourxc. \\ll|i no tlixciixxion. and no plauxihlc c\p|anation l‘or tlic cxcnt.
'l‘liix tlilcinnia ix c\aniinctl in a mu pla} h} a \\lio||} nc\\ \\i‘itcr at tlic 'l‘ra\crxc. (‘atlici‘inc (iroxxcnor xitx licl'orc inc in tlic 'l‘i'a\ bar and gi\cx inc a big. crookctl. prctt} grin \\licn l conlcxx l‘\ c nc\cr licai‘tl oi. lici‘: 'I hadn‘t tloiic an_\ \triting hclorc. tlicrc'x no rcaxon _\ou \xoultl lia\ c licai'tl oi~ inc. l \\ ax working at \Vatci‘xtonc'x. and xtartctl coming to tlic \\ritcrx‘ group licrc. l‘or tlic laxt t\\o _\carx. But I‘m too old to tic a _\oung \tritci' no\\. liccauxc I‘m So. xo I can't gct a _\oung pcrxon‘x railcard.‘ Sltc xtill xccinx iniplauxihl} )Ullll}! to inc. gi\cii tlic cann} cniotional inaturit) licr tirxt pla) \llt\\\ x.
In it. a policcuonian lcl‘t guarding a corpxc \\liilc \ilc‘ ;l\\;til\ TUI‘L‘lixic‘x TU tiL‘Lti \\ ilii _ill\l :tliUIliL‘l‘ \lliL‘itiL‘. liiitlx tltc cadawr atltlrcxxing lici' about xoniconc “110 liax gonc inixxing in licr o\\n lit-c. licr bintricnd \xlio liax lclit ltcr lilat a tcu tl;i}x hct‘orc. nc\cr to i'cappcar. .-\ car hax hccn tountl. but no xign oi hcr ho}. .-\nd no mplanation to citltci' licr. or thc latl'x tlixtrcxxcd parcntx. In a pai'allcl plot. a ho} tricx. LllliTL‘ litcrall}. to bur} liillixt‘ll. and ix rcxcucd b} a xlightl} xadixtic bar ouncr. .v\|l arc unil'ictl h) a xcnxc ol' xoniconc inixxing. and no c‘\planation.
'l'liat tlic 'I'ra\crxc. \Kilii a rich t|i\crxit} oi
cxtahlixlictl \iritcrx in itx xtahlc. xliould go l'or tliix _\oung litlinhurgh-horn \tritcr l‘or itx lirxt nc\\ pla} xiiicc tlic lcxti\;i| xpcakx \oluincx l'or tlic )oung latl_\. So too docx thc caxting ol tlic c\cc||cnt .\lo||_\ liincx ax tlic policcuonian. .-\nna. But oh} a policcwinian‘.’ ‘l.otx oi littlc tliiiigx L‘Ulill'lhlllL‘ti to licr hcing a policcuonian.~ (iroanor c\plainx. ‘l xuppoxc tlicrc‘x xonictliing about \xanting to xuhwrt authorit} ligurcx. hut alxo pcoplc ti'cat policc ol‘liccrx tlil'l'crcntl} than otlicr pcoplc. I don't incan that in a ttcgati\c \xa}. l nican xlic‘x got xucli a rolc to pla}; that it'x a tiucxtion
ol \tlicthcr pcoplc arc rcxpontling to tlic unit‘orni or
tlic pcrxon. Hcr rolc in lilc ix xoi'ting pcoplc out. "_\ou Lit) lliix. _\Htl gt) UNIV". llthl xi) tilt. .-\H Hi? that lx {Niall} c\plodcd. Soinctiincx \xlicn x|ic"x on xtagc. \\ c don’t ixliU“ \\ licthcr xlic"x .-\nna or a policc oliiccr.‘
'Hiix ixxuc ol‘ idcntit} \L‘L'ITT\ [0 go to [itc itcat't Hi lltc pla}. l-‘or \tc knoxx ottt'xcl\cx h} tlic pcoplc \tc think \\ c knou around ux. \Vlicn onc oi" tlicxc hcliawx in a inanncr “c can't c\p|ain. it‘x a cliallcngc to our o\\li xcnxc ol xcll‘. ’l‘lic c\ci'_\tla} tliiiigx that cxixtctl in lilc hcl‘orc arc not thc xainc. hut appcai' to hc. (irtmcnor cntloerx thc rc-cinhracing oi cxci'}tl;i_\ lil'c: '\\’licn xomcthing had happcnx. likc hrcaking up \titli xoniconc. or going into tlcht. or tlixcmcring xoinconc'x ill. _\our gut inxtinct ix to xta_\ in )otir hctl and iTiLlL‘. But _\ou can't. _\ou'w got to pull _\ourxcll togctlicr. that‘x \\ hat _\ou do.' Don't go inixxing tor tliix onc.
Some Day All This Will Come to Nothing, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 18 Mar-Sat 9 Apr.
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