Writers Victoria interviewed me about playwriting and theatre and all that sort of “stuff”. I was really chuffed. You can have a read of my rambling responses on their website if you like.

One day I will be really great at this interview thing. One day  I will be succinct and eloquent and witty and charming and say something that is really profound and it will be captured in an interview not simply muttered alone in the shower …

I have to say, I am getting better. At the interview thing (and the profound shower statements – I really should start recording myself). You may read the interview (no pressure) and think, wow, really, something worse than this … But, yes, there has been worse.

In the heady days of publicity for These are the isolate I did a terrible phone interview for a local newspaper. Clearly this community news journalist had more important stories to cover that day and did not want to be talking to me. Her questions were all concerned with how I, as a young(ish) woman could possibly write a male character. Instead of swearing at her or cutting her down with a witty remark or common-bloody-sense, I tried to answer the question. I tried, I really did, but the more I tried the more I found myself not being able to answer the question. She seemed pleased and I started to doubt my writing and the show and myself as a human being and could only think how awful / arrogant / inauthentic / naive  it was for me to write a male character when I, myself, am not a male character. I stumbled and lied and gave her the answers I thought she wanted. Needless to say the article was horrible. I particularly remember a sentence which went something like; “Warner had no trouble writing a male character because she knows a lot of men and did some research on the internet”. OK. It probably wasn’t that bad, but it was not great (and I happy to say I can find no evidence of its existence).

Other interview doozies include:

• telling the journo the unstable central character was inspired by my Dad (sorry Dad)
• saying I wasn’t interested in being on Home and Away and that “sort of thing” (of course I want to be on Home and Away. Who wouldn’t? Idiot!)
• explaining, in detail, how bad the audiences were (“One night we performed to one person,” Warner explained. Idiot!)

My tips for interviews:

• Don’t do any of the above

Anyway, this interview is a lot better. Probably due to the lovely people who interviewed me. Thanks John Back and Writers Victoria for taking the time  (and interest) to ask me some stuff about this playwriting thing. You guys rock!

(PS: if you are a writer in Victoria you really should become a member)