George and the Drag Queen is a production by Pipeline Theatre which is currently touring across the UK, arriving in Norfolk next week. The story follows a drag queen and two first-aid volunteers at a village fete. Learn more about what you can expect:
1: What inspired you to create George and the Drag Queen?
In Pipeline, although I write the plays, the impetus behind the themes is often a collective one, as it was in this case. Jude and Alan (fellow A.D.s) run a charity based in Falmouth and Penryn, dedicated to welcoming and housing asylum seeker families and individuals in great need, so this, as a theme, is very close to their hearts. We also strive to write ‘state-of-the-nation’ plays, (but with a deliberately light, and often comedic touch), and one of the states currently in play is the ideological rift between pro- and anti-immigration voices. This found its articulation in the recent co-opting of St. George- and Union Jack Flags (and even more recently with the trouble in Portsmouth). A place where national flags are often fluttering, more innocently, is a classic, English, village fete, so it seemed fitting to use that as a venue. From there, the pun of George and the Drag Queen (as opposed to Dragon) followed close behind. It’s made for a busy recipe! But all the richer for it.
2: The show describes itself as a mix, what can audiences expect from the themes explored?
George and Drag Queen is written so as to confound expectations. Drag is ‘light entertainment’. First aiders, and Village Fetes speak to a cheery, bumbling, ‘Vicar-of-Dibley-esque’ vision of rural England. It’s out of these anticipated archetypes that the poignant, tragic heart of the play unspools. Clothed in silliness, campery, and miscommunication over a gentle summer’s day, lies unattended trauma, grief, loss, uprootedness, betrayal. The rupture that a re-purposed St. George flag can rip open between colleagues, friends, family, strangers. Audiences can expect humour, poignancy, tears, and a lot of thought-provocation.
3: Can you tell us a little about George and Maddy’s relationship?
Theirs is fully an ersazt Grandpa/Granddaughter relationship, the problem with that being both of them coming from different socio-economic/cultural classes. So where Maddy’s real, late Grandfather might have shared feelings and thoughts, and worn his emotional and ideological heart on his sleeve, George (because of hidden, unattended trauma), is unable to do so. They love each other, and live on a level of deeply affectionate banter – but when geo-political realities barge in, they haven’t got the shared depth of mutual understanding or emotional vocabulary needed to cope.
4: Are the characters inspired by anyone in particular?
Not really – that’s the joy of writing! Maddy has a history of not fitting in and being a bit of a lost soul from an early age, and George is part college lecturer/senior hospital registrar/any ex-military people I know, with a bit of John Le Mesurier from Dad’s Army thrown in. All mixed together to create someone new. As for Elias (Eliana Sultana) – I’ve never met a Drag Queen, I’m not a refugee, and nor am I from Lebanon! Authenticity lives or dies by the thoroughness of the research, and the buck for that stops with me.
5: What has the rehearsal process been like?
Lots and lots of fun! But it’s always about finessing and finding the truth in every moment. It’s hard work too! As a writer, I also have to let my ownership of it go. But such was the level of insight and understanding in the room, this was easy to do.
6: What has been the most enjoyable part about creating George and the Drag Queen?
Being with the people in it, watching Jude and Alan go the extra mile in terms of set, costume, makes and tech, and stepping back to let the three actors (Alan, Beck Watts and Kiko Gomersall) just blow me away with the sheer breathtaking quality of their acting, their commitment and their investment in the whole project. To feel ‘lucky’, as a writer, doesn’t even nearly cover it.
George and the Drag Queen arrives in Norfolk next week, as well as touring to other UK venues. Many thansk to Jon Welch for answering our questions. Find out where it is going here and book your tickets!
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