Back in November I was cast in the play ‘Eppy has an Empty’, an original play written by local woman Fiona Connor. The show is in its last few weeks of rehearsals and I thought it would be interesting to interview Fiona on what it’s like to be a writer and how she has gone about taking on such a huge project. The show will be touring for a week in Largs, Glasgow, Paisley, Airdrie and Irvine.

Fiona Connor is a playwright and the founder of Gathering Storm Theatre Company. She is a Batchelor of Arts Graduate, winner of the McLellan Playwright Award and has had her work showcased in festivals and the Citizens Theatre. Fiona’s last production, The Low Road, was a unique open air performance presented in the Douglas Park during the Viking Festival last year.

I asked Fiona how she gets her inspiration. She said ‘Although I try not to, people and places around me sneak into my writing – so watch out Largs! I am mainly inspired by books, comic books, movies, video games and all things geeky.’

‘I have always wanted to be a writer, well, I had thought about becoming a chef but I once blew rice up in a microwave so that went out the window.’ – I wonder if it was the rice or the idea that went out the window, perhaps both.

I always wondered how much research a writer did for their work. Fiona said ‘I tend to leap in with an idea and research as I go. I want to make sure I portray characters and the story correctly without it being boring.’

Eppy has an Empty ‘is a comic book-esque Scottish spy comedy about High School teenagers trained to take down neds and rascals. It has been likened to a female Inbetweeners. A lot of the story was influenced by my time at Largs Academy and teenage misadventures.

‘It is on from the 25th till the 30th of April. Please see our Facebook – www.facebook.com/gatheringstormscotland for more information and tickets.

‘It is not suitable for those under 15 (over 12 with an adult) due to extreme (yet comical) profanity and material of an adult nature. (NOT SUITABLE FOR THOSE EASILY GIVEN A BEAMER). I love working in the theatre – meeting new people, audiences and challenges. I want to push theatre in new and exciting ways.

‘I always try to attract those who tell me ‘I hate theatre’. I want to write stories that are entertaining before anything else. I don’t agree with forcing issues down an audience’s throat for the sake of funding. Theatre should be an escape into new and exciting worlds of imagination.

‘We did video submissions for auditions as a new and exciting way of casting. It meant we could reach further afield. I want to keep the company based local but the only way to survive in this industry is to go where the audience is but no matter how far we get – we will always come back home.

‘My cast was extremely hard to choose as every audition was fantastic. But I hope you’ll agree when you see the play that the right choices were made.

As a cast member I am looking forward to performing in Fiona’s new play because it is unlike any play I have read or been part of before. We get to push the limits, shock the audience whilst hopefully making them the laugh the whole time.

If you want to come along and see something different and support local theatre then tickets can be found by following the link above.