Now Bordering by Jack Gibson

Jack Gibson is an aspiring playwright based in Essex. At the age of 25 he has written numerous one act plays and is showcasing two of his latest plays, The Editing Process and Now Bordering at this years Camden Fringe. A Younger Theatre caught up with Jack in the last few days before his London debut.

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to writing plays

I have always been interested in the use of language; rich and colloquial. I studied English Language and Literature at college before enrolling on a Creative Writing degree where I learnt about the various forms of writing. In the second and third years of the course I chose to focus exclusively on writing plays. I made my fringe theatre debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2008 as the co-writer and director of one-act play, Issues. I have also had my work performed in Essex, London and Cambridge.

Why do you write for theatre?

I write plays, as opposed to prose or poetry, as it’s the most sociable form of storytelling. Writing plays is an interactive experience in the sense that you receive a direct response to your work.

Where do you get your inspiration from to write? What other playwrights inspire you?

My own experiences provide the basis for most of my work. I’m inspired by dramatic events and possibilities but never the overly dramatic – I’m big on credibility.  I’m always reading those who I, and perhaps most people, consider to be ‘the greats’; writers such as Arthur Miller, Harold Pinter and Tennessee Williams.

You have two plays in this year’s Camden Fringe, what are they about?

The Editing Process is set in the head office of a newspaper group and shows the lengths which three reporters are prepared to go to fill a blank page. Now Bordering takes place in a boarding gate of an international airport and shows how five people can embark on life changing journeys without taking to the sky. In terms of setting, characters and motivations the plays are very different, yet both address the issues of loyalty and morality.

How does it feel to see your work performed on the stage?

The buzz is always there, but I don’t tend to get nervous watching my work. Naturally, I hope that people will like what they see but I have a great cast for the plays and have complete confidence that they will perform to the level they have during rehearsals.

If you could offer a piece of advice for young playwrights trying to get their work put on – what would it be?

Keep writing. Like anything, the more you do something the better you become at it. It may sound obvious but people give up without allowing themselves time to improve.

What’s next for you?

The plays will also be performed on 27th October at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch. After this I will begin work on my next play in October.

The Editing Process and Now Bordering is playing at the Etcetera Theatre from the 27th – 29th August.

You can catch both Gibson’s plays at the Camden Fringe. More details on the Camden Fringe website.Visit Gibson’s website for details on future work: www.jackgibson.info