Next up in our Breakthrough Writers readings this season, is Liam Moffat's new play JACK. We spoke to Liam about the experiences that led him to creating this new piece of work ahead of it taking to the stage at the end of this month.
"Although it may seem surprising, I had no experience in the performing arts until I was nearly 19 years old. I made the bold (or crazy, depending on who you ask!) decision to leave my university course in law after six weeks to pursue my ambition to become an actor. Coming from a working-class background, I had mistakenly felt growing up that the arts weren’t for people like me - there hadn’t even been a drama department at my school to get involved with.
It was in the last few months of high school, however, that an English teacher saw my potential and gently cajoled me into acting on stage as Widow Twankey in the school panto. The thrill of performing turned my head completely towards pursuing a career in the arts. Going to Edinburgh College and then drama school changed my life and gave me an irrepressible love for theatre, both as an actor and writer.
Writing was something I had always enjoyed, and during my time at drama school I was able to make my first, tentative baby steps into playwrighting when I wrote and directed a short piece, Three Ways To Say I Love You, for a small student led theatre festival. The joy I got from watching people engage with my writing made me certain that writing was something I wanted to continue with after graduation.
Writing JACK proved to be a cathartic experience for me, developed in the depths of the first COVID lockdown. I was looking for everything and anything that would sustain my creativity and give me something positive to focus on in such an uncertain and scary time. I laughed, cried and screamed whilst writing JACK-it's been my baby and I’m delighted it’s time to show him off.
Having lost several close family members over the years prior to the pandemic, I knew I wanted to write a piece that explored grief and love. I started off with a question in my head - what does it take to find hope again? Although this was in response to bereavement, it still felt a very pertinent question in late 2021! Having worked in mental health for many years alongside my creative career, I knew first-hand how much of an impact trauma can have on a person and I wanted to reflect that in an authentic and truthful way. Grief is never a linear process and there is no rulebook to go by. With JACK, I wanted to write a character that explored all the sticky, darker parts of human behaviour - under such difficult circumstances, what do people do to survive? What does it take to keep going?"