FAQs
Garry Lyons
Programme leader for the MA Writing for Performance & Publication
SCHOOL OF PERFORMANCE AND CULTURAL INDUSTRIES
Your adaptation of The Secret Garden is being staged at the West Yorkshire Playhouse this winter. How did that come about?
It’s a magical story and adapting it is something I’ve been talking about for ages and this year, finally, the time was right.
Can you tell us about production?
Lots of people don’t realise it’s set in Yorkshire and I want this production to reclaim it for the region. The narrators are local people – Dickon and Martha, the servants – and I hope their observations, some of which are quite ironic, will build a strong bond with the audience. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s definitely not a ‘chocolate box’ production! I think audiences will be surprised and delighted by the garden – it’s much more mythic and cinematic than the usual naturalistic treatment.
How did you develop your writing career?
I knew from an early age that I wanted to write. I studied English at York and got involved in acting and directing, and came to Leeds to do an MA. I used that year to write and had two productions staged at the Leeds University Workshop Theatre.
A bursary to work with Major Road Theatre Company in Bradford helped me to learn my craft, and that was followed by another great learning experience managing Bradford University Theatre for four years.
Eventually, I was invited to write for The Bill – that was a massive learning curve and I made lots of mistakes, but it was the start of writing for ‘cops and docs’ TV shows including Heartbeat and Children’s Ward. I became a producer with Chameleon TV and wrote programmes like The Worst Witch for ITV, which was a global success.
Unfortunately, ITV abandoned children’s television and two series I’d written were cancelled in the space of one month. I’d done some lecturing at the Northern Film School and it seemed natural to put my teaching on a firmer foundation – I applied for my current post and was successful.
Is there a subject you really want to adapt?
One of my pet projects is an epic play called Pogo which covers the years 1977-2000 – it’s a mixture of politics and rock music! The first part was staged here at the University in May, and now I need to move quickly and get the second part into production.
What does your role at the University involve?
I teach postgraduates in creative writing and script writing for theatre, TV and radio. With craft-based modules to develop imaginative writing skills alongside more academic modules.
Although many of the students are English and Performance graduates, there are also people from areas such as law, social sciences, modern languages and even engineering. All those different backgrounds make for some interesting discussions!
What’s the most disappointing moment of your career?
In 1985 I wrote a play for the BBC called Urban Jungle, which was an anti-Thatcher satire. It had a great cast, including Tim Roth, but it was banned 24 hours before its broadcast and never saw the light of day.
And the highlight?
It would have to be Wicked Yaar! in 1994 – it was staged at the National Theatre and then toured for four months. It went to Bradford and the audiences there were fantastic.
There’s a saying that everyone has a book inside them – does that apply to plays?
It probably doesn’t because most people think in prose terms. Writing something as a play needs additional thinking. There are technical challenges because you’re presenting something in a very artificial environment and, of course, it’s a live performance.
What would you say to someone who wants to start writing?
Immerse yourself in your chosen medium; get involved with local groups and watch, read or listen to everything – good, bad and indifferent. Go with your instincts and try to develop your own voice before other people try to change it!
What’s your most frequently asked question?
‘Where do writers get their ideas from?’ – it’s unanswerable.
Which person in your field do you most admire?
The comedian Max Wall. He was a star in his youth, but did his greatest work in his 70s and 80s, following scandal and financial ruin. And I went to the same primary school.
Which actor would you choose to play you in an adaptation of your life?
Cate Blanchette in drag – it would be an avant-garde production!
What do you do in your free time – do you go to the theatre?
I do actually! I’m also a big Chelsea fan and try to get to away games with my son. We’ve moved house recently, so my wife and I have been busy trying to create our own secret garden.
The Secret Garden runs from 28 November to 23 January 2010. See
www.wyplayhouse.com for details.
Garry Lyons was talking to Sarah Ward
