Prizewinning Play by Local Author
VERA BELL
Glyn Carter is a local playwright and novelist, whose play Carabiners will have its world premiere at Hastings’ Stables Theatre from 14 to 18 April.
Winning playwright Glyn Carter
Each year, The Stables holds a New Writing Contest, which attracts submissions from across the world. Entries are anonymised, so it was something of a surprise when last year’s judges discovered that the winning play was written by someone living within a mile of the theatre.
“First I got an email saying Carabiners had been shortlisted,” Glyn says. “That alone was very affirming. I remember thinking how it meant the play can’t be too bad! I didn’t expect it to go on and actually win!”
So what is the play about? “It’s about a marriage in crisis, triggered by separate traumas that hit Angie and Paul on the same day. They should face their problems together, but somehow – being human – they don’t. It’s about whether they are better off together or apart. I saw Tom Stoppard’s exploration of love, The Real Thing, during the writing period, and I hope I’ve absorbed some Stoppardian insight, and his wit.”
Carabiners is Glyn’s third stage play, but the first to actually be produced. Isn’t Stoppard a high bar for a new writer? “Yes, but one well worth aiming for.”
What inspired the play? “That’s the age-old question – where do stories come from? Paul’s crisis, in which he faces his own mortality, was based on a real event. Angie’s is that she can’t have another child, and I’m happy to say this was invented. But the challenges of honest communication, of dealing with diverging aspirations, these are universal, aren’t they?”
Glyn has written screenplays and novels in a variety of genres, including history, science fiction, and fantasy. In fact, contemporary drama is not his usual field. He sees himself more as a storyteller than as a literary writer. “For me, the writer’s first task is to engage the audience, to keep them hanging on, wondering what’s going to happen next,” he says. “If I felt I’d lost the knack of crafting a gripping yarn, I’d give up!”
The play’s performance is directed by Stella Valente, and stars actors Liam Rowley and Zhara Boukari.
Carabiners runs from Tuesday 14 April to Saturday 18 April. Tickets: stablestheatre.co.uk/carabiners-2, or from the box office between 10.30 and 1.00 on 01424 423221
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply