There was recently a CIA plane that crashed with billions of dollars’ worth of drugs on it. It was the same as when I spoke to these women. It was like why don’t I know about that?
GITG: “Tony Teardrop” is your next project, which Genie are amazed to be involved in. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
Esther: I wrote the stage version in 2004 and nobody took it up. Since then I’ve done a lot of TV and radio work. And the producer at radio 4 asked me if I had any ideas. So I told her I had this piece about homelessness and as I said before, things go in trends, so she asked to have a look at it. And she read it and said we’ll do a version of it. So we did a radio version, which was very different from a stage version of it and it went really well. So since then Jen Hayes who was a producer and director asked me if I had any plays. I told her I had one from 2004 that had been done as a radio version but would need updating. She read it and she loved it so said we’d do it.
The play is about a philosopher really, a homeless fella who lives in a wet house, but makes a decision because of the church. There’s this saying isn’t there that you’ll never see a beggar outside of a church I love the fact that they have rules and regulations that are based on morality. And I love the outsider’s opinion. We all know that when we take mind altering substances whether that be alcohol or anything we all see the world differently and sometimes you see through things. If you haven’t got anything to be gained or lost by rattling the boat, because you’re on the lowest level of society, then you can say it like it is. So often I’ve been inspired by these people and what they say. For example I was at the international violence against women day at Armistead. I usually go and talk about Unprotected and I stood up. There was a woman there who was a heroin addict and she just turned to me and said ‘Oi Blondie sort your fringe out!’ And in all honest my fringe did need sorting out. I loved it, I loved the fact she saw things differently and just said them.
So I think for Tony I want him to talk about the illusionary nature of the way we live.
GITG: In the past four and a half years at Genie we’ve seen a lot of people come through with drug and alcohol issues, but such creative people. What’s your take on creativity and addiction is there a link?
Esther: It’s documented throughout history isn’t it that all the greats such as Percy Shelly ingested drugs. And people in indigenous cultures will do that bark stuff, that’s like MDMA, to open their third eye. So I think that if you’re a sensitive human being and you don’t have an outlet for your creativity… I think that creativity is like the sex thing and the breathing thing. I mean you only have to look around you. So I don’t think that being an artist is any more special than being a human being. I mean we have systems available in our class society that label people and have different levels of respect for what people do. But ultimately all people are creative.
GITG: Thank you so much Ester, we’re just going to round up now and ask a few more questions. What would your hope be for theatre in the future?
Esther: This is difficult because at the minute everything is technologically brilliant and everything costs a lot of money to put on. I think personally that theatre should go back to how I think it should be and be a religious experience like a ritual. Where we just go, this is who we are. I mean I think we’re out of balance. You can get some wonderfully intellectual playwrights that don’t move you, or you can get something overly sentimental that doesn’t make you think. So I think we need a balance. I think at the minute we’re too head based and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a bit of heart. So for me I’d like to see fewer spectacles. I’m reading a book at the minute actually that talks about how the spectacle is made to keep people down. Like for example the WWF wrestling in America where they just get het up and they have these huge shows. And then there’s the pornography industry and it just keeps people disconnected with each other.
GITG: And to round up. What’s next for Esther Wilson?
Esther: Well I’m doing Tony Teardrop and I’m also doing Tony Teardrop for the radio as well. And I’m also recording in Manchester something which is a Women’s hour series. This one is based on a man with learning difficulties and a woman with learning difficulties who get married…”
GITG: Thanks for your time Esther