We talked to Clare Cockburn, who, at the age of 54, is presenting her debut play Tennessee, Rose at this year's Edinburgh Fringe. It focuses on the life of Tennessee Williams' sister, Rose, whose treatment for her mental health caused him a lifetime of guilt.
Producing is a big responsibility; hectic, with highs and lows to navigate
This is your debut play which you are co-producing with The Pleasance. How has the experience of putting this on at the Fringe been?
I am fortunate that all those involved in this production are committed, talented artists who believe in my script, that is the foundation from which everything has grown. It feels solid. This is my first-time experience of being involved in the production of a play and I now realise that producing is a big responsibility; hectic, with highs and lows to navigate. Belief in what I am doing and why is fundamental - and with good people by your side you can achieve what you set out to do.
What inspired you to write about Tennessee Williams' sister?
I was reading about Rose in a biography of Williams ten years ago now and I was fascinated to know more about what happened to this bright, sparky older sister who meant so much to him. My understanding from the book was that guilt was the driving force behind his work and tortured private life. Many of his fragile female characters are based on his older sister, to whom he was close. He took responsibility for her care at a time when mental health was a taboo subject, causing great suffering for those affected and their families. I felt that Rose could give these silenced issues a platform so I wrapped fiction around facts as I wrote the play.
You have a great cast and director. How did you pull them together?
Oh yes, I really do! Director Patrick Sandford has a special interest in the work of Tennessee Williams and we were introduced at the Pleasance by Anthony Alderson several years ago. I told him what I was writing and researching and we started to work together, developing the play. He was also inspired by Rose's story and we also both have an interest in mental health and in survivors of childhood trauma finding their voice. Patrick brought the cast together and he has done an amazing job - I marvel at the work being done in the rehearsal room.
Between starting the play and this year's Fringe you did an MSc in playwriting. What did you learn from that?
I submitted some early scenes from the play which got me a place on the course but that was only the beginning. I would say I learned a great deal thanks to the course and playwright Nicola McCartney who runs it. It's about breaking down old patterns and realising that having some latent talent won't always get you where you want to go. This is a collaborative, multi-faceted industry; it's a vocational course and you come out of it at the bottom of the pile. Is your work going to be relevant? So, I have learned you also need perseverance, determination, a business brain and above all a need to refine your own voice so that you know exactly why you are writing plays in the first place.
