Con Nats chat to James Balian and Roger Vickery on the eve of the opening of their latest play Mum, Me & The IED.
You and Roger Vickery worked together on the successful production of A Nest of Skunks that ran here at the Depot in 2016. How do you make your partnership work so well?
Roger: We share a love of strong stories, social justice, a keen sense of humour and appreciation for our differences. Our two plays have arisen from a short story of mine which James grows into a much more ambitious creation. So, I guess you’d say I’m a builder with a good idea and James is a professional architect who knows what to do with it.
James: Then we both become tradies and make the thing real. And we save each other from our worst mistakes. And we relish harsh criticism. ‘Cage fight love’ Roger calls it. I have to say that metaphor applied more to this play than the last one.
Roger: Yeah, there were 26 drafts, and the last six involved a lot of verbal combat.
What brought you and Kevin Jackson together? What has it been like to work with him?
James: We sent version 18 of the script to Kevin Jackson and were delighted when he came back very quickly and agreed to direct it. He said he’d been looking for a play on PTSD in Australian war veterans, one that could match the best American and British plays on the topic, and our script had the voice and authenticity he’s been looking for.
Roger: Working with Kevin has been wonderful. He doesn’t say much but when he has a suggestion it always makes good sense. He’s a cutter – every line, word & pause needs to justify its place.
James: Roger loved that. He’s a cutting fanatic.
Roger: Guilty… and he encouraged us to bring more light and shade, more humour to the work, which suited our style. We don’t do full-on grim.
James: Kevin’s reputation as an acting teacher ensured so many good actors and stage professionals were keen to work with him. As a result, we have a great cast and stage team and they’ve been assisted by hands-on advice from current NIDA teachers on movement and stage design.
What was the inspiration for writing about PTSD in our returning military personnel?
Roger: The play is based on a short story I wrote after hearing about a country kid who suffered PTSD after serving in Afghanistan, and his mother’s delicate task of levering him free from the army, knowing full well he’d be very vulnerable back on the family farm.
James: The story moved me. It was nuanced and powerful. Our last play, A Nest of Skunks, grew from one of Roger’s stories that had affected me the same way. So, in 2017 I started on a much larger structure with the story at its core. During the 1.5 years writing period we researched PTSD and the military response to female and male veterans in a variety of way- blogs, new stories, books, and interviews with serving and former military personnel, female and male. Only a year ago the suicide rate for former Australian veterans was at least two or more per week.
Roger: Katie Pollock, our dramaturg (who’s just been shortlisted again for the Silver Gull Award) was a big help in the later stages. She brought to bear some recent experiences of working with people suffering from psychological trauma and challenged us on many aspects, especially our female characters.
James: That was really important to us. Our last play had strong women roles, and this one isn’t far behind. The title says it all.
Roger, if you could work on another collaborative project with any writer, who would you choose?
There are so many. Off the top of my head, I’ll nominate Kate Addison, a British crime writer who creates sharp and moody novels with a poetic sensibility.
James, if you could direct any actor alive or dead who would it beand why?
This is going to sound odd but I recently watched the 1928 movie ‘The Passion of St Joan of Arc’ by Carl Dreyer. It was a silent movie starring Maria Falconetti. Her performance was so compelling I wonder what it would be like to work with her.
What is the most surprising thing that has happened in rehearsals so far?
Roger: Much of the play occurs in the mind of Rob, who’s been a combat medic in Afghanistan. The dialogue is naturalistic but the mood and setting, under Kevin’s direction, often have Salvador Dali hues. I didn’t fully appreciate that mind pallete until I came to rehearsals during a battlefield scene and saw the actors moving in slow motion. ‘What’s going on?’ I thought. After a minute I got what was happening and appreciated the extra texture. And breathed more easily.
James: At our first meeting, Kevin said most of the pace had to be rapid-fire which gives more impact to scenes where the characters have an intimate connection. I won’t give it away but for me two of the most compelling moments are two intimate scenes we added in the very last draft and how beautifully they works on the floor. They both pack massive punch in a gentle, quiet almost unassuming way. You’ll have to come and see it.
What is the most valuable piece of advice that you have been given as a writer?
Roger: On prose: ‘Talent is a question of quantity. Talent does not write on page; it writes 300 ‘ Jules Renard. On Poetry: ‘Read it aloud, read it to others. Does it have a living voice?’
James: Just keep writing. Ideas in your head mean nothing until you put them down in writing. That’s when they take shape.
What do you love the most about what you do?
Roger: When I can read a poem, a story or a script and say, ‘this isn’t half bad’.
James: I agree with Roger there. But I will add to it that moment when you suddenly break through an obstacle in your story. It looks so easy once you do it, but it took so long.
What do you have planned next?
Roger: A speculative fiction novel or series of stories about minor lawyers in a ‘perfect justice system’. Think John Grisham in an Ironman suit. (Do agents read this?)
James: I have about 5 ideas on the go at any time, but suddenly one breaks through and it becomes the primary focus. Having said that ‘Mum, Me & The IED’ wasn’t even on the radar until I read Roger’s story, and the rest is, as the cliché goes, history.
If you could send out a tweet that would reach the entire world, what would it say?
Roger: I know why the world’s going mad. Let’s talk.
James: Would you like my Falafel recipe? It’s a good one?
Mum, Me & The IED
James Balian & Roger Vickery
15th Aug-1st Sept, 2018
Wed – Sat 8pm
Sun 2pm
Venue: The Depot Theatre
Theatre Company: depot Theatre
Duration: 120mins
