Interview

Name: Dougie Irvine
Occupation: Artistic Director, Visible Fictions
Achievements: N/A
Favourite performance: N/A

What have you been up to recently?
I've recently come back from Minneapolis where we've been working on a new version of ‘Peter Pan' with a company there. It was great fun, hard, work and really really cold - minus 16 degrees celcius (before the wind chill!). The Company has also been out in Florida and London with our production of ‘Jason and the Argonauts' - we're about to head off to Los Angeles at the weeknd. I'll soon be experiencing temperatures in the upper 20's! Errr... of course, it'll be really, really, really hard work representing the company there too!  

How did you get to where you are today?
I've no idea where I am today, apart from sitting typing on a computer asking these questions!!

Who has been your greatest influence and why?
Probably my Mum and Dad - they taught me all the important stuff and encouraged me to have some life-changing experiences.

What was your first job in the theatre?
I used to be an actor but realised that there were people who were much better than me so I had to find something else to do.

What has been your favourite production to date and why?
There's too many good productions to mention. However last year, I loved a production called ‘Swing Bananas', from the Netherlands, about a young boy who had to eat the different courses of his dinner in a certain order. However, the food had a life of its own and decided to fight back!! It was one of the funniest and cleverest things ever....  I saw a production of ‘The Visit' when I was student that made me realise the type of theatre that I wanted to create. I still vividly remember it and my experience... it was brilliant!

What are the 3 main characteristics you need for your job
Only 3??! You need to like spending time and working with lots of different types of people, you really need to like solving problems and  you need to be brave enough to say that you think you know what to do when everyone is looking to you for the answer.

Who would you most like to work with?
I really enjoy working with people who have big, wonderful artistic ideas and as long as they can bear working with me than I'll be thrilled to work with them.

Describe a typical (?) Day in the Life of Dougie Irvine.
I don't have such a thing. Sometimes I have a day in the office, sometimes I have a day in meetings, sometimes I'm in rehearsals, sometimes in other cities and other countries, sometimes I start early, sometimes I work late. It's the variety that I really like so much.

What's your ideal way to relax?
I really enjoy having dinner with friends, playing games, going to the cinema, reading and doing crosswords.

What does the future hold for Visible Fictions?
The coming year is very exciting - ‘Jason and the Argonauts' is going back to the USA in summer and autumn with invitations from other countries across the worl, another production of ours ‘Shopping for Shoes' has been invited to tour Canadian Festivals in the spring/summer, we're co-producing with the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis and creating a new version of ‘Peter Pan' in America and then bringing it to Scotland in 2009.

We have loads of stuff happening for young people to get involved too and create their own work - youth theatre in East Ayrshire, we're in residence at Greenock Academy and working across the central belt working with the Prince's Trust. It's going to a fabulously busy and exciting year. 

For more information on Visible Fictions and forthecoming events visit www.visiblefictions.org.uk

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