The Camden Fringe Festival welcomes Waterhouse’s writing debut, exploring the hardships of day-to-day relationships through the eyes of an experienced woman. Guillermo Nazara chats with her author and performer, to learn the most interesting facts about this up-and-coming show, guaranteed to give audiences a good poke… of fun.
How did the idea for this show come about?
Growing up in the 1980s, I remember being told that the small town I lived in was the throbbing centre of sex chat lines, and that much of it was being carried out by elderly women in their dressing gowns. The image was difficult to shake, and in 2021 Granny demanded to be written.
A story about a grandmother who starts working at an erotic line so she can pay her family’s bills. Are we in for an evening as crazy as the premise sounds?
No, perfectly normal haha. An everyday story of the over 50s. Might even be based on your granny!
One of the main themes of this show is the stories that concoct our lives. Would you say that making up tales is the human instinct of survival?
Oh 100%! We do it without even noticing most of the time, embellishing events to make them more exciting, more personal, more skewed to our political standpoint. And to make ourselves feel less crap.
Is this show a comment of any sort on society?
Yes, and in a way I didn’t anticipate. Around 60% of callers are not there for sex – chat lines offer a friendly voice and a listening ear and are open 24/7. There is an epidemic of loneliness and depression amongst men, and with health services in crisis these voice actresses are often on the front line.
Tell us about the development process of this piece. As a writer, have you found any particular challenges?
It’s such a rich subject, it’s been hard to leave stuff out! I’ve started other versions that were closer to farce, but this is the original concept and closer to the story of Granny herself.
What about as a performer?
I have never done a one person show before, and usually in a cast there will be someone who brings in home baked cakes, and as that person is never me, I am currently quite frankly a bit bereft. And losing weight.
What, would say, makes this show unique in comparison to other one-person pieces?
Older voices are still less frequently heard, and women in particular lose their identity in the midst of the roles they play within a family. I think it’s good to see ‘midlife woman’ main charactering, particularly if it makes the youngsters squirm a bit.
Why come see Sex Chat Granny?
Well I’d never turn down a nice sit down in the middle of the day, especially with air con and toilets. And there’s always the possibility of me having a hot flush mid performance – an element of jeopardy is always welcome in theatre.
Sex Chat Granny plays at London’s Etctera Theatre until 11 August. Tickets are available on the following link.
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