Hello, the internet. My name is Seamus.
I have been asked to write a blog based on my experiences as a writer who might as well say he comes from Belfast.
Blog. Blog. What? Who? Where? How? When? Why?
What is a blog? I don鈥檛 know. It wasn鈥檛 in my dictionary.
Who is a blog? I don鈥檛 know. Where is a blog? On the internet, generally.聽 How is a blog? A blog is fine. Thanks for asking.聽 When is a blog? I don鈥檛 know.聽 Why is a blog? Well, the internet. You are about to find out.
Last year, I was lucky enough to be nominated by the newly re-opened Lyric Theatre in Belfast for Writersroom 10,聽a competition the 麻豆约拍 Writersroom was running. I was even luckier enough to be chosen as one of the winners of this competition.
How am I doing so far? Is this a blog? I hope it is.
The Writersroom organised a lot of brilliant things for us. We were given industry mentors, we attended various master classes and we even had a short play showcase in in Newcastle. For this showcase I wrote a play named after but not necessarily about a goat.
聽Being naturally lazy, a masters student and someone who is generally disorganised I didn鈥檛 leave myself much time to write the first draft of Das Goat. When I did write it and send it away I expected a phone call that would demand an immediate re-write or, even worse, a new idea altogether.聽 But thankfully that didn鈥檛 happen. I received a very pleasant phone call which told me not to panic. Goats are funny. One of the things I was looking forward to the most about Newcastle was hearing my play in an accent that wasn鈥檛 my own. However, the inherent Irish-ness of the play led the actors to perform it in Irish accents. This was unexpected but nonetheless I was very happy with how it was performed. It went well. People laughed.
After this I found out that 麻豆约拍 radio 3 wanted to give me a commission. My play, which was named after a goat, was going to be broadcast on national radio thanks to the good people at .
I was obviously intimidated by the reputation of Radio 3. I was scared that they would ask me questions that I wouldn鈥檛 know the answer to, such as 鈥淪eamus, what鈥檚 a blog?鈥� or 鈥淪eamus, why did you write a play which is named after but is not necessarily about a goat?鈥� Thankfully they didn鈥檛.聽
I was more worried about the radio interview than I was about the play. However, the team was very nice and I was quickly put at ease, especially after meeting Ian McMillan who was very funny and welcoming from the beginning. The interview was actually fun in the end and I managed to get through it without saying anything that I now regret. Which is nice.
And I even got to hear Das Goat read in a Manchester accent. It was strange at first, it was like listening to something written by someone else. But it wasn鈥檛. I wrote the goat. It went well. People laughed. Which was very nice of them.
So. Now, I鈥檝e had a professional commission. That鈥檚 something. And I鈥檝e learned a few things. I now know goats can be funny, that my work holds up in a Manchester accent and that the Italian restaurant in Media City doesn鈥檛 open until 5pm but the Japanese one beside it opens some time around 4pm. And it鈥檚 fairly good food.
Well, the internet, I鈥檝e run out of things to say to you. I鈥檓 going to watch Drive with my brother.
I really hope this has been a blog.
I really, really do.
Seamus Collins
Seamus Collins聽was one the 10 writers selected for our Writersroom 10 scheme to support emerging theatre writers.聽 His play, 'Das Goat' was broadcast on Radio 3's .