Who would you invite to a theatrical dinner party?

Pinter? Wesker? Miller?

Speaking to the Bush Theatre's Bushgreen website this week, Lou explained who would be invited round to hers for tea. She also explained which type of plays float her boat ...

Dream List: what plays should we be reading, putting on and going to see?

Anything but pure naturalism.  Not to say there aren’t some brilliantly written naturalistic plays out there.  But if I ruled the theatrical world for a day, I’d encourage everyone to push the boat out some more.  I love plays that are slightly off-kilter.  Dream-like, nightmarish, weirdly funny, scary, fierce, or just a bit wrong.  Anything that surprises you, gets your heart racing or makes you laugh or cry.  Anything with a story and a strong pulse.

Describe your first theatrical epiphany

How late can you have an epiphany? When I saw Philip Ridley’s play MERCURY FUR in 2005 I’d been writing for a few years, but it completely changed my view of drama.  I found it compelling, hideous, addictively terrifying.  It made my heart pound – literally – and I never quite realized that theatre could have such a physical effect.  I hope that my plays now have an element of that - perhaps not to the same extent, but a hint of it.  I like playing with that conflict in people that horror films provoke - when they want to look away, but at the same time feel compelled to watch.  This said, there’s nothing like hearing an audience laugh, and I hope my plays are shot through with some black comedy, too.

Who would you invite to your fantasy theatrical dinner party?

Anthony Neilson, Philip Ridley, Dennis Kelly, Caryl Churchill, Alan Bennett, Sarah Kane, Martin McDonagh.  I love Hildegard Bechtler’s designs so I’d get her to do the place settings.  And I’d invite some people who don’t know anything about theatre – gets a bit boring talking shop all the time.

For the rest of the interview please click here.