This February, the New Works festival returns for its 13th year, celebrating the very best of student writing in Glasgow. We sat down with Grace, author of Summer Fling, which performs on 27th February, Queen Margaret Union.
What inspired you to create a parody of dating shows, and how did you decide which elements to satirize?
I unironically love Love Island, and I think it’s genuinely one of the most absurd shows on television – in a lot of ways, it kind of feels like a parody of itself already – so the decision to spoof it was borne from a lot of love, and a lot of hours wasted watching 20-somethings bicker about what does and doesn’t count as cheating. Especially as a female writer, the weird gender divide and sexist double standards at the heart of the show felt like clear elements to satirize.
How did you develop the diverse and exaggerated characters for the show?
It was mainly a case of trying to create people who contrasted with each other as much as possible – if one character is more timid and prudish, I want another one who’s brash and confident. I also took inspiration from the host of larger than life characters that have been on Love Island over the years – the good, the bad and the ugly!
What societal issues do you hope to comment on through the play’s humor?
I’d like to highlight the damaging effect of gender roles, as well as the staged and intrinsically performative nature of reality TV. Also – one of the biggest issues facing our society – the amount of genuinely evil freaky men that go on Love Island. Get them out!!
How did you approach balancing absurdity with meaningful commentary on dating culture?
I think making something absurd is often the best way to highlight the reality of it – by making the flaws which are already present in these dating shows sillier and more over-the-top, it’s easier to draw an audience’s attention to them. Also, I think as a writer it can be easier to come up with jokes if you know there’s A Meaningful Point behind them – it gives you a jumping-off point that can inspire loads of fun characters and scenarios.
What challenges did you face in bringing the vibrant, chaotic energy of a dating show to the stage?
It was hard to condense the amount of stories and drama found in the entire season of a dating show into a 50 minute play! Unfortunately, it was also impossible to source the 20+ contestants who would usually take part in a show like this, but sometimes all you need is 4 divas and a dream.
What do you hope audiences will laugh at or reflect on after seeing ‘Summer Fling’?
I hope they’ll laugh at a lot of it! And then maybe reflect a bit on the inherently exploitative nature of reality television, and how we’re all complicit in the cycle of mistreatment that happens with contestants on these shows. And then remember a really funny bit and start laughing again.