Whitby Literature Festival celebrates writer mentored by Alan Ayckbourn
Launched last year, Whitby Litfest was a huge success and it returns this month for its second edition with another impressive line-up of authors heading to the coastal town for a celebration of writers and writing in a variety of genres and forms.
This year’s festival includes the inaugural Patron’s Spotlight event, featuring a special guest selected personally by honorary patron Sir Alan Ayckbourn. The legendary playwright, who has a long ongoing association with Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre where he was artistic director for nearly forty years, has chosen award-winning author and playwright Robert Shearman who will be in conversation with Ayckbourn’s archivist Simon Murgatroyd.
Shearman began his professional writing career in the 1990s and Ayckbourn commissioned him to write a play for the SJT after spotting his early promise as winner of the Sunday Times Playwriting Award. Shearman’s Scarborough debut in 1994, White Lies, was the first of six plays that premiered at the Stephen Joseph Theatre. In the thirty years since he has established himself as an acclaimed playwright, screenwriter, radio dramatist, short story writer and novelist.
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“I was really moved when I heard about the event at Whitby Literature Festival because Alan has been such an important figure in my life,” says Shearman. “He is one of the reasons that I wanted to become a writer. Right back in the 1980s when I was still at school, some of the sixth formers put on one of his short plays. At that point I didn’t really know what theatre was, but seeing that made me want to read more of Alan’s plays. Getting to work with him when I was a young writer was just amazing.”
Shearman first met Ayckbourn in 1991 when he was a student at Exeter University. “I was such a big fan of his, reading all his plays that were available, and I decided to do my dissertation on his work,” he says. “I saved up some money and travelled to Scarborough. I loved the theatre itself – it is still one of my favourites – and I put in a request to meet Alan. I was this incredibly nervous kid with a stammer and Alan was so friendly, encouraging and patient.” After winning the Sunday Times award, Shearman was appointed as resident dramatist at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter. He downplays this – “I got very lucky,” he says modestly – but clearly his talent was recognised; at the time he was the youngest playwright to have been offered such a position.
He went on to write several plays for the Northcott and then Ayckbourn got in touch. “We met for dinner in 1993 and he said: ‘I would like a play from you’. I started to pitch an idea he said ‘you don’t have to tell me now, I trust you.’” White Lies was the result and it was the beginning of a fruitful partnership that lasted several years.
He later moved into writing for television – he famously reintroduced the Daleks to the viewing public when Doctor Who returned to our screens in 2005. “Doctor Who changed everything,” he says. “I loved working on it and I became known as a different kind of writer; other TV opportunities followed.”
He also began to try other forms of writing. “When I was young, I had no ambition other than to be a playwright but when I hit my thirties, I felt I needed to find ways that I could keep myself fresh.” He was approached by a publisher who was putting together an anthology of short stories and he was invited to write one. “I wasn’t sure at first, but I thought I should give it a go,” he says. “I submitted it to the publisher and they asked me if I could write a whole collection.” The resulting book went on to win that year’s World Fantasy Award.
Working with Ayckbourn was a pivotal, inspiring period for Shearman and he feels that he learned a lot from him. “Alan taught me that sometimes you have to fail; you learn from your mistakes,” he says. “He understands that the best way to be a writer is to be fearless and experiment. And he is still doing that, still writing, still learning, pushing at the boundaries of what he is doing. Still fearless.” He is looking forward to revisiting the Yorkshire coast. “I have such good memories of being there – it was such a happy time,” he says. “And I am so excited to be part of the festival, it feels like a tremendous honour.”
Robert Shearman appears at Whitby Litfest on November 22. The festival runs November 19-22. whitbylitfest.org.uk