Cock comes to the Tron
Andy Arnold chats about Valentine's Day plans and finally getting the rights to Cock.
February is a romantic month, and the Tron Theatre are bringing romance to the stage with Mike Bartlett’s Cock. In the words of artistic director Andy Arnold, who will also be stepping up to direct this production: “Cock is a play about sexual identity and sexual confusion.” Specifically, it’s about a man who, after being in a relationship with a male partner for many years, meets and falls for a woman, consequently having to make a decision many face about which path he wants his life to take, and who he wants to take it with.
“It’s a frustrating play in many ways because it doesn’t really provide any answers but it’s very funny, very witty and very clever,” says Arnold. “The dialogue’s brilliant, Mike Bartlett is a very clever writer and I was drawn to it as soon as I read it. The best plays are the ones where you come out at the end and you’re trying to work out what would have happened next – this is one of those plays, you’ll need to have a chat about it afterwards.”
This is the play’s first UK production since it premiered at London's Royal Court six years ago, and Arnold has been chasing it almost since its opening night: “I got hold of a copy when I read the reviews because I thought it sounded brilliant and I thought, 'I’d love to do that.' I applied to get the rights and they said, 'They’re not available' – I assumed it was probably because it was going to the West End but nothing happened. A couple of years later I applied again; they weren’t available and a year or two after that, still nothing.”
(Continues below)
Curtains Up: 2016 in Scottish Theatre
Traverse Theatre unveils Spring programme
He still does not know why he couldn’t get hold of the rights sooner, with the play going to both Australia and America, but then he tried a final time. “I was running a workshop here at the Tron with young artists and I went round the room at the beginning asking, 'What’s your favourite contemporary play?' and someone said, 'Cock by Mike Bartlett.' I said, 'Oh, that’s brilliant, I’ve always wanted to do that,' so that afternoon I thought I’d try again.”
Bartlett remains very specific about his play, which is to be performed with 'no furniture, no props, no set and no miming.' “It’s actually really intriguing,” says Arnold. “It’s almost like a live radio play in some ways. It’ll be interesting in rehearsal to find out how we approach a dinner party, a couple making love without acting it out. That’s partly what appealed to me because I think that’s what makes it fascinating to watch.”
So, is this the play to take your Valentine to? “I hadn’t thought of that,” he says. “The 14th is a Sunday so we haven’t got a show on the actual night, we’re missing an opportunity! It’ll have to be the Saturday.” That said, he calls it “absolutely” the play for a date: “It’s just a brilliant piece of theatre and it’s very uplifting, so a couple – or just friends on a night out, actually, whether it’s Valentine's night or another night – would enjoy the experience. What better, go for a nice meal and then come and see the show?”
Cock, Tron Theatre, 9-20 Feb then touring, 7.45pm (2.30pm)