Interview: The Review That Inspired a Play

Writer and ET reviewer Toby France talks grief, hoarding, and staging a “vicar gone rogue” at The Drayton Arms Theatre

What happens when a “vicar gone rogue” leaves his family to pick up the pieces of a crashed campervan and a complicated legacy? For writer Toby France, the answer lay in his own history. Father on High is a new comedy-drama that delves into the true-life story of Toby’s late father – a Bipolar, gay priest.

Presented by The Pesky Players, the play explores the aftermath of mania, family reconstruction, and the dark reality behind the twitching curtains of a Sussex village. Ahead of its preview run at The Drayton Arms Theatre this February, we caught up with Toby to talk about grief, hoarding, and the catharsis of putting your own life on stage.

You’ve mentioned in the show press release that reviewing Personal Values at The Hampstead Theatre was the spark for this play. What was it about that specific production that made you realise it was finally time to tell your father’s story?

My father was not a hoarder but during one mania, he bought the entire contents of a kitchen shop. Our lounge (filled with every size of saucepan you could imagine) could’ve easily been the set for Personal Values but where grieving hoarder ‘Bea’ collected, my father bought. During a financial mania, his biggest buy was a campervan, ‘Della’, which he filled with Armageddon-ready supplies. Three years after settling his debts, selling ‘Della’ and processing his death, I sat down to review Personal Values and as I did, I reflected on what I value as a writer – truth, humour and a juicy drama. I had been sitting on my story and I knew it was time to get ‘Della’ back on the road!

Father on High is described as a “comedy-drama”. How do you find the humour in subjects as heavy as Bipolar disorder, mania, and the “manic panic buying” of a loved one?

When my mother and I were sorting through the campervan, we opened an unassuming cardboard box to find a black leather dog lead. This struck us as odd as we were always a ‘cat family’. What followed was the discovery that this was my father’s secret sex box, filled with anything and everything that needed lube or batteries. At this point, we could’ve cried, even screamed but we didn’t; we laughed. Us Brits have a way of dealing with trauma through laughter and this is something I wanted to capture even in the trickiest of circumstances of my new comedy-drama. 

The character of Alex is based on yourself, and Claire is based on your mother. What has been the most challenging part of fictionalising your own family for the stage? 

Well, not much has been fictionalised! I used our middle names and slightly tweaked our timeline for dramatic flow but when I was stuck on which scene to write next, I would remember the worst-case scenarios we imagined and let that structure the story. I think both my mother and I are very open people and have been open with each other during my writing process so no major challenges have cropped up. My mother has said Claire says ‘all things I wanted to say’. She is feisty! 

Claire is described as a woman whose Christian faith is her driving force. How does that faith clash, or perhaps harmonise, with the reality of a husband who was a gay priest and a son who is navigating his own sexuality?

In real life, my mother is also an ordained priest so her faith in God has always been her driving force. However, prior to the priesthood she was a scientist and worked for London Zoo. Her full life experience has given her a liberal and loving heart far beyond what many might expect so I followed this in my characterisation of Claire. My parents’ marriage was a testament to mutual understanding which is something they showed to me in my coming out. In this way Father on High is my love letter to our shared bonds of acceptance.  

You describe the Sussex village setting as “anything but an escape”. How does the “curtain twitching” atmosphere of a small village add to the tension of the play?

Nowhere does curtain twitching quite like a small village so basing my play in a village similar to the one in which I was raised seemed the obvious choice. I only ever refer to our setting as ‘the village’ because the real people of Burwash and Etchingham have been the biggest supporters of our family and my work. In fact, our poster image was shot in the church where my mother was once vicar! As a family, we have felt tension and the subject of scandal whilst living and working with a church in London. It was this breakdown in our relationship with the church that for some years left me disillusioned with the Christian community. In writing this play, I have found space for forgiveness and have let those tensions go. 

You have Jacky Mills, Ethan Emery, and Ellé Amara on board. What was the casting process like for roles that are so intimately tied to your real-life experiences?

It was fascinating! I have always worked with actor friends on previous projects but I felt the need for distance in casting actors to play myself and my mother. After all, it must be rather daunting to be playing opposite your director whilst also playing the part of your director. With Jacky and Ethan (who I had not met before) I have found the perfect mother-son bond I was after. They aren’t carbon copies of us but take the best of us and make for a pairing I believe audiences will root for. 

After your preview run at The Drayton Arms this February, what are your hopes for a full run in the future?

How about a life size campervan?! It would make a tour much easier. But in all seriousness, I would love to reach as many people as possible for our full run. Even just talking about Father on High I’ve been amazed how people have opened up to me about the ways in which Bipolar disorder has affected them. In sharing my story, my intention is that Bipolar is better understood and audiences can feel uplifted in sharing our lows and our laughs together. 

Thanks to Toby for finding time to chat inbetween reviewing for us and preparing for his show. You can catch Father On High when it comes to Drayton Arms Theatre for two nights on Sunday 1 and Monday 2 February.