Sex Chat Granny, which is written and performed by Harriet Waterhouse, follows the story of a woman slipping into the invisibility of middle age, drowing under bills whilst still trying to be the fractured hub that holds her family together. Putting her love life on hold while she pays the bill, she takes to working sex chat phonelines. We took the opportunity to speak with Waterhouse to tell us more.
Q) Hi! Would you be able to give us a quick insight into your career working in costume design?
I had always wanted to act, but found in playing dress up as a child, my focus was on historical clothing, and I taught myself to sew in order to make things. There is storytelling through clothing too, and costume seemed safer than acting for a horribly shy child.
My work took me to the Globe, creating Mark Rylance’s Hamlet, and onto TV in a series about historical clothing, called A Stitch in Time. Some of the crew I worked with on film sets have now also seen me act, which feels like coming full circle.
Q) What inspired the transition from costume to now performing yourself?
In rep I saw actors coming together for a production, meeting old friends, making new ones, and forming a family in the cast - honestly they looked so happy - and I decided that I would ‘retire’ into acting, and spend my dotage touring shows around the country. I trained at East 15 last year, and couldn’t be happier doing what I love.
Q) Are there any performers or writers that you especially look up to or are inspired by?
I would say I’m more inspired by the work than any specific performer - I love it when actors aren’t afraid to be ugly (emotionally as well as physically), to go into the weird, and when the funny and the sad are interwoven, as they are in real life. I do love chameleons like Gary Oldman and Jodie Comer. And Kristin Scott Thomas is very compelling to watch, everything going on in her eyes. And I absolutely love the fearless choices in the work of Ruth Jones and Julia Davis.
Q) Could you talk to us a little about the sense of "women slipping into the invisibility of middle age"?
I remember my mother commenting that the traffic didn’t stop to let her cross anymore, except when I was with her, and have experienced that myself now. Long blonde hair will always get you a second glance, and I did once hear a man hiss ‘blonde deceiver’ as I passed. But more than that, it’s an invisibility that comes from our roles in a family. Granny is caught in the perfect storm of supporting both younger and older generations, with only her menopause for company. An older woman’s identity is dictated by what those around her need her to be, and she is often lost in the middle. I want those voices to be heard more. And respected again.
Q) How did the concept for "Sex Chat Granny" first come to you?
In the 1980s I was growing up in a small town, and heard the proud boast (probably not even true) that it was the throbbing hub of phone sex work, with many of the workers being elderly ladies working from home. The image of a grey/blue perm and a quilted housecoat stayed with me, and in 2021 I suddenly started to write.
Q) You're on the threshold of starting your debut solo show. How have you approached this as a performer?
Mostly I’ve just been concentrating on doing the work - the work is the gift that keeps in giving, but in quieter moments I have a rush of joy that I am able to do this, and grateful for the chance and the support. Using phrases like ‘my agent’ and ‘my producer’ is not going to get old any time soon!
Q) Advice you'd given artists in terms of career change, creating a solo show, or following their dreams?
The best time to start is always now - life is very uncertain. I have lost some dear friends far too young in the last couple of years, and without sounding gloomy that does focus the mind. Stay curious, be creative, and keep growing!
Q) What are you hoping audiences will take away from the show?
I want audiences to feel seen, but also to have a good laugh, and maybe look at their own lives with more curiosity…
Q) What is your favourite line from the show?
Well, I mean ‘cum on my tits’ has a lot of poetry clearly, and I’m proud of getting the word ‘specificity’ in, but I’m gonna say my favourite line is the one I stole from Hamlet. My second favourite is ‘There’s time yet’. I may get that on a tee shirt.
Sex Chat Granny runs at Camden's Etcetera Theatre until 11th August - for more information and tickets, you can follow the link here.
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