Bristol play moves from living room to national stage

A theatre production that started life in a Shirehampton living room will be showcased around the country.

Southville director Ed Viney and actor Eoin Slattery will be taking their production of Rum and Vodka on a national tour starting next week.

The pair, who got to know each other over several drinking sessions while studying at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, said the one-man-play, written by Conor McPherson, captured Irish life.

Mr Viney said: "The play is about a guy who gets fired and goes on a bender around Dublin meeting all kinds of people. Eoin, who is originally from Cork, read the script and said he really wanted to perform it. I read it and I thought it was fantastic. It was written before McPherson's mega-hits like Seafarer and The Weir and is almost like him finding his voice."

The pair were booked into Clifton's Alma Tavern theatre for a week of performances and began rehearsing in Mr Slattery's home. "We struggled for somewhere to rehearse so we ended up in Eoin's living room in the beginning", Mr Viney said.

"The week at the Alma went really well and so we were asked to perform at the Bristol Tobacco Factory Brewery and then Hull Truck, a theatre I worked in previously, also asked us to do it. Neither of us want to be producers but we felt that we had something so good that it would be worth turning it into a tour."

Dates were added to the schedule and before long a list of five locations formed the basis of a countrywide tour.

Mr Viney said: "We start in Bristol on October 14 for two weeks at The Brewery, the new Tobacco Factory space, then go to New Wimbledon, Hull Truck, Manchester Royal Exchange and the Ustinov, Bath.

Mr Viney, who lives in Exmoor Street, used to teach history at Cotham Comprehensive School before deciding to become a professional director. He has worked at the Edinburgh Festival, on a tour of South Pacific, and with Southville and Bedminster production company Show of Strength before his current role as resident director at London's National Theatre.

He said: "Bristol is great for developing new talent, people are so friendly and cooperative. It's great to be able to work in the Brewery which is only weeks old and quite appropriate for a play about drinking.

"I think people have an appetite for live entertainment and this kind of theatre. It's not rocket science. If something is good quality people will go to see it. I think if people enjoy stand-up they will like this because it is similar but with a bit more meat."

For more information visit www.myspace.com/rum.vodka