hadaway - the making of a writer
Specially commissioned by Cloud Nine for the Tom Hadaway Festival, which took place throughout Tyneside in October 2003, as a celebration of the North-East's most acclaimed living dramatist, and a personal friend of mine. It was daunting to write a play about his life, but a great privilege - this was the only play not by Tom in the festival. It tells of his life in North Shields on the fish quay and in violent and tragic circumstances, but there is comedy too. Tom was a great playwright: lyrical and poetic yet true to the poor working people he wrote about, and their language, which are features I strive for in my own work.
The play moves over many decades but is mainly rooted in the life of North Shields, by the sea and the river. In capturing now lost expressions, dialect, and preoccupations, as well as wide reading of archive material, I called upon my memories of my late grandmother, Dora Carr, who came from Byker's shipbuilding community. My father Lindsay Laws, a contemporary of Tom's, grew up in Cullercoats' fishing community, and I used my knowledge of his upbringing also
to complement Tom's words and stories in my hours of interviews with him.
Performed at North Shields where Tom grew up and became a writer and a hard worker on the fish quay.
The script was published in book form by Iron Press.
The play moves over many decades but is mainly rooted in the life of North Shields, by the sea and the river. In capturing now lost expressions, dialect, and preoccupations, as well as wide reading of archive material, I called upon my memories of my late grandmother, Dora Carr, who came from Byker's shipbuilding community. My father Lindsay Laws, a contemporary of Tom's, grew up in Cullercoats' fishing community, and I used my knowledge of his upbringing also
to complement Tom's words and stories in my hours of interviews with him.
Performed at North Shields where Tom grew up and became a writer and a hard worker on the fish quay.
The script was published in book form by Iron Press.