135: Lance Woodman

My guest this week is a playwright Lance Woodman, who has written for Radio 4 and is a theatre tour guide for the Royal Shakespeare Company. 

Lance was born in Hereford but moved quite a bit while young and now lives in Stratford-upon-Avon. He has undertaken research into his family tree (Lance’s great uncle was my maternal grandfather), including most recently the 1921 census. He talks about how this has been a source of stories for his playwriting, and we learn about the rabbit holes he has found himself going down.

Lance talks about how it’s a working class history that is not widely covered, involving no dukes, kings or earls. He found an example of a family member, for example, who was deported due to Poor Law legislation. He reflects on how in such a scenario existence is tenuous and that very few people broke out of the cycle until more recent times.

We discuss whether and how Lance uses the raw materials of such research as data for writing plays, and we discover that he uses ghosts as a dramatic device for bringing the past into the present.

In terms of his earliest memories, Lance reflects on how there were not many constants. He became an enthusiastic cyclist, and Lance talks about how he messed up school and didn’t go to university until he was in his late 30s.

For his 21st birthday Lance went to see Ian Dury and the Blockheads in concert, and he talks about being a cataloguer of cycling records and medical information.

We discuss how names are often changed for census purposes and about the advantages of going to university in one’s 30s. Lance had been an IT professional for many years and we find out how he ended up doing a degree in Drama and then a Masters in Playwriting Studies at Birmingham. He reflects on how going to university was like coming to life. He has also lectured in universities.

He discusses his hobbyist interest in theatre and how as a playwright he tends to watch audiences as much as he does the shows. Lance also talks about the different forms that theatre has taken due to lockdown, e.g. various online manifestations.

Then, towards the end of the interview, we talk about how memories are not fixed and the way in which the past impacts on the present. We learn that Lance has fulfilled many of his dreams and he reflects on how his life is coloured by his past.

Please note: Opinions expressed are solely those of Chris Deacy and Lance Woodman and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of Kent.