THE MUMBLE : Hi, Gerry, so how is the Dirt Under the Carpet project coming together?

GERRY : It’s coming together well (I hope!). Karen and Joyce are working very well together and we are discovering new things about the play and the characters every day. The play takes place in one setting but it crosses a few different time zones between the past, the present and limbo when Karen talks to the audience. Finding the transitions has been a bit tricky but I think we have cracked it!

THE MUMBLE : Can you tell us a little about the play?

GERRY : The show is transferring to Aberdeen after it opens in Glasgow, and it’s part of the Granite Noir Festival there and is a great thriller/mystery….apart from that I’m not giving anything away! No spoilers here!

THE MUMBLE :The playwright, Rona Munro, has had recent spectacular success with The James Plays. Dirt Under the Carpet is very different from an epic historical trilogy – how do you feel Rona has handled the change in tempo & scope?

GERRY :I would never even dare to make comment on how Rona has handled that. I’m not a writer. I can only talk about the experience of her plays from my own perspective as a director and actor. To me she is an absolute genius. The first play I directed was Iron by Rona and I kind of fell in love with her language and style and most importantly these amazing characters she writes. I know these people, I’ve met them, grown up with them. They mean something to me….I’m sure I sound like an absolute wanker there but it is true!

THE MUMBLE : How are your two actresess – Joyce Falconer and Karen Fishwick – getting on with their roles?

GERRY : Very well I think. They are finding some lovely stuff. Joyce has been very generous in helping Karen and I with the accent and she has a great presence on stage. Karen is wonderful, she is really making the part her own. She always finds something new in the character each time we rehearse and as a director that is a really exciting thing to watch. They are working very well together and creating a real, fully formed relationship between them. It’s quite a complex play and they are really making it work (don’t tell them I said that though!)

Joyce Falconer

THE MUMBLE : What emotions should next week’s PPPP (play, pie, pint, punter) expect to be stirred by Dirt Under the Carpet?

GERRY : I have no idea. I really don’t. It’s not my intention to try to make them feel anything. I’m really enjoying watching these two great actors work with a fantastic script and a great story. I hope we can do it justice. I can’t possibly predict what emotions it may stir up….

THE MUMBLE : What does the rest of 2017 have in store for Gerry Lynch?

GERRY : We transfer to The Lemon Tree and then after that I go back to acting and assistant directing The Lions Of Lisbon which will tour across Scotland. I’ve also got a monthly pub theatre by my company UnSub Actors that I’m setting up at the Citz (hopefully) where we will do staged readings of some classic Scottish plays. We also have workshops set up with Kahleen Crawford, Danny Jackson a new writing workshop with Philip Howard and Martin McCormick,  a theatre workshop with Gareth Nichols, a workshop with Shakespeare’s Globe and Mike Alfreds, and hopefully a Shakespeare workshop with Lu Kemp and Liz Lochead. Apart from that I’m just going to go up the road to see my 2 wee boys and my beautiful Ginger wife Marianne X

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Dirt Under The Carpet will be playing at the Oran Mor

Feb 13-18th (1PM)