FROM THE GARAGE TO THE BASEMENT
Having written, staged, and performed the show in Wellington, It was a routine trip to the local DVD store that was the catalyst for the Auckland season of I’ll Be Fine at The Basement. Playwright Ben Wilson shared more about his journey so far as a playwright, confused teenager, and cinephile.
Like most great kiwi success stories, Ben Wilson’s journey started in his garage. It was the late night conversations between him and his friends as they sat getting drunk that proved to be the inspiration for I’ll Be Fine. As Ben wrote the first drafts of the script, it was his male friendships, the shared issues they all were going through, and the conversations they were having that started filling the pages. But Ben became equally interested in what wasn’t being said.
“We have these mutual issues we all go through. But there is that distance that exists in a lot of male friendships. I remember one night we were talking about actual problems, real issues that we were facing, and then my friend just turned around to me and said ‘fuck it man. I’ll be fine’. It was powerful because you hear it all the time. The play was inspired by that conversation.”
Before writing I’ll Be Fine, Ben had seen and experienced plenty of theatre – his dad had taken him to see plenty of Circa shows, and he had studied Shakespeare at school, but none of it had really spoken to him the way that film and movies had. That all changed after he attended a performance of Eli Kent’s The Intricate Art of Actually Caring.
“It blew me away. I came out of it very moved because it felt like I was seeing so much of what I was going through and feeling on stage. There was a whole group of young people making theatre with a young voice, and that felt important to me.”
Once the script for I’ll Be Fine was completed Ben shared it with his friend James Russell and they began rehearsing together in the garage. It wasn’t long before director Ryan Knighton was also brought on board to help shape and stage the show, and bring it to BATS theatre in Wellington.
While rehearsing the show, Ryan provided valuable insight into the writing process, helping Ben to fully realise his story.
“Ryan found the things that I was trying to say, and helped me to bring those out. The play was originally a lot darker. He challenged me to look at the changes I’d gone through since starting to write the play, and I made small shifts in the characters mind sets along the way to better reflect my own journey.”
I’ll Be Fine opened at BATS in October 2014 to a positive critical response. He may have been juggling studying, and producing and performing in the show, but Ben described opening night as the best moment of his life.
“We had people standing up, they were all young people. You forget your show is funny when you’re rehearsing. And then when you perform it to people, they react. When I was on stage I remember nearly screwing up, because the audience were there reacting.”
It wasn’t just the youth audience in Wellington that Ben had impressed though. New Zealand actress and playwright Miranda Harcourt was also in the audience, and after a chance meeting at a DVD store, she helped to pave the way for I’ll Be Fine’s Auckland season.
“She came up to me and told me that she really loved my play, and asked me my plans for the show. I told her it was finished. She said ‘I don’t think it is finished. Take it to Auckland.”
That same night Miranda emailed The Basement, and Sam Snedden at The Basement theatre got in touch to invite Ben and the show to Auckland. With James already in Auckland studying with The Actor’s Program, it was perfect timing.
It’s an exciting milestone for the play, and The Basement Schools Programme couldn’t be a better fit for the work that speaks volumes about the issues and challenges young people in New Zealand face. For Ben, Brian and Jude represent the search for direction that he saw as a common issue faced by him and his friends.
“Jude represents the want for direction. He is searching for his father hoping for some answers. Brian is the parry of Jude. He doesn’t need the answers, he doesn’t want to force a direction. Shit just happens. Brian is sadder than Jude. He keeps everything to himself by just talking all the time about shit so he doesn’t have to deal with the real stuff. Brian is afraid of dealing with his problems, and Jude wants to deal with his problems, but doesn’t know how. They’re just two very scared little boys.”
In telling his story, Ben aimed to use language and conversations that felt as real as possible. His goal was never to present a play that was about high realism, but instead a story that was honest. He also cites the constant movie references as a representation of the way people connect and relate to each other through shared experiences and the culture around them.
“It needed the play to sound like the way I talk with my friends. Half the time when I’m talking to people, I’m talking in movie quotes, hoping that they get the reference. We relate through the culture that we’ve grown up with together. I have watched films together with my friends like Stand By Me and The Breakfast Club, and we all know there’s stuff in there we can all relate to, but we’ll never talk about it.”
Ben has also used I’ll Be Fine as a way to address themes of youth depression and suicide, and has spoken candidly about his own struggles with depression and how it has informed the work. He hopes the play will provide comfort to those experiencing depression, letting them know they are not alone.
“There’s a lot to be said for talking to people. A lot of things are a cliché because they are true. And that’s one of those things. Don’t isolate yourself. The comfort of knowing you are not alone is a massive thing. I remind myself of that every day. You don’t even need to know the person. But there is someone out there. And it may not help you, but it’s the comfort of other heartbeats.”
While Ben continues to study and write, there are plenty of plans in the pipeline. Currently working on projects he hopes to stage in Wellington and the Fringe festival, Ben just wants to keep telling young people’s stories for as long as he can. And he takes his role as a young storyteller seriously – continuing to provide a youth voice to a group he feels are the most vulnerable in society.
“You watch movies about young people, but it’s rare for them to really talk about the heavy stuff. I just really think that young people deserve that voice where they are taken seriously. When you tell a youth story with a sense of hope and a sense of honesty, hopefully the audience will come away and actually feel something. I want to provide that experience. For me it’s not even about changing a point of view. It is just about providing comfort. Providing someone with the knowledge that they are not alone.”
And for those wanting to follow in his footsteps, Ben offers his advice.
“You hear people say dance like no one is watching. Just write like no one is reading. Just write for yourself, When you are writing for yourself you’ll be surprised at how many other people get what you’re trying to say. I kept looking for excuses not to write I’ll Be Fine. But doing it, changed everything for me.”
Like most great kiwi success stories, Ben Wilson’s journey started in his garage. It was the late night conversations between him and his friends as they sat getting drunk that proved to be the inspiration for I’ll Be Fine. As Ben wrote the first drafts of the script, it was his male friendships, the shared issues they all were going through, and the conversations they were having that started filling the pages. But Ben became equally interested in what wasn’t being said.
“We have these mutual issues we all go through. But there is that distance that exists in a lot of male friendships. I remember one night we were talking about actual problems, real issues that we were facing, and then my friend just turned around to me and said ‘fuck it man. I’ll be fine’. It was powerful because you hear it all the time. The play was inspired by that conversation.”
Before writing I’ll Be Fine, Ben had seen and experienced plenty of theatre – his dad had taken him to see plenty of Circa shows, and he had studied Shakespeare at school, but none of it had really spoken to him the way that film and movies had. That all changed after he attended a performance of Eli Kent’s The Intricate Art of Actually Caring.
“It blew me away. I came out of it very moved because it felt like I was seeing so much of what I was going through and feeling on stage. There was a whole group of young people making theatre with a young voice, and that felt important to me.”
Once the script for I’ll Be Fine was completed Ben shared it with his friend James Russell and they began rehearsing together in the garage. It wasn’t long before director Ryan Knighton was also brought on board to help shape and stage the show, and bring it to BATS theatre in Wellington.
While rehearsing the show, Ryan provided valuable insight into the writing process, helping Ben to fully realise his story.
“Ryan found the things that I was trying to say, and helped me to bring those out. The play was originally a lot darker. He challenged me to look at the changes I’d gone through since starting to write the play, and I made small shifts in the characters mind sets along the way to better reflect my own journey.”
I’ll Be Fine opened at BATS in October 2014 to a positive critical response. He may have been juggling studying, and producing and performing in the show, but Ben described opening night as the best moment of his life.
“We had people standing up, they were all young people. You forget your show is funny when you’re rehearsing. And then when you perform it to people, they react. When I was on stage I remember nearly screwing up, because the audience were there reacting.”
It wasn’t just the youth audience in Wellington that Ben had impressed though. New Zealand actress and playwright Miranda Harcourt was also in the audience, and after a chance meeting at a DVD store, she helped to pave the way for I’ll Be Fine’s Auckland season.
“She came up to me and told me that she really loved my play, and asked me my plans for the show. I told her it was finished. She said ‘I don’t think it is finished. Take it to Auckland.”
That same night Miranda emailed The Basement, and Sam Snedden at The Basement theatre got in touch to invite Ben and the show to Auckland. With James already in Auckland studying with The Actor’s Program, it was perfect timing.
It’s an exciting milestone for the play, and The Basement Schools Programme couldn’t be a better fit for the work that speaks volumes about the issues and challenges young people in New Zealand face. For Ben, Brian and Jude represent the search for direction that he saw as a common issue faced by him and his friends.
“Jude represents the want for direction. He is searching for his father hoping for some answers. Brian is the parry of Jude. He doesn’t need the answers, he doesn’t want to force a direction. Shit just happens. Brian is sadder than Jude. He keeps everything to himself by just talking all the time about shit so he doesn’t have to deal with the real stuff. Brian is afraid of dealing with his problems, and Jude wants to deal with his problems, but doesn’t know how. They’re just two very scared little boys.”
In telling his story, Ben aimed to use language and conversations that felt as real as possible. His goal was never to present a play that was about high realism, but instead a story that was honest. He also cites the constant movie references as a representation of the way people connect and relate to each other through shared experiences and the culture around them.
“It needed the play to sound like the way I talk with my friends. Half the time when I’m talking to people, I’m talking in movie quotes, hoping that they get the reference. We relate through the culture that we’ve grown up with together. I have watched films together with my friends like Stand By Me and The Breakfast Club, and we all know there’s stuff in there we can all relate to, but we’ll never talk about it.”
Ben has also used I’ll Be Fine as a way to address themes of youth depression and suicide, and has spoken candidly about his own struggles with depression and how it has informed the work. He hopes the play will provide comfort to those experiencing depression, letting them know they are not alone.
“There’s a lot to be said for talking to people. A lot of things are a cliché because they are true. And that’s one of those things. Don’t isolate yourself. The comfort of knowing you are not alone is a massive thing. I remind myself of that every day. You don’t even need to know the person. But there is someone out there. And it may not help you, but it’s the comfort of other heartbeats.”
While Ben continues to study and write, there are plenty of plans in the pipeline. Currently working on projects he hopes to stage in Wellington and the Fringe festival, Ben just wants to keep telling young people’s stories for as long as he can. And he takes his role as a young storyteller seriously – continuing to provide a youth voice to a group he feels are the most vulnerable in society.
“You watch movies about young people, but it’s rare for them to really talk about the heavy stuff. I just really think that young people deserve that voice where they are taken seriously. When you tell a youth story with a sense of hope and a sense of honesty, hopefully the audience will come away and actually feel something. I want to provide that experience. For me it’s not even about changing a point of view. It is just about providing comfort. Providing someone with the knowledge that they are not alone.”
And for those wanting to follow in his footsteps, Ben offers his advice.
“You hear people say dance like no one is watching. Just write like no one is reading. Just write for yourself, When you are writing for yourself you’ll be surprised at how many other people get what you’re trying to say. I kept looking for excuses not to write I’ll Be Fine. But doing it, changed everything for me.”