Welcome to the Family: Quotes by Alan Ayckbourn
"It's a play about nostalgia really and the dangers of nostalgia; remembering things for the wrong reasons."First read-through, 17 April 2023
"The play employs one of my favourite techniques to have one character in the centre of it - in this case, Josh - who has no idea what's going on around him. He's an innocent in wonderland."
First read-through, 17 April 2023
"Sara - Josh's fiancée - is the fly in the ointment. The wheels are no longer running smoothly and it's like someone has stepped into your own private movie."
First read-through, 17 April 2023
"This is a three-dimensional holographic experience and in this case, someone has recorded a day with his parents when he was still at school and his parents have long since died, but he still goes back to visit them. It’s a parable really of the past that you dream of. But his big mistake is that he takes his latest girlfriend back; the whole of the dream unravels as she discovers his parents are not what they seem."
(Broadcasting House, BBC Radio 4, 30 April 2023)
Concerning Directing the Play: "I think the most important thing is I want to develop the bond between Josh and Sara. If the play rises and falls by one thing, it's because we the audience will want them to get together by the end. So there's got to be the elements which we've set out quite lengthily in the first and last scene, particularly, there's a very strong feeling of love."
First read-through, 17 April 2023
With Regards to the Music for the World Premiere Production: "The music I’m using for Welcome to the Family is much more conventional than for Constant Companions (his second premiere for 2023) and is called the Poltergeist Sonata. [by William Bolcom and part of his Three Ghost Rags]. It is strangely weird and has a sort of otherworldly feel to it and is quietly disturbing. It sounds conventional but underneath it, it has a certain discord to it. I think it matches the tone of the play rather well. You think, "Oh this is nice. Oh wait, no it isn’t!”
Interview with the playwright, March 2023