PrideWest : Interview with Clare Summerskill

Clare Summerskill

8th April 2008
by Darryl W Bullock

Called 'one of the funniest women in the country' by Time Out and 'the lesbian Victoria Wood' by Radio 4's Woman's Hour comedienne, singer, performer and actress Clare Summerskill may be best known for her cocktail of stand-up and comedy songs, but she has also released three CDs of her own original material, has written plays for both the theatre and radio, runs her own theatre troupe and a successful comedy writer's workshop. She brings her new show, In No Particular Order, to the Tobacco Factory in Bristol on April 20.

Darryl Bullock posed Clare a few questions in this exclusive interview for PrideWest

What made you want to become a comedienne/singer?

When I was very young I saw a programme on TV where Joyce Grenfell was doing comedy monologues and singing her original songs and I was entranced by that; whilst I didn't know then that that was what I wanted to do myself, I suppose I always held that in my head as an example of something that can work dramatically and musically. I was also drawn to her gentle but very insightful kind of humour, which I still strive to produce myself. Then later on I saw the likes of Lily Tomlin and Victoria Wood doing the same sort of thing and thought perhaps I could have a go! I had trained as an actress and worked for many years on the stage in everything from community theatre companies to West End Musicals but I'd always liked performing my own material in cabaret or revues, so I finally decided to mix the comedy and songs with my love of theatre and for the last ten years or so I have been taking my own one-woman shows on tour to theatres around the country.

How hard is life on the road?

The tours I do only have weekend fixtures so it's not as if I set off around the country on a tour bus and have all-night parties with scores of lesbians in the back of it as I travel round the country, so the answer would be "relatively easy" I suppose. Sometimes it's an adjustment doing a one-woman show after I've maybe done a production with a full cast of my theatre company but over the years I have got to know quite a few special people in most of the towns and cities I tour to, so it gives me a chance to see and catch up with them each time. But I love doing live shows and I love the fact that for that one night (or two) the whole theatre will be taken over by lesbians coming to see the piece, who maybe didn't even know there were that many of them around in that area, and all the front of house staff and technicians just have to take it all in and act as if this were an everyday occurrence! So it can be a little tiring sometimes but basically it's a lot of fun and I feel quite privileged to be in position of doing this kind of work.

Have things become easier for gay/lesbian performers in recent years or is it still a struggle working in a predominantly straight world?

I think that in recent years gay men seem to have now been totally accepted by straight society as entertainers, comedians and actors whereas lesbians still have a long way to go in that respect. Whilst some people may argue that lesbians are now fully integrated in Britain I believe that we still suffer from a great deal of prejudice and lack of visibility. I've noticed for example that even Big Brother, which always tries to represent different sectors of society has now stopped bringing on lesbians to the show, and the only mention of the word is from a straight woman who might have called herself bisexual in the audition to get on the programme and make herself sound more interesting. So although I enjoy my work enormously I think it is still very hard to be a lesbian actress and comedienne, writing and performing material which reflects our lifestyles in a way that mainstream TV, theatre comedy and film has never done.

Is it easier for lesbian performers on the comedy circuit?

There isn't really a gay comedy circuit as such, and sadly lesbian performers aren't very marketable on the straight comedy circuit - unless they either don't go on about their lesbian experiences and lifestyles or they send those aspects up in a way that straight people can feel OK about laughing at lesbians. I feel uncomfortable about allowing straight people to do this as I think in some ways it can actually enhance rather than challenge their prejudices, but the upshot is that it's quite difficult to be a lesbian performer in a straight commercially led comedy industry. So basically I've ended up doing shows about lesbians, for lesbians and if and when straight people turn up, by mistake or by design they're entering our world for one evening and not the other way around.

Do you mind being known as a lesbian performer, or would you prefer to be simply known as a performer?

I am a lesbian performer and I don't mind being known as that because a large amount of the material I perform is about being a lesbian and living as a lesbian in a predominantly straight society. Therefore I think I might as well call myself a lesbian performer and do what it says on the tin!

What's a typical Clare Summerskill audience like?

A theatre packed full of short- haired, short-nailed lesbians who generally don't carry handbags because "it's easier to just put things in my pockets". They are often of all ages, (well maybe not primary school) and of all shapes and sizes. Some gay men will be spotted amongst the dykes and a few straights might turn up by mistake thinking that it was "meant to be a comedy night and they didn't realise there was a lesbian performing," but after they show they'll be heard to say that they "were very surprised how much they enjoyed the show anyway!"

If you were not performing, what would you be doing?

As well as being a performer I am also a writer. I have just had a book published of my short stories and monologues called "We're The Girls," I am also a playwright and I have my own theatre company Artemis. So I guess that if I wasn't on the stage I would just like to write full time. The last production I did with my theatre company was a play called "Gateway to Heaven" which was a piece based entirely on the memories of older lesbians and gay men. The tour was a national one, funded by The Arts Council, and Age Concern England commissioned a film version of it. I have also written several commissioned plays for other theatre companies and for social sector organisations.

Do you pull on your own experiences a lot for your material?

I draw on my own experiences nearly all the time for my material! Most especially on the relationship angles: the closer you keep to the truth in the telling, the greater the recognition from the audience and the more laughter you'll ultimately receive from them. In my songs and stories I'll also bring in lots of other people's experiences. I haven't actually lived out every single thing I write and sing about, and sometimes friends will get a little wary about telling me their experiences fearing that they may turn up some day somewhere in my writing. And occasionally someone will think that something I've written about is totally based on them when it fact it never was!

Clare Summerskill is at the Tobacco Factory, Raleigh Rd, Southville, Bristol on April 20th at 8pm. Tickets £12.

We're the Girls and Other Songs, Stories and Monologues by Clare Summerskill, illustrated by Kate Charlesworth, is out now from Diana Publishing.