In conversation with Alan Bennett...

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This afternoon I had the pleasure of being part (and by part I mean witnessing) Alan Bennett in conversation.  For anyone who doesn’t know who he is (that comment this afternoon got a very middle class laugh but I don’t like to presume) he’s a nationally renowned playwright born and raised in Leeds.  Perhaps best known to this generation of drama enthusiasts for excellent, “The History Boys,” I was first introduced to him at the tender age of 16 when his memorable “Talking Heads” were televised.  The honest, unpretentious voice of the writing spoke to me immediately and I have never forgotten them.

It’s always an odd experience getting the chance to hear an icon talk about his work, you’re never sure how it will go or what you might end up taking away.  This afternoon I took away a sense of what it is to be at ease with yourself and what you have achieved.  At 80 years old and having just survived cancer (he was told he only had a 50% chance of surviving) he sat on the stage of the Quarry theatre facing a packed audience looking like he was sat on his own sofa at home.

As I listened to him read extracts of his writing, answer prepared questions and then questions from the audience I felt a warm feeling of stability settle around me.  This is a man who accepts who he is, who is proud of his achievements but not arrogant, who seems to have no regrets and yet acknowledges his imperfections.  He is choc full of humanity in a very real sense, having the ability to capture our complexity, contradictions and qualities and paint them in words.  This is a man who is at ease with his place in the world…who doesn’t scrabble for more and yet still strives to create…who speaks passionately about the things that are important to him…this is a man who stands in his shoes comfortably and appreciates the lot he has been dealt. 

Allan Bennett’s sense of self knowledge was inspiring…inspiring and optimistic…in the hour I spent in his company and of course the other hundreds of people that I shared it with I had a vision of the person I would like to be…the Sarah that I will strive (gently and realistically) to become…not a bad achievement for a Sunday afternoon…

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