Writer’s Note: David Williamson, CRUNCH TIME

CRUNCH TIME is a story of sibling rivalry and a story about dying. If that sounds grim, then some of the time it is. Dying can’t be avoided and sibling rivalry is a reality of life. In any family each sibling wants their share of love and parental attention and can get very distressed if they feel they aren’t getting it. The other fact of life, although we often pretend it isn’t true, is that parents have favourites. Sure they love all their children but sometimes not quite equally, and children are acutely sensitive to signs that they aren’t the chosen one. But CRUNCH TIME isn’t a saga devoid of laughter. In life sometimes it’s only humour that can get us through. Laughter is a survival skill we alone, of all living creatures, have been gifted and it’s part of life and part of all my plays. This is genuinely my last play. I’ve had a wonderful fifty years in the theatre and my time at the Ensemble has been particularly dear to me, so I’d like to thank Sandra Bates for her enthusiasm and belief in my work and Mark Kilmurry and all the wonderful people at the Ensemble for all the love, support and friendship they’ve given me. And of course for staging so many wonderful productions of my work with top line casts — the cast I have for CRUNCH TIME is one of the very best.

David Williamson

CRUNCH TIME is playing from 14 Feb – 9 Apr, book here.