'I'm unattached – and proud'

"In a way, all of Fringe was a giant preview," says Una McKevitt, the Irish playwright and director behind the critically acclaimed Singlehood. The idea for the show first came about after Una had come to the realisation that she was something of a "serial monogamist".

She said: "For 10 years, I had never really thought about being single. I was curious as to why some really talented, beautiful women were single and didn't want to be, and I was interested in people who were single and just getting on with it.

Challenge

"I wanted the challenge of making something light-hearted that would draw in audiences that don't always go to the theatre."

Together with her artistic collaborator, TV writer David Coffey of Dan & Becs fame, Una interviewed more than 50 single men and women whose real-life stories eventually formed the script for Singlehood. "We both kind of 'exploit' our friends and families for material," she laughs.

The talented cast includes Dublin stand-up comedian Eric Lalor. Some of his stories are in there, too. "I think that's some of the charm," says Eric (42), a married father-of-four.

"Although we're reciting other people's words, there is that section where we talk about our own experiences.

"When I first spoke to Una, she got me thinking about when I was single and the overriding feeling I had of panic and feeling like some sort of a leper if I wasn't in a relationship.

"That's how it was back then," he continues. "I think that's how society teaches us, that you need to be in a relationship to feel accepted, to feel justified – to feel attractive, I suppose."

>Chris Wasser

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