:: How do you unwind at weekends?
I HAVE a new baby, Etta, who turns one this week, so a lot of my weekends are taken up with her. We might take her to Ormeau Park or go to Hillsborough. We also take her to restaurants and she loves being with people. This weekend we'll have a little Halloween and birthday party.
My life's one big juggling act. I've spent a lot of time away working so I can't remember a proper weekend. My hobbies have changed in lockdown. I play electric guitar and used to be in a punk band with an unprintable name.
I like reading and have just finished The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson, not that it applies to me. I also enjoyed, although it's quite heavy, The Patterning Instinct, a cognitive history of humanity.
:: What do you recall most about weekends growing up?
Saturday detention was part of it. But at the weekend I also played rugby and football. I'd often go into town with friends to play snooker. We went via Globe Taxis into the city centre, and used to hang about and maybe go to parks.
My weekends as a kid seem so far ago, but I do remember getting taken along to plays, and I loved it. I first saw my mother's play A Night in November aged about 10. I just remember Dan [actor Dan Gordon], whom I've known all my life, and how brilliant he was in it.
We'd go to Northern Ireland football matches and they'd see us, recognise mum and shout "S***e in November" as it was a controversial play. It still is quite controversial. We've had strong reactions, which I think is good, and a woman in London got very angry and later apologised as she felt she had to leave the show.
:: Friday night or Saturday night?
There is not enough structure in my life right now to choose.
:: Do you have a must-listen weekend radio show or podcast?
I listen to the Blind Boy Podcast and Joe Rogan's podcast as he gets fascinating guests.
:: What is your favourite weekend TV show/Netflix?
The way the world is, you can watch what you want whenever. I don't watch much programmed TV but of course saw The Squid Game which was really enjoyable and gruesome in a wacky way. I don't understand the massive hype about it.
:: Do you have a favourite eatery or is it a takeaway?
For a bite to eat, I really like Hara in Hillsborough which does nice local cuisine and great roasts. I'd probably go for roast lamb. When we do takeaways, it's an Indian and I like lamb korma.
:: Is Sunday still special?
I would love Sunday to be special, the day you don't have to do anything. In secular terms, it should be sacred. That's not always the case.
Last weekend I was in Sweden for a meeting about Layers, a new project scheduled for April that I am directing with Serinya, a Catalonian artist. It's a theatrical installation, with people wrapped in plastic, and he's interested in our motivation, what is hidden beneath our everyday actions. It's about modern society and is quite dystopian.
:: How do you feel on Sunday night about Monday morning?
That's difficult as my life isn't a five day/two day split. When I'm needed, I go to wherever it is. If I felt I hadn't done something glaring, I'd worry, but I try to structure things so I don't have to do something on a Sunday.
:: A Night in November from Soda Bread Theatre opens at The MAC on November 11. Tickets via Maclive.com
