OffWestEnd talks to Jon Welch, writer of Drip Drip Drip at the Pleasance until 21 March

What first attracted you to the theatre?

A transformative moment when as an awkward, self-conscious child I discovered a moment of freedom in performance. After that it was all about the story-telling.

If you could pick any one person or theatre company to work with on your next project, who/which would it be?

Kenneth Lonergan. He’s the writer I want to be.

What is your opinion of Off West End theatre, in general?

Risk-taking, ground-breaking, experimental. And funny.

What was the most inspiring performance you have ever seen? Why?

Mill on the Floss by Shared Experience. You couldn’t see the joins between the writing, the characters, and the scenography.

What piece of work are you the most proud of?

I wrote a play called Transports about a Kindertransport survivor, who in later life fosters a troubled teenaged girl. In character terms I think it struck a fairly winning balance between kindness and ineptitude.

What makes a really good character?

For me it’s finding the veneer of ‘ordinariness’ which has its own immediate poetry, and which can then be slowly unpeeled.

Are there any actors/actresses you would like to write a play for?

Sian Clifford.

What play do you wish you’d written?

Absolute Hell by Rodney Ackland.

Can you tell our readers about what you’re doing now/next?

I’m on tour with Drip Drip Drip, (my latest play set in the NHS) offering myself up to the exposure of the nightly post-show Q&A!