“It’s no good the play in my head being great, it must live and breathe”: Waleed Akhtar on The Real Ones at Bush Theatre

Waleed Akhtar received tremendous acclaim from critics and audiences alike with his 2022 play The P Word, which he both wrote and performed in at the Bush Theatre. It secured him the prize for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre at the 2023 Olivier Awards along with most promising playwright at the Offies the same year. Akhtar now returns to the Bush with his new play The Real Ones. He took time out to talk to The Upcoming all about it and more.

Waleed, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to The Upcoming about your new play The Real Ones. What can you tell us about it and what can audiences expect?

A fun and complicated look at friendships. Specifically, besties Neelam and Zaid, a straight woman and a gay man. Celebrating the highs and exploring the lows of platonic love. 

In the play, best friends Zaid and Neelam want to make it as playwrights. What inspired you to tell this story? How autobiographical is it?

I realised after writing it, that because Zaid is queer, British-Pakistani and a writer – everyone’s going to think he’s me! But it’s not autobiographical, I promise. I’ve definitely drawn on bits of my life like I do for all my plays. And I wanted to explore the journey to becoming a playwright to ask bigger questions about who gets to make art, and what’s the cost of that when you’re not from money.

The Bush is without doubt one of the UK’s most exciting and important theatres. What does the venue mean to you and how does it feel to be back?

The Bush is a home away from home, I love that building, the people, the work. I’m so flattered that they would want me back and once again had faith in me and my ideas.

You have also reunited with the director of The P Word, Anthony Simpson-Pike. How would you describe your working relationship?

Toxic! I love him and hate him… but mainly love. He is a genius and so detailed in his work but don’t tell him I said that.

Once a play is in the director’s hands, how much input do you generally have during the rehearsal process? Is it hard to let go of the baby, as it were, or do you embrace other creatives taking the reins or bringing their ideas to the table?

The collaboration starts long before the rehearsal room, so it usually feels like a continuation. I try to do what’s best for the production and not be precious. It’s no good the play in my head being great, it must live and breathe. That means trusting everyone and their expertise and I’m lucky to have a great team so that makes it easier.

How has both the writing and the rehearsal process for The Real Ones differed to that of The P Word?

The writing process for The Real Ones has been a lot more condensed. It had been living in my head for a while, so it came out quickly and then it was an intense period of rewriting as it was programmed quickly. And I’m not in this one – so luckily, I just get to wear the hat of writer.

Recent plays For Black Boys…, Shifters and Red Pitch have enjoyed West End transfers, the latter two starting out at the Bush. Where do you think we’re at in terms of representation in UK theatre?

It has definitely come a long way from when I started in the industry and it’s great that people are taking work by global majority writers more seriously and seeing the commercial viability. But it’s still only a handful of shows that have transferred. We need more and I would love to see some contemporary British South Asian and East Asian work make the jump to the West End too.

The Bush champions new writing but do you think the UK is doing enough to source, nurture and give voice to fresh talent? What more could be done?

Recently the landscape has become even harder if you’re an emerging writer. We’ve seen the loss of The Vaults Festival and so many scratch nights. I’ve been working with a bunch of other writers in trying to figure out what the next generation needs and how we make these demands of theatres.

When did writing itself come into your life and when did you realise it was something you wanted to do for a living? Was writing as well as acting always the ambition? 

I wanted to be a pop star, but my singing voice was saying other things. I fell in love with acting and writing because I like making people feel things and look at different perspectives.

Tell us about your writing process. Do you approach each play in the same way? Do you stick to a rigid plan, or do you allow the work to take tangents and evolve organically?

I think every play is birthed differently. The Real Ones had lived in my head for so long, so the first draft came quickly. But recently I have been embracing taking wrong turns, sometimes you find magic.

Do you actively seek out stories or does inspiration tend to just strike?

I’m a hive of ideas.  My problem is sticking to one and not moving to the next shiny thing. So, I’ll often just leave ideas and if something keeps coming back to me and I keep thinking about it, something in me needs to express that.

Have you ever experienced writer’s block or struggled to find motivation? What do you do in such situations?

I write in cycles of boom and bust… I need to find a more consistent and healthy way, which I’m moving towards. This means having a routine of exercise and eating regularly. For writer’s block, it really is the usual self-care things that help, also having multiple projects – if you’re stuck on one work on another or take a break.

The P Word is currently in development for television. We recently received news that Shifters, which played at the Bush before its West End transfer, will also be adapted for the screen. Baby Reindeer was a huge hit for Netflix following its run at the Bush. Is theatre, and specifically creative powerhouses such as the Bush, an ideal training ground for those writers who wish to pursue television and film? Has writing for the screen as well as the stage always been a goal of yours?

I’ve always just wanted to tell interesting stories, whatever the medium. I think I originally shied away from writing for theatre, as I was intimidated by just how brilliant playwrights are. I think it’s the most difficult art form to write for. This means there are lots of skills that can transfer when you write for the screen.

What is your earliest memory of theatre?

Playing Ram in the school play of Rama and Sita.

Are there any writers who influence or inspire you at all? Have any plays really left a mark on you in recent years?

All the playwrights at The Bush, so many brilliant stories, so difficult to just pick one. Also have a massive soft spot for Debbie Tucker Green, her work got me into theatre, as well as Philip Ridley and Anthony Neilson.

Your previous play The P Word garnered great praise. Does this put pressure on you as a writer to deliver the goods again, as it were? How much attention do you pay to reviews?

I try not to focus too heavily on reviews, because if you take the good you have to take the bad. With the plays that have followed The P Word, I’m just trying to follow what I’m interested in and hopefully that resonates with audiences. I don’t think you can try and chase the zeitgeist.

Acting on stage can provide an immediate response to your work as the audience applaud. Writing is a far more isolated endeavour. Do you find solace in that, or do you yearn for collaboration either during the writing process or when it gets to the rehearsal room?

I sometimes really enjoy the isolation of writing. I get to spend time with the characters in my head. But I do crave the fun bits of just being in a room with people. Luckily, I act too, so I get to break up working alone on my own stuff, by collaborating with others on something I’m not responsible for.

Does the fact that you’re an actor help when you are writing a play, or do you consciously separate the performer from the writer?

It all feeds into each other for me. I tend to play every character in my head as I write, it’s the only way I know how.

What’s next for you as a performer and as a writer?

I have a play coming out on Audible next year called Mrs Bibi, I’ve written an episode of The Road Trip (an adaptation of the Beth O’Leary novel) and I pop up in The Franchise on HBO.

Finally, if you had to summarise The Real Ones in just one sentence, what would it be?

A funny, honest and brutal look at the heartbreak of friendship.

Jonathan Marshall
Photos: Helen Murray

The Real Ones is at Bush Theatre from 6^th September until 19^th October 2024. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

Watch the trailer for The Real Ones at Bush Theatre here: