Will Jackson (selected as Soho Six for 2023/2024; A Rising Comic Star - Attitude Magazine) returns with Confetti a story about the ultimate mate in honour Felix as he hilariously prepares for his best friends wedding. A celebration of the ‘gay best friend’, often sidelined in traditional rom-coms, audiences will join Jackson on an infectiously funny adventure down the aisle navigating everything from hen party goody bags to exploding party poppers.
Will is bringing Confetti to London's Soho Theatre from Thursday 13th to Saturday 15th July, ahead of the run I spoke with him about the show.
What inspired you to create Confetti?
I wanted to write and play a fleshed-out version of the stereotypical gay best friend. Growing up, I was obsessed with characters like Damien in Mean Girls, Marc in Ugly Betty and Tom in Bridget Jones. They were the starting point for Felix, the character I play.
I wanted to write and play a fleshed-out version of the stereotypical gay best friend. Growing up, I was obsessed with characters like Damien in Mean Girls, Marc in Ugly Betty and Tom in Bridget Jones. They were the starting point for Felix, the character I play.
I thought it’d be cool to play with taking a traditional rom-com structure and see it all through the lens of this character. The play sees Felix as the ‘Mate of Honour’ for his best friend's wedding. It spans over the course of a week; we start at the hen night and finish at the wedding, and Felix has his own little romance along the way.
Felix is petty, bitchy and quippy but he’s also fiercely loyal and a hopeless romantic. He’s also an incredibly unreliable narrator, which is a lot of fun to write and play.
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| Photo by Emma Jones |
The show began as a 10-minute digital short and now is a full-length piece. How did you approach taking that short and making it into the show you have today?
Someone’s done their research! I always knew Confetti would end up as a theatre show, but it was incredibly hard to try it out as I was writing it during the pandemic. Scratching and sharing early versions of any show is always useful to its development. If nothing else, it gives you a deadline and lets you figure out the game or rules of the show and establish its tone.
Someone’s done their research! I always knew Confetti would end up as a theatre show, but it was incredibly hard to try it out as I was writing it during the pandemic. Scratching and sharing early versions of any show is always useful to its development. If nothing else, it gives you a deadline and lets you figure out the game or rules of the show and establish its tone.
In 2021, Attenborough Arts Centre ran a program called ‘unexpected tales’ where Midlands artists got paid to share about 10 minutes of material through a recorded and edited short. We shared two scenes as part of it and learned so much about Confetti through making it. The feedback we got was invaluable.
How much of your own experiences shape your writing?
I think personal experience is always going to bleed into any writer’s stuff. The last solo show I wrote Yours Sincerely was semi-autobiographical and quite personal, which was fun, but I was keen to do something different. When I started writing Confetti, I was determined to write something completely fictional.
I suppose the biggest similarity between Felix and me is that he’s an events coordinator, which is a job I often go to temp with between theatre gigs. I look great in a headset; I always pretend it’s a Britney mic. So, it was quite easy to compile various hospitality horror stories from which I took inspiration for the show.
What do you want an audience member to take away from seeing the show?
They get party bags for coming, so they literary get to take those away after the show haha. It’s a fun, joyful show which still has some meat to it, so they’ll get a lotta laughs. If you love romcoms, it’s the perfect fit, and if you hate them, it also takes the mick out of them too.
What do you want an audience member to take away from seeing the show?
They get party bags for coming, so they literary get to take those away after the show haha. It’s a fun, joyful show which still has some meat to it, so they’ll get a lotta laughs. If you love romcoms, it’s the perfect fit, and if you hate them, it also takes the mick out of them too.
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| Photo by Emma Jones |
What performances or shows have inspired you?
Harm by Phoebe Eclair-Powell is brilliant. It’s a lot darker in tone, but it was a really useful reference point for Confetti in terms of how a character tells their story to an audience. A lot of comedy and cabaret always bleeds into my stuff too. I love acts like Bourgeois and Maurice, Max and Ivan, and Zoë Coombs Marr.
Harm by Phoebe Eclair-Powell is brilliant. It’s a lot darker in tone, but it was a really useful reference point for Confetti in terms of how a character tells their story to an audience. A lot of comedy and cabaret always bleeds into my stuff too. I love acts like Bourgeois and Maurice, Max and Ivan, and Zoë Coombs Marr.
I also get lots of inspiration from outside of theatre too. Music is always a big go-to; my favourite band is the Scissor Sisters. I also love Justin Myers’ writing. He’s brilliant.
What does theatre mean to you?
It means sharing a space with others to tell a story. You sit in a room with strangers and take in the same live experience, I think there’s something really magic about that.
Describe the show in 3 words?
Great night out.
What does theatre mean to you?
It means sharing a space with others to tell a story. You sit in a room with strangers and take in the same live experience, I think there’s something really magic about that.
Describe the show in 3 words?
Great night out.
Confetti plays at Soho Theatre from Thursday 13th to Saturday 15th July. Tickets are available from https://sohotheatre.com/events/confetti/
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