A play based on the trials and tribulations of using dating apps in West Cumbria is about to make its debut.
Swiped! has been written by David Tierney, 55, from Harrington, and is inspired by his own true story of finding love locally on a dating app.
David said: “I met my partner Ashleigh on a dating app and just about everyone I met on them would say they could write a book about using them.
“We’d all had so many bizarre experiences and I thought well, I’m going to actually use them and make it the basis of a play.
“Despite me looking in all sorts of geographical fields on these apps to find someone, Ashleigh ended up only being two miles away from me.
“We’ve been together four and a half years and we were initially met with people thinking it might not work because of that, but we’re still very much so in love.
“Even though dating apps are pretty mainstream now you do still get quizzical looks and raised eyebrows, but we think we’ve proved it’s entirely possible to find love online.”
Based in West Cumbria, the play focuses on main character Gemma, an empowered disabled woman who is looking for love on a dating app called Tingle.
In one night, she dates two men – Sheldon, a quirky perfect-match type and Nathaniel, a wealthy super handsome charmer – who may have ulterior motives that lead to a big twist at the end.
David said: “The play itself is an out and out comedy. If you were to compare it to anything, it’s in a similar style to Only Fools and Horses, with a lot of lighter shades and pathos in there.
“A lot of the dating app experiences referenced in the play are real and it is totally based around West Cumbria, so people might recognise a few things in it!
“It’s all about the honesties of West Cumbrian people and dating and how we all go around – and there’s a few rock numbers in it too.”
Written in just 30 hours – David said he has always loved creative writing but only decided to fully pursue it after retiring as the owner of a financial business during the first COVID-19 lockdown.
David said: “For it to be on at all I’m astounded and amazed – I cant believe it’s happening. I’m thrilled to bits, nervous and excited. It’s definitely a life-long ambition achieved.
“I’ve always had a hobby of writing, I wrote as a kid and I’ve done best man speeches for people and eulogies in the past and written bits for people when asked.
“I ended up joining Rosehill Players and had a little part in Fur Coat No Knickers there. I enjoyed that a lot and so I thought well, why don’t I go back to what I enjoy doing, I’m retired and I want to do all the things I want to do, so I sat down and began to write.
“My claim to fame is I once had a play rejected by Pete Townshend from The Who who was the youth editor at Faber and Faber at the time. He wrote me a long letter about how good it was but that it just wasn’t what they wanted at the time.
“So I thought well if I can make Pete Townshend laugh then I’m probably not so bad at writing.”
Rosehill Theatre will be premiering the play in May this year, which is set to be performed by the Rosehill Players.
David added: “Rosehill have never premiered a local work through the Rosehill Players before and they’ve been there since the early 90s so I’m really proud we’re getting to do this.
“As one of the players myself I know the cast really well and they are outstanding and the director, Rodger Wilson is also fantastic.”
A total of nine actors have been casted – two of which have previously won and been nominated at the National Operatic and Dramatic Association awards for best actor.
David added that he has also so far received some glowing feedback from well-known playwrights.
He said: “When I finished writing it Ashleigh read it and said it was really good and I should show it to someone, but I felt a bit shy.
“We’d recently done a play by Janet Shaw, who is a national playwright so I thought I’d try send it to her and to my surprise she wrote back and said she loved it and offered me some professional critiques to help edit it.
“I also sent it to a few playwrights locally like Emma McGordon and Emma Rydal who’s done stuff like Emmerdale, Corry and Vera and they’ve both really enjoyed it.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had West Cumbrian people doing a play about a West Cumbrian person based in West Cumbria. It’s very much a first and we want people to come along because it’s really for them.”
Tickets are on sale now for the play on Rosehill Theatre’s website.
Prices start at £10 for opening night on May 15 and £12 on May 16,17 and 18.
