Haley McGee is bringing her unique look at life and theatre back to Soulpepper Theatre Company with her latest play Age is a Feeling. I asked Haley about life in the UK, bringing this award-winning show home to Canada, and the delicate balance of life which she explores in this play.

1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers and tell us a bit about your role with Age is a Feeling?

Sure. I’m Haley McGee, a writer and performer, and a woman in my late 30s who’s obsessed with thinking and feelings. Age is a Feeling is a solo show that I wrote and perform. It’s inspired by hospices, mystics and trips to the cemetery, and wrestles with our endless chances to change course while we’re alive. It’s a rallying cry against cynicism and regret. Charting the seminal moments, rites of passage and turning points in an adult life – your life – from the day you turn 25 through to your death, Age is a Feeling celebrates the glorious and melancholy unknowability of human life. The show premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe where it won a Fringe First and then transferred to the Soho Theatre in London, where it was nominated for an Olivier award.

2. How does it feel to bring Age is a Feeling home to Canada?

I love performing in Canada, especially in Toronto. The hometown advantage vibes are incredibly buoying. And it’s fair to say, it’s a joy to have my truly Canadian sense of humour met with no raised eyebrows!

3. Is there something that you miss a lot or crave from here while you’re in London?

My friends are the thing I miss the most. I also miss—but this may also be a nostalgia thing about being in my 20s—friends knocking on my door or calling me up asking ‘what are you doing right now?’ and having spontaneous plans materialise into wonderful evenings. London is so big and everything has to be planned so far in advance.

4. Both The Ex-Boyfriend Yard Sale and Age is a Feeling involve some audience participation, which I find so much fun. Could you please talk a bit about your relationship with your audience when you’re on stage and what that participation means to you as a performer?

I’m a theatre animal. And I’m on a little mission to make sure the liveness of live theatre is underlined in my shows. I want the audience to understand that this performance could not happen without them, and that they have a direct impact on what’s happening in this space. It feels important to gently point this out and find inventive ways to do it, when more and more of our lives are not happening IRL.

5. Age is a Feeling is grounded in the sad reality of death, yet it’s also wildly inspirational. How do you balance the light and the dark with a play like this?

What I learned while writing the show is that not shying away from fragility can make everything in life more vibrant and vital and precious. That learning is threaded throughout the show. There is nothing I want more than to send the audiences out of the theatre feeling uplifted and hopeful… and so far, that seems to be people’s experience.

I want to thank Haley for taking the time to answer my questions. Age is a Feeling runs from May 29 to June 16. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.soulpepper.ca/performances/age-is-a-feeling

---

Thank you to my Patrons:

B. Kinnon, D. Moyes

And to my supporters who’ve bought me a coffee:

Angelica and Paul, Anonymous, and Adrianna

Would you like to become a Patron? Check out my Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox

Or, you can buy me a coffee at: buymeacoffee.com/aviewfromthebox