Why Sniff?

by Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson

Actor and co-writer Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson talks about home, different paths taken and the birth of Sniff, a gripping tale coming to Park90 in May.  

I had just graduated from drama school and then, boom, covid hit. I - like many others - was stuck back in my home county, and was left to my own brain and thoughts. Everything around me reminded me of being a kid growing up. The parks, the pubs, the bike rides, the football - although many of these we weren’t actually allowed to enjoy at this point. But as the months went on, and the lockdowns were lifted, I could feel myself reconnecting with the place that birthed me, and the friends I’d grown up with. 

Coming from a small city with a strong group of mates, I have witnessed how different paths in life can drastically change people's experiences of the world. Those who went to uni, those who got a job straight after school ended, those who left home, and those who didn't. When you're young, these differences don’t mean much - you’re all gonna end up at the same house party on a Friday night after all. But when you look back, those small differences can really change the path of a person’s life. With this in mind, I began writing the character of Liam. A friend of mine, Joe O’Shea - a film-maker, accompanied me to a random car park, and he filmed me doing a performance of it to camera. This was the first ever rendition of Sniff. 

I loved the character of Liam. I was obsessed by his optimism, despite his difficult situation. I felt like I understood him. But I knew I wanted to turn it into something bigger. So, when OVO Theatre Company were looking for new-writing plays, I turned to my writing partner and one of the co-founders of Make It Beautiful Theatre Company: Felix Grainger. Together, with the help of the director Ben Purkiss, used improvisation and a long R&D process to create a version of Sniff that is much more similar to now. Most importantly, the role of Alex was born.

Liam and Alex - for me - are both the antithesis of each other, whilst also being somewhat similar. They represent different paths and disparate realities - but are either of them happy? The aim of Sniff was always to show the complexities of these characters. For instance, another important element of the show is addiction (in its various forms) and how it can both bring short-term meaning and euphoria, but then inevitably just as quickly take those feelings away. These substances and these habits are nuanced - as much as people may not like to think so. 

After a successful scratch performance at the Maltings Theatre in St Albans, we were then fortunately chosen by Theatre503 - a London space dedicated to honing new-writing - to perform there in 2022. The more Felix and I performed the play, the more we learnt about the characters and the story. It forced us to make edits, rethink, re-structure. It was a bit of a chaotic way of writing a final draft - but it felt oddly right. Like we had to live the experiences of Liam and Alex to find the ultimate truth. 

In 2023, we performed a newer version of Sniff at the Jack Studio Theatre in Brockley. This was the longest run we’d done, and probably the last run we thought we’d ever do. The show felt finished, and we’d received some really positive feedback. We also had other projects with the company that we wanted to focus on, as well as our own solo creative careers. However, as is the way with Sniff, it managed to find its way back into our lives. The character of Liam, and the story of him in that toilet, tugged on my arm once again. 

I had just finished studying at the Philippe Gaulier clown school, and Felix was deep into a UK theatre tour, when the Park Theatre offered us the opportunity to perform our final, evolved version of Sniff at their incredible space. Like the avengers, Felix, Ben and I reconvened and decided that the story needed to be told again. After another process of R&D, we had our final version of Sniff ready to be performed at the Park in 2024. We were also thrilled that Salamander Street would be publishing it.

The story of Sniff is one that many, we hope, will relate to. We all know a Liam, and we all know an Alex. After watching the play, I want people to ask themselves the question: who would you rather be? Liam or Alex? Because, personally, I genuinely don't know.

This play is an ode to the forgotten souls who try so desperately to stay in the beautiful, innocent and euphoric youthful years that encapsulated a much, much simpler time.

Make Mine a Double

Sniff plays alongside Philippa Lawford's Cold Water in this Make Mine a Double. Two of the hottest new voices in theatre making their return Park90. Playing for a limited run from Tue 14 - 24 May. Book during our Early Bird period to see both shows for £25!