Improbable Fiction is a 2005 play by Alan Ayckbourn, about a writers' circle on the night the chairman, Arnold, seems to wander into the imaginations of the other writers. It is considered to be one of his lighter plays, and it followed on from his notably bleak Private Fears in Public Places.
Part of the inspiration for Improbable Fiction was reported to be a talk that Alan Ayckbourn once gave to a writers' circle, which he suspected was actually more of a social circle. The title was inspired by a quote from William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night:
"If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as improbable fiction." – Twelfth Night, Act III, scene 4
There are seven characters in the play. They are:
- Arnold, middle-aged chairman of the Writers' group and writer of instruction manuals
- Grace, mother of grown-up children, wants to write children's books
- Jess, a farmer, wants to write period romance novels
- Vivi, younger woman, busy writing detective novels
- Brevis, retired headmaster, still writing musicals
- Clem, young man, writing conspiracy theory science fiction
- Ilsa, carer for Arnold's mother during Writers' group meetings.
In the second act, all the characters start playing various parts from various stories, apart from a confused Arnold who carries on being himself, whatever role is thrust on him by the story.
I hope we're not going to get too confused!
