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      Interview: Finally, A Touch of Class at ET

      by

      Karen Hall on Delusions and Grandeur

      A cellist, improv trained comedian and seasoned performer are not a trio you would expect to see taking part at Camden Fringe… or maybe you would, who knows nowadays with Fringe Theatre? But either way, how about all three in one? That’s what you are going to get if you pop along to see Karen Hall‘s Delusions and Grandeur when it takes up its residency at Hen and Chickens Theatre from 17 – 21 August. Because Karen has worked as all those things and more as we found out when we caught up with her from the other side of the Atlantic as she was packing a bag ready to come join us in Camden.

      Are you really all those things; classically trained cellist, trained comedian and writer/performer?

      Yep. I’m trying to redefine what constitutes a triple threat in the theatre and settled on those three.

      And how on earth do you find the time to fit everything in, or is that why you’ve decided to make use of all three in one show?

      Combining them all is partly a selfish pursuit to have all my joys in one place. It’s a lot of late nights or early mornings in the practice chair keeping my chops up and, unfortunately, I do often have to choose between comedy and music when it comes to my evenings or weekends. It’s been lovely having them all together.

      What made you decide you wanted to step away from the pit and put on your own show?

      I’ve been working in Los Angeles now for close to sixteen years and always doing jobs for someone else. I’ve had some great jobs, too. I was the cellist on Glee for four seasons, I’ve been in the studio for Emmy-nominated scores, and I’ve collaborated with some incredibly talented people, (Like Geoff Emerick who engineered a little album called Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club over here.) But I knew it was time to start backing myself and my work. In the whole world there might be five cello-playing, musical-devising, Idiot-trained, clown cellists so I have to jump on the market now before it gets saturated.

      Are you bringing your cello with you?

      I am! They have their own seat on the flights and I’m hoping they are allowed one personal item when boarding or my luggage situation will need to be reconfigured…

      The show is entitled “Delusions and Grandeur”, which has something of a classical feel about it, what can you tell us about that title?

      I spent a long time thinking of titles before this one came to me. Everything prior felt too punny or clowny and didn’t honour the music and the craft I’ve dedicated my life, so far, to. This one came to me one day and then the show quickly solidified around it. Honouring the integrity of the music has been very important to me in creating the show. Throughout it I perform Suite Number One for Solo Violoncello by J.S. Bach and I never wanted to diminish the performance of it, although some classical musicians out there would possibly argue I have… 

      As for the show, it’s about your contemplations on perfectionism, expectations, and failure. Is it as autobiographical as it seems to suggest?

      It’s greatly autobiographical but I also talk about the daunting statistics most musicians or artists face: our high injury rates, our high mental health statistics, our struggles to have a career and balance it, and neurobiologically what happens in someone’s brain when they achieve mastery at a craft. I have to believe based on the numbers that I’m speaking the truth of the majority of musicians; I just no longer have issues in using my voice to lay it exposed and vulnerable along with some of my personal experiences. That’s my clown’s training; to fail, hope, fail again, and to allow others to witness all the feelings and struggles in the process.

      Are you still performing in orchestra’s or has the desire to be out front taken hold of you?

      My desire to be clowning and/or directly with my audience has taken over! But I do still play in symphonies, and I do still love them. If someone could get me on a Cirque job though, I’d swap them out for a bit.

      When we’ve seen orchestras perform, everyone does look very serious (although we suspect they are not really), were you ever told off by your conductor if you tried to bring some comedy into the pit?

      I’ve had shushes thrown in my direction and a few stand partners comment that I’m “really funny.” I do a pretty good job of sliding into serious work mode, although I’m also pretty serious in my cultivation and pursuit of nonsense.

      How are you finding Camden in comparison to where else you have performed in your career, we suspect a slightly different vibe?

      I arrive in Camden soon and I cannot wait! I once did a run-by of all the major London sites on a 24-hour layover but will be staying a full week in Camden this time around. I’m looking forward to being there during the Camden Fringe Festival and am excited to catch other shows, experience pub culture, and find out what it’s like to hustle under my own name.

      And give us one more reason, why should we be getting along to Hen and Chickens next week to catch your show?

      My charming American accent. 

      Our thanks to Karen for finding the time to chat. You can find more about her on her website here.

      Delusions and Grandeur plays at The Hen and Chickens Theatre between 17 and 21 August (no performance on 19). Tickets are just £10.50 (£8.50 concession). Further information and bookings here.

      And as we say with all Camden Fringe shows, why not look to double (or triple) up on them, there are plenty of shows on at the same and nearby venues. More

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      Interview: (Brit)Pop’ing all the way to Berlin

      by

      Writer Holly Whinney on new play Berlin

      Not only do we love theatre here at ET, but many of our team also love live music. So how could we not be interested in a show centred around a 90s Britpop band? Ok, the show is obviously much more than just that, but hey, it got our attention which is a good start.

      Holly Whinney’s Berlin brings together the remaining members of that Britpop band as they try to deal with the death of their lead singer. It’s a dark comedy exploring grief, toxic masculinity and betrayal. It plays at Etcetera Theatre as part of Camden Fringe between 23 – 27 August (more information here).

      We couldn’t resist wanting to know more, so we dug out our best 90s band t-shirt, put Oasis on the stereo (no streaming for us) and sat down with Holly to ask some questions.

      Berlin features an imaginary 90s Britpop band, what made you decide on that era and music? Were you a 90s groupie at all?

      Britpop was definitely a massive influence on me when I was younger. I have very fond memories of being in my dad’s van on the way to a B&Q with Cigarettes and Alcohol blasting so loud! I was only about 6 at the time but, the first time I heard the opening to that song (blatantly T-Rex) I knew that it was the coolest thing ever and I had to learn guitar and all I wanted to be was Noel Gallagher. My taste has changed more with age and I’m really starting to believe that the coolest person was  Jarvis Cocker and because of this I now have several tweed jackets and chunky glasses due to him.

      Did you have any real bands in mind as you were writing the play?

      The [untitled] band that is depicted was never massive during their heyday – they sold a lot of records of course but, they were never at the level of Oasis or Blur – when I described the band to the actors during an early rehearsal I said Pulp. If you were to pin the band down to a culture reference purely on popularity at the time it would be them.

      The idea of the play came after reading a passage from Peter Hook’s book Substance which looks into New Order and him navigating a post-Joy Division world. Within the book he writes two lists: ‘Ten things you should always do when you form a group’ and, ‘Ten things you should never do when you form a group.’ These two lists really formed the gem behind Berlin. They were both contrary to one another – one list said to work with your mates and the said never work with your mates as you won’t stay mates. I also reflected on the passage on Ian Curtis where Peter Hook mentions that the band ‘never talked about it [Ian’s suicide] in depth. Never analysed any of it.’ Instead, they made jokes and ‘pithy’ comments and ‘never confronted the grief’. This was where I started to write the play. It’s since developed and grown into something completely different and by no means am I trying to represent New Order.

      Can we expect a nice 90s soundtrack to go along with the play?

      Can’t afford the rights. So, instead a very good friend of mine, Tara, does the music for the show with her band, The Ramshackles – the opening guitar to Wasteland has some slight Champagne Supernova vibes which is spot on for us.

      I also thought it best to avoid any direct links to Britpop bands as I didn’t want spectators to be taken out of the experience by thinking what a ‘tune’ or walk out because they prefer Blur. Or, they are like my mum, and hate everything Britpop – bar Pulp of course.

      There doesn’t feel to be too many plays based around bands, and yet it would seem a rich tapestry to explore – do you feel there are reasons we don’t see more plays like this?

      I don’t have a clue why the premise of a band is not used a lot. I agree, I think you have so much to play with that it seems a waste. Maybe it is because of the element of music that would potentially need to be composed? But play concepts and settings and themes come in waves. With a post-covid and an inevitable recession, creatives will set their work in one location (as in one room) with fewer characters as it is more cost effective. So, maybe we will see more plays based in one location with only four characters becoming more mainstream over the next year or so and with that maybe more plays about bands.

      The band members reunite in a Berlin studio, what was the appeal of sending them all the way to Berlin then?

      Berlin is a really interesting place when considering the landscape of music and specifically the studio that influenced the production, Hansa Studios. It use to be a concert hall for the Nazis, not that that effects the story at all but, it complements the idea of the past and present being deeply intertwined within the fabric of Berlin. Berlin is this bohemian hub where artists, whether musical or writers such Christopher Isherwood, go to really focus on their work. I think the symbiosis of the past and present there really stimulates the brain and is such an alluring bait for a creative.

      A big example of this is Bowie. He famously left LA where he was living of red peppers, milk and cocaine and headed to West Berlin with Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. The idea was for him to step away from the drug scene of LA and cut entirely …so, he moved to the Heroin capital of the world in the 1970s. I always liked the irony that came with that. But, with him moving to Berlin you have others that follow such as Nick Cave who did the same in the 1980s. This is why I believe the characters and the band head to Berlin. To get their spark back or, at least this is what Nick thinks. Nick is the character that brings the band together – he just wants his mates to get along but doesn’t know how to make this happen – so, he decides to do a rehearsal in their old studio in Berlin. In my head Hansa Studio was THE recording studio for them. They followed their heroes to this mecha of a musical holy land. However, it was an artificial move at the time – they had to do this because that’s what Bowie did – or, it’s like The Beatles going to India. They feel obliged to go to a different country … but, it doesn’t change them or the course of history. It’s similar to someone deciding to up sticks and move to a different country – they believe the country they have left was the problem but after a few years they move elsewhere because they are unsatisfied – they are just running away from themselves and not addressing their own personal issues.

      So, the setting of Berlin is a combination of history being part of the fabric of the present city but, also an element of the pastiche of a creative running from their problems. This theme of running away from problems or diverting the real issue is a big theme within the production so, Berlin works very well as a setting for this theme to materialise on a symbolic level.

      The play looks at, amongst other things, toxic masculinity, do you feel the 90s Britpop and lad culture that went around it makes it perfect for those themes?

      Absolutely! I don’t at all think Liam Gallagher would be shouting this off the rooftops – he would just say they were in the late 20s – cigarettes and alcohol is what it’s about! And of course, Britpop was mainly fuelled by the media and then the Blair campaign. However, if you reflect on Britpop and a lot of cultures before this and after – Toxic Masculinity is a big theme within the subculture. The feuds of Blur and Oasis and the bullying of Robbie Williams and singing about getting drunk and high and starting fights with the press and one of the Gallaghers saying Sting is a wet wipe because he just cries in a corner are all examples of this. However, internally a lot of bands don’t get on – The Who famously didn’t get on at all. Liam Gallagher threw a plum or some form of fruit at Noel before a Paris gig and Noel walked out and quit. I think the idea of a ‘Rock ‘N Roll’ lifestyle is the demise of bands and what it means to be a quote-on-quote man.

      However, with the idea of ‘Lad Culture’ it comes with a far heavier weight than just some band members throwing various pieces of fruit at each other. You have sport, mainly football, with an idolisation of violence against opposing teams as demonstrated in films such as The Firm and Green Street. You have binge drinking, smoking like a chimney and quite an archaic interpretation of Manhood.

      With this play, they are all ‘Lads’ within their own right – but they have to grow out of this phase and deal with responsibility. One of them is going through a divorce and cannot come to terms with this – it is not until the final part of the play where we learn of this. This character is the last ‘Lad’ of the group – he is trying to hold onto the past and puts it on a pedestal of being drunk, smoking in the studio and rocking up on cocaine. But he can’t do that all the time – he has responsibility.

      You also look at grief and betrayal, what is it about these subjects that made you want to delve deeper into them?

      The subject matter of grief and betrayal seems to saturate the theatrical market however, on the other hand, there are far fewer productions which deal with it in a comedic light. Or, if they do, it can verge on the farcical. My objective with this production when it came to those themes was to be open with the reality of death and coping with this. The characters poke fun at each other and have a joke – they talk of Harry [the lead singer that committed suicide] as if he was just away on his holidays. They are very funny characters. I always found it strange going to wakes and no one really was crying but instead you had my Uncle Tappy and Malcom having a few beers and maybe a cigarette. They would check on the relatives but quite soon they would be joking about and chatting about music or talking about plans for the Farnham Beer Exhibition. However, by doing this they are not addressing the elephant in the room, and they are not grieving in a healthy and safe manner. This is where the frustration comes from and, out of that, anger and hate.

      Yet, this production does not only explore the idea of grief in the mortal sense. It also looks at the grief of a relationship, getting divorced – going from being a full time parent to barely seeing your child. It looks into the grief of not being able to do what you like as it destroys you – as demonstrated with Nick and his addiction to alcohol.

      It is a very open and brutal examination on grief and what it does to you. How grieving a person you are very close to can tear you up inside and make you angry. But, this play is exploring grief when the person commited suicide – you constantly reflect and get angry at yourself wondering if you could have done anything! Some people try and pin the blame on others, which is what Ben does, and this turns him into a dreadful human being.

      Have you put on a show at Camden Fringe before? And how important are festivals such as this for writers like yourself?

      This is my first time at the Camden Fringe – it’s really exciting! And yes, these sorts of festivals are so important for writers! And down to one pretty simple reason…economics. I’ve spent countless nights submitting my work to new writing venues and always receive the email “unfortunately we cannot take your work at the moment – we wish you all the best in your writing journey.” So, either you give up or realise thousands of people are applying to those venues thus, your chances are so slim! However, how many people would be like “you know what, screw it, this is good – it is going on and I will finance it myself.” That is why Camden Fringe is so good – it is just a buzz of loads and loads of creatives doing what they love and producing what they want with no check list and pressure from the top executives! It’s so liberating!

      It is a showcase of talent and really it’s only about the art! It doesn’t matter if your show is not profiting thousands (yes, that would be nice) but, that is not the objective. The objective is putting on a great play that says something about the world we live in – and showing it to people of Camden!

      Any other Camden Fringe recommendations you can put our way?

      Everything looks so good! I haven’t had time yet to go through the online brochure yet – but, everything looks brilliant from what I’ve seen posted on Instagram.

      And to wrap things up, give us a last pitch as to why we should all be heading into the moshpit at Etcetera Theatre to catch Berlin?

      It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry. It is a venue on top of a pub and on at 21:30 during the weekday and 17:30 weekends so a perfect way to finish off a night in Camden!

      Our thanks to Holly for a wonderful insight into her play. You can catch Berlin when it comes to Etcetera Theatre 23 – 27 August as part of Camden Fringe. Further information and bookings can be found here.

      Note that the show starts at 9.30 all nights except 27 August (5.30pm), so why not take advantage of seeing two shows in one evening? There are a host of shows playing at both the Etcetera Theatre and others nearby, check the Camden Fringe website for more information. More

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      Interview: We go Late Night Fish(ing) with Shipwreck Theatre

      by

      Liam Alexandru on Camden Fringe bound play, Late Night Fish

      Shipwreck Productions’ Late Night Fish promises us more than a passing nod to Harold Pinters’ The Dumb Waiter, as a pair of ‘Waste Management experts’ head to the lakes to dispose of a package. We think we can all guess what that means!

      We’re always in the market for someone to help us dispose of any reviewers who don’t do what they are told though, so we thought we’d get along to meet up with Shipwreck’s Liam Alexandru to find out more about the play and whether they are looking for a little extra work, no questions asked.

      Shall we start with the most obvious; by “waste management business” can we safely assume the package is going to be about the size of a body, possibly wrapped up in a big rug?

      A BIG RUG! Why didn’t I think of that? I think it is absolutely safe to assume the package is large and the size of a body. Specifically, according to Tony, one of our two “disposal men”, this “package” is roughly 110kg’s and about 6 ft tall.

      The play’s inspired by Pinter’s’ The Dumb Waiter – for those of us unfamiliar with that story, what are the connections?

      So Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter follows two hitmen, Ben and Gus, as they sit waiting in a basement for the next “assignment” to reveal itself. A very Waiting for Godot-esque piece where the two pass their time with nonsensical chatter, mind games and trivial stories which, all the while, has a deeper, menacing undertone, all building up to the big twist at the end. We also get to learn so much and yet so little from our characters which really conflicts us on who we’re routing for. We read the script and were blown away and knew we had to do something with it. We took on those same points, leaning into the dialogue, menace and character intimacy but not forgetting those moments for a little bit of comedy and real-world chat.

      Are you big Pinter fans then? Is this your first foray into his work or has it featured in previous shows?

      We’ve certainly read and watched some of his impressive rep, but this is our first time playing with it. One of our niches at Shipwreck is we like to create new work inspired by great previous works, be it a homage, parody or somewhere in-between. Call it copying but, as they say, there’s no such thing as an original story anymore ha-ha.

      This originally started with our first two hander, Waiting for Mary (I’ll let you guess which play that’s inspired by) but rather than perform it we thought “well, what if those two characters were two stoner flatmates in London and all the nonsensical chatter comes from a modern, hazy brained place?” We essentially repeated this process with the Dumb Waiter but incorporating it with our love for the gangster genre.

      The Dumb Waiter takes place in a basement, are you moving your show to the lake then? Does this make the set quite easy, a nice rowing boat for the pair to sit and chat in?

      So originally this piece came from the amalgamation of several ideas, including performing a play entirely set on a rowboat. The intimacy and lack of exits that that scenario brings is fascinating and brings up a lot of truth in conversation simply because the characters cannot escape. However, does that look pleasing? Will an audience want to watch a 2D play as two characters bicker in a tight boat setting for 30 minutes? So, alongside our boat trip out onto the lake, we decided to add the dock and create, as with so many two handers, a little bubble universe where this story solely takes place. That brought plenty of comedic and menacing moments we could exploit. Taking difficulty aside, we wanted to ensure that, however we present and set the play, it should be easy to read and manoeuvrable. All I’ll say is thank God for pallets…

      There are plenty of gangster-based films and TV shows, but we don’t see so many on stage – what can we expect from your duo of Michael and Tony?

      I like to think you can take a lot of things away from this piece (a Dumbwaiter knock off being one, I’m prepping myself for “those” reviews) but this is absolutely a love letter to the gangster genre. This is a gangster story, first and foremost, with all the nuances, cliches and real-world facts. Not only are our two characters gangsters, who talk the talk and walk the walk, but they are themselves gangster film fans and refer to these films and the effect they have on gangster culture. We see our two killers discuss the likes of Scorsese and Tarantino, what’s fictional and what’s not, and making those links between the gangsters we think we know and the gangsters actually out there. And, of course, we couldn’t avoid the opportunity to throw in a few meta jokes here and there, take for example the character names, two of Pacino’s greatest gangster performances.

      The play has already had good success at previous festivals, has this allowed you to develop it further? How much has changed from those original outings?

      It really has and we’re so proud of the journey. This piece originally started as a recommendation after an amateur festival in the Midlands ibn 2018 where I immediately started scribbling down ideas. Then in 2020, just after we formed Shipwreck Productions but just before lockdown number one, we had a phone call from the same festival asking if we could bring something to the table after our success with Waiting for Mary. Ten days and countless gangster films later we had our original draft! That version went on to win several awards, including Best Play at the festival, and offer us our opportunity to publish the play and have it produced as an audioplay via The Grey Hill.

      The piece has very much stayed true to its original draft but ever since we’ve been developing it in small ways, via constructive feedback and adjudication, adding small moments and new gags until low and behold here we are, with our most recent version at the Camden Fringe!

      You’re playing at both Hen and Chickens and Canal Café, do you have to make adjustments for the different venues? Not tempted to take it outside Canal Café to, well, the canal?

      Ha-ha, all I’m going to say about the last part is we’ve looked at the legalities of going up and down the canal in a blow-up boat, three-piece suits, a body bag and a megaphone…

      Not really, we’ve performed the play now in a few different venues of various different sizes and requirements and really this piece is so adaptable, the staging looks complicated with its dual lake and dock setting but we’ve been able to make it work on large stages like the Albany in Coventry and smaller black box spaces. It’s just a case of finding the right layout for the right venue. Honestly speaking, a dream of ours for this piece would be to perform it site specific and play it out on and besides a real lake, I imagine it would ramp up the menace of the piece to 11. But that’s a performance for another day.

      Ok, just between us, if we send along a reviewer we might need to get rid of, how easy would it be to get Michael and Tony to add them to their workload for the evening? Would you do it in exchange for a 5-star review?

      I think as 5-star review would certainty tempt Michael and Tony into making two trips out onto the lake… but how easy it is on the other hand is another question. Without giving anything away, let’s just say disposing of a “package” isn’t as simple as it seems. For one, you need a boat…

      Our thanks to Liam for his time. We’ll be in touch about that disposal if we need it!

      You can catch Late Night Fish when it plays as part of Camden Fringe at the following venues:

      The Hen and Chickens Theatre, 13 & 14 AugustThe Canal Cafe Theatre, 17 – 19 August.

      Tickets for both venues are available here. More

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      Interview: Can We Tempt You With Some Tempest?

      by

      Rachel Hannah Clarke on playing The Tempest’s Ariel

      What is summertime without a trip to Shakespeare’s Globe? Come rain, come shine (or helicopters), it’s always a magical experience. This season there’s an actual magician and his daughter on stage as The Tempest takes to the boards once again. We caught up with Rachel Hannah Clarke, who will be playing their spirit servant Ariel, to find out more about life on the magic isle.

      The Tempest is such a fantastic play, with such memorable figures. How does it feel to be playing one of Shakespeare’s most famous and enchanting characters?

      Playing Ariel is truly a dream. She is cheeky, playful, magical, loyal and sensitive and I have so much fun playing her. I love that she can be anything that she wants to be. She is invisible throughout most of the production, which is a huge part of the fun and magic. Being invisible also allows her to connect with the audience in a unique and beautiful way, which is very special.

      Ariel is a spirit, rather than a human. Can you relate to her in any way yourself?

      Yes. Ariel is a spirit that is full of hope. As a person of faith I try to live my life with the hope that nothing is impossible if you have faith. Ariel uses her magic to make anything possible and I love that about her.

      There’s music, singing and dancing throughout the play; will you get to do much of that?

      Definitely. There are lots of beautiful and wild moments of song and dance. Any opportunity to have a song and a dance – I’m here for it! These moments just bring the story to life. The band is incredible and the music really helps to release the magic of the island. It highlights the wonderful relationship and connections that the world has to offer.

      You’re working with director Sean Holmes, who has brought some really exciting productions to the Globe in recent years. Can you give us any hints as to how he’s shaping up The Tempest?

      I’ve had the honour of working with Sean Holmes on a few productions now at the Globe and it has always been such a joy, and forever a memorable and wonderful experience. The production is innovative, thought-provoking, colourful and full of magic at every turn. Another hit from Sean Holmes and one not to be missed.

      Can you tell us anything about the costumes for the show?

      The costumes are amazing. I love them. They are wacky and fabulous and really help to inform the world of magic, charm and desire. They are an array of beautiful fabrics, bold prints, pristine suits and dress up – definitely a feast for the eyes.

      This is an open air performance all the way through to October: might you be needing some of Prospero’s spells to ward off any hurricanes?

      The unpredictable weather is all a part of the magic and beauty of the Globe. Rain or shine the productions here always deliver and The Tempest surely is one that will not disappoint.

      Thanks very much to Rachel for taking the time out of her busy schedule to chat with us. The Tempest is playing at Shakespeare’s Globe until Saturday 22 October. Sounds like it’s going to go down a storm! More details and how to book can be found here. More

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      Interview: Joining some CUMTS for a Sleepover

      by

      Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society on new musical Sleepover

      Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2022

      Whilst most of us at ET are focusing on Camden Fringe this August, it’s impossible not to cast an eye the other side of the border to Edinburgh, the home of the fringe festival to top them all! Every year thousands of theatre makers head to the city to put on their shows and spend way too much on accommodation!

      Amongst those numbers are Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society (or CUMTS but you can probably see why we may avoid using that), who are taking their show Sleepover to Just the Tonic at The Caves from 4 to 28 August. Our last memory of those venues was watching a show during a torrential downpour in 2019 when the water was literally running down the walls! Fingers crossed CUMTS won’t have to put up with quite the same experience.

      Always keen to chat to the new creatives who we hope will go far, we grabbed a little time with Laura and Mia from the team before they packed their bags for Edinburgh.

      Shall we start with a quick summary of what we can expect if you come along to see Sleepover, what’s it all about then?

      Laura: SLEEPOVER tells the story of Jenny – that’s me! – who’s hosting her first ever sleepover on the last day of high school! (Her Jamaican Chinese mom never let her have one.) She’s prepared snacks, decorations, and a very special game filled with questions about sex! Come along to join her and her friends as they rap and sing about every inappropriate question you had growing up!

      You’re a musical society, so is it safe to assume Sleepover is going to be a musical? What’s the musical style for the show?

      Laura: You’re a quick one! The music is based on the heritage’s of the character – so everything from dancehall to traditional Chinese instruments! It’s a bit Hamilton, a bit Carnival, and a lot of love.

      You call it a coming-of-age show – as university students, can you all relate to the show then?

      Laura: I’ll be honest – I wrote the show so I could ask my own questions under the guise of acting. Why are there so many sex positions, and realistically, how many am I supposed to know?

      Mia: Oh absolutely! I remember having that moment of panic just before I went to university when I suddenly felt like I had to know everything about my friends, in some mad nihilistic rush of “how will we ever stay friends unless I know exactly what your preference in partner is in intimate detail?”. I think the show really captures this feeling and recognises that it’s an important part of this transition, but doesn’t need to be a negative thing – it can be fun to learn about your friends’ sex lives!

      It’s an original show, was it written with Edinburgh already in mind then?

      Laura: I applied to the opportunity from CUMTS, knowing that the end game was a show in Edinburgh. Knowing this, I made things slightly more inappropriate – I hear the Fringe crowd goes wild!

      Mia: Laura is a slightly confused Canadian who didn’t really know what an ‘Ed-in-berg’ was, but she’s very enthusiastic for the experience! I’m excited for the Fringe to welcome her with open arms!

      We assume it’s had a run already to iron out any kinks? How did that all go? What did you learn from its first public showing?

      Laura: Absolutely not. We’re a balls to the wall type production. If we fail, we promise to do it extraordinary.

      Mia: The only ironing I have done so far is that of Emoji peaches onto T-shirts (so do look out for us on the streets of Edinburgh)! But as Laura said, we are throwing ourselves in at the deep end and adapting as we go, which for me is equal parts intimidating and thrilling. Failure is just another good friend we may make along the way! On a completely unrelated note, I’ve heard the more people that buy a ticket, the closer I will get to having a normal heart-rate.

      CUMTS must have a long history of taking shows to Edinburgh, have any of you been to the festival previously then?

      Laura: No, I don’t think so! We’re all Edinburgh virgins (and some of us will also be virgins in Edinburgh!).

      Mia: This is true both in terms of Fringe, and for many of us, the city itself! Everything is new and exciting and that enthusiasm is really radiating from the cast as we approach opening day!

      And Six came from CUMTS as well, is that a burden around everyone’s neck trying to produce another show that might go on to such success?

      Laura: You’d think, but we’re a completely different type of show. SIX is the headliner, we’re the awkward local band opening. But we have something that SIX doesn’t have – a crocheted eggplant.

      Mia: SIX is kind of like our talented older sibling – they’ve done so well that whatever we achieve, Mum will never be proud of us. However, in many ways we’re grateful for this because it really takes the pressure off! We’re just here to create a piece of theatre that we’re really excited about, and I think this joy really comes across in the show!

      The shows on at 4.30, so leaving you all evening to explore. Have you got your eyes on any other shows we should try to see?

      Laura: I just discovered Lauren Lopez is coming to Fringe with Lottie Plachett Took a Hatchet. I will be queueing down the street every single night to meet my idol. Maybe if I’m lucky I’ll get a signed restraining order…

      Mia: As first student fringe-goers, we’re super excited to support other student shows, of which there are so many and it is always worth giving them a shot if you are looking for things to see! Evening shows include Cambridge’s own: Cicada’s Children, Real Mad World, and Blue and Pip. Also give Durham’s “Cottage” a go! As an all queer cast and crew we are very much drawn to it!

      And to wrap things up, tell us why we should all be coming to see Sleepover in August?

      Laura: I think sometimes we get lost in the busy of the everyday that we forget when the world was a lot bigger and confusing. SLEEPOVER is our cozy love letter to the late night conversations with our best friends, the times you share things that you never thought you’d ever tell another living soul. And it’s okay, because it’s your best friend. We want to be your best friend. 

      Sleepover plays at 4.30pm at Just The Tonic at The Caves from 4 – 28 August. Further information and bookings can be found here. More

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      Interview: There’s No Getting Away from Kevin

      by

      Kevin P Gilday on his EdFringe show, Spam Valley

      Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2022

      When we were at Edinburgh in 2019 we couldn’t seem to avoid Kevin P Gilday. He first cropped up as a guest in Loud Poets, then a few days later he accosted us coming out of a venue flyering for his own show, Suffering From Scottishness. Luckily, he is also a lovely man and we did enjoy both shows, so we didn’t mind being accosted all that much! In fact, he was so charming we found ourselves buying one of his poetry books as well.

      So, when Kevin dropped us a line to let us know he is back in Edinburgh this year with his latest show, Spam Valley, we felt almost compelled to find the time to chat to him to discuss not just the show, but where else he might be popping up this year.

      Spam Valley plays at The Stand’s New Town Theatre 4 – 14 August, 10pm. Tickets and info here.

      We really should start with the obvious, what can you tell us about Spam Valley, what’s it all about then?

      Spam Valley is a show all about class. Specifically, about feeling like you don’t belong in your own class. It’s about that negotiation between the individual and society. Of seeing tribalism and feeling left out. It’s also my story – how I grew up poor but still didn’t get to stake my claim to being working class, how I ended up being surrounded by middle class people when I became a poet, how that’s left me feeling like I’m floating in my own space sometimes.

      It’s also supposed to be funny.

      And what/ where is Spam Valley?

      Spam Valley is a mythical land. It’s used to refer to neighbourhoods all over Scotland. Places that are seen as a wee bit posh. Crucially, the inference is that the people living in these neighbourhoods are doing it to look posh and can’t actually afford to live there which means they have a big house but have to eat spam for their dinner. Hence, Spam Valley – a very specific class-based insult up here.

      You certainly dip your toe into many genres, spoken word, stand up and a little acting, what can we expect to see you up to in Spam Valley?

      It’s a theatrical monologue at its heart but – as always – that spoken word sneaks in, it’s such a massive part of my work that it had to find a place amongst the drama. I also do something approaching stand-up comedy during the show, which is very scary and entirely exciting.

      Suffering From Scottishness was a very (mostly anyway) tongue in cheek and charming look at what it means to be Scottish, are you taking the same liberties with how you portray working class in Spam Valley?

      I think so. I don’t like people to know if I’m being serious or not. It entertains me to sit in that space and make people feel uncomfortable. As so much of it is coming from an autobiographical place there’s no need to take any liberties – this is my lived experience and the fact is often stranger than fiction. It’s a show all about eschewing stereotypes so don’t expect any working class bashing comedy.

      So you’re being yourself this time around rather than playing a role?

      I am very much myself. Or at least the version of myself that stands on a stage and talks to strangers. It’s felt really liberating to stand on stage and be me, to tell my story and be my authentic weird self.

      The show is a 10pm start, is that a sign it’s a little more risqué or simply that you don’t have to get up early to get in to the venue? And does it mean you get a different type of audience with a later start time?

      I think there’s an intensity that can come into the work with a later show. A feeling of things being a bit unpredictable. That what is said next might not have come from a script. And that absolutely suits the vibe of this show. It’s conversational and open and has an emotional heft to it that I think will take people by surprise.

      Are you going to be popping up anywhere else during August then?

      I’ll be appearing at the Book Festival on the 23rd as part of their Scottish spoken word showcase then back with the Loud Poets on the 27th. I’ll also be seeing loads of great shows.

      Who else would you recommend seeing at the festival then?

      Darren McGarvey will be doing a freewheeling Q&A at the same venue as me, the New Town Theatre, which is sure to be amazing. The brilliant Annie George has a double bill of shows on at Summerhall. Salamander by Mhairi McCall looks stunning. If you’re into comedy then get over to the Monkey Barrel who have an unbelievable array of Scotland’s best comedians in their line-up: Stephen Buchanan, Amelia Bayler, Stuart McPherson, Christopher Macarthur-Boyd, Elaine Malcolmson, Rosco McClelland, Marc Jennings, Liam Withnail, Richard Brown, Krystal Evans, Amy Matthews, Susan Riddell and probably more that I’ve missed out. I really wish I was a comedian, they’re all so cool and effortless.

      And lastly, why then, with everything else we could be seeing, should we come along to see Spam Valley then?

      Because it has something to say – and that’s rarer than you think. It’s not a big, fancy production or a wee student play – this is proper political theatre told through a personal story. It’s bold. It’s unique. It’s a show for everyone who feels they’ve been left behind by their class. Who feels they didn’t fit in with the stereotype. It’s a show for everyone who moved away to become someone new but ended up back where they started. It’s a show that kicks back against the policing of class and reclaims it for everyone who wants it.

      My theory is that my story isn’t unique, it just hasn’t been portrayed on stage because it isn’t seen as dramatic enough. Well, here’s our chance. If this sounds like your story too, then come and see it.

      Our thanks to Kevin for taking time of what we are sure is the usual chaotic lead up to the festival! You can catch Spam Valley at The Stand’s New Town Theatre 4 – 14 August, 10pm. Tickets and info here. More

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      Interview: Tackling the Sex Trade via Camden Fringe

      by

      Dominique Izabella Little on Sold By Mama

      What’s so great about fringe theatre festivals is the absolutely incredible range of shows on offer and the multitude of themes explored. And Camden Fringe is no exception, offering shows from the whimsical through to the macabre.

      Dominique Izabella Little’s Sold By Mama certainly falls in the more serious end of themes, as it seeks to explore the complexities of sex trafficking and the effects on those involved. It promises a delicate mix of addiction, mental illness and trauma, morphing childhood dreams into brothels and onto the streets of Los Angeles.

      The show will be playing at Hen and Chickens Theatre 21, 22 (both 7:30pm) and 27 August (3:00pm). You can book tickets here.

      Always eager to ensure such vital conversations are had, we sat down with Dominique to find out more about her show and whether it is one that might require a very open mind?

      [embedded content]

      You’ve a background in documentary filmmaking, was this how you approached writing Sold By Mama?

      My love of reality bleeds into everything I do in that I love unfiltered storytelling. The research and preparation for Sold By Mama are definitely in alignment with documentary. The play burst into my mind after a year of experiences that deeply impacted me, alongside watching hours and hours of doci interviews. The writing process was then about giving all that I had absorbed the space to combust into four new, raw and eccentric fictional characters. They share true encounters through the kind of conversation you would only ever have with a filmmaker, or a stranger that you never see again.

      How much is the content of the play based on real lives and real events?

      Sold By Mama is a bite sized snapshot into the very real global subculture of trafficking known as ‘the life’, along with its hierarchy, rules and jargon.  The women are based on multiple real lives and events.  I love the docu-fiction hybrid – where everything is exactly what happened, re-edited into fictional narrative (like much of the content labelled as ‘documentary’ or ‘reality’ today).  Because on the streets, it’s all hybrid and truth mixed with distortion lending itself to a pretty wild reality. The women finesse on the stage the same way they do on the streets, but even in the most flippant and lyrical rhyme, sits the harshest of truths.  This is a microscopic but intense insight into millions of women’s day-to-day reality. 

      The play’s set on the streets of Los Angeles, why that location?

      I moved to Los Angeles for acting, mid-pandemic, with a budget that could not afford a car, or an uber, so it meant walking the streets, and hours on buses and trains. Sounds like London, right?  If you’ve been to LA, you’ll know this is not a situation you want to find yourself in. It’s odd, growing up in Africa we are indoctrinated to believe things about the ‘first world’ which are incredibly disillusioning when you actually arrive. The homelessness rocked me.  I walk out of my hostel on Hollywood Blvd where the police just arrived for domestic violence, a mother and daughter are living in one room whose smell I can’t escape, and the richest, poorest people are living in tents everywhere as I walk the streets that look so immaculate on TV, yet so heartbreakingly desperate in person. I was grateful for every horrible second in that city which opened my eyes to the true heartbeat of LA. At the same time, I began my deep dive into all things cults, mind control, narcissism, psychopathy – I was in LA after all and its wonderful sunny skies are a breeding ground for twisting minds.  The rabbit hole led me to addiction, homelessness, pimping, sex work and trafficking. Most of the stories I was immersed in had links to LA, so I stayed true to that location in Sold By Mama.

      And even though its thousands of miles away, is it still possible to relate to the people and places from our seats in Camden?

      Camden sits snugly in a city where sex-trafficking happens daily. Whether it’s online or on the streets, any time somebody engages in a commercial sexual act through force or coercion, they have been trafficked. People often think trafficking only refers to being kidnapped, drugged and held captive for sex in another country where nobody can speak the language. It doesn’t. The experiences of the women in Sold By Mama are not unique to LA. Hustlers, dealers, pimps, clients, early influences of childhood and trauma, mental illness, addiction whether it be to sex, substances, fast money or freedom, all of this is universal. The pimping jargon might be LA specific, but the tactics aren’t: Find out what they need, satisfy that need, cause dependence through fear masked as enlightenment, where freedom equals bondage and the user is a slave to desire.  Even this isn’t specific to sex work, we go to university to learn how to do this in business, in political campaigns, on billboards. 

      Sold By Mama certainly looks to be one of the heavier pieces playing at Camden Fringe, should we bring the tissues along with us?

      The most striking thing about watching people talk about their experiences, is that sometimes the thing that hits you, is the thing they are most casual about and vice versa. What is shocking or unthinkable to you, is just a day in the life to someone else and part of life is using humour to get you through it. You might connect with one of the stories on a personal level, or you might simply enjoy an encounter with a world that seems far removed. There is however a trigger warning for both simple and complex PTSD triggers. Bring an open and questioning mind, Sold By Mama is non-linear and non-typical storytelling. The women are quick witted and sharp. You need a bit of that yourself to keep up amidst their hustle. They are playing the game as much as it is playing them, so don’t let them play you. 

      What has brought you to London, and more specifically Camden for August then?

      After training in New York / Los Angeles, I moved to London to deepen my acting practice in techniques I hadn’t yet explored. London is now home and Camden a beautiful opportunity to share exciting new work alongside artists who are doing the same.

      You are writer, director and actor, how do you ensure there is release from what appears to be a very intense experience, do you have someone else just watching over proceedings as you put it all together to keep you sane?

      With a project like Sold By Mama – I remind myself that this is an art, let go of perfect, forgive myself for anything that may or may not happen and pursue excellence with all I’ve got.  I am solo on this project, but I do have a core of very close relationships who not only provide me with release through their love and encouragement, but help me with things like poster design, cutting my ideas down to size, and a roof over my head. The work is just as much about relishing preparation and enjoying this one precious life in the process, even when the going gets tough. Freelancing as a creative has instilled fantastic work ethic, resourcefulness and resilience in me, but there is only so much one person can do.  I would love to work with a team, but it needs to be the right team, which is something I am seeking in an agent.  

      Is this play’s themes something you hope to explore further in the future?

      The wonderful thing about immersing yourself in things that interest you are that they tend to resurface with new faces in different seasons of life. Sold By Mama touches on so many themes common to so many which I am bound to explore in future roles. There is a very powerful exchange that can happen between performer and audience, my hope is that the work I do reaches the people who need it most. 

      And besides your own play, are you hoping to get out and see some other work whilst the festival is on during August?  Any recommendations?

      Yes!  Amongst so many talented artists, I would love to see Dog/Actor, Tree Confessions, By The Light of The Moon, We’ve Seen Enough, Roll The Dice, Bird Mouth Collective. 

      Many thanks to Dominique for her time to talk about what we reckon will be a powerful piece of theatre.

      You can book tickets via Camden Fringe’s website here.

      You can also find out more about Dominique on her own website here. More

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      Interview: Bringing Oxbridge to Camden

      by

      Katherine Stockton on her play Colloquium, playing as part of Camden Fringe

      We all know the phrase Oxbridge, a portmanteau of Oxford and Cambridge, the two oldest, wealthiest, and most famous universities in the United Kingdom. It’s a phrase that will conjure up different images to different people. To some a mark of quality, to others it may mean elitism.

      Katherine Stockton’s Colloquium takes us into that world, exploring the lives of stuffy Professors, pompous Candidates, and struggling Students, all suffering under the regime of pressuring higher education.

      The play is one of the first on at this year’s Camden Fringe, with performances 1 to 4 August at Hen and Chickens Theatre. It also then plays for two nights at Kensington’s Golden Goose Theatre (5 and 6 August). Tickets for both venues can be found here.

      Always wanting to further educate ourselves, we thought we’d put on our finest gowns and mortarboard and spend an afternoon in the study with Katherine to talk more about her play.

      The play takes us into the world of our finest places of study, what can you tell us about the play and the characters we’re going to meet?

      The play is most essentially a pulling back of the curtain on the mythic and hidden world of these elite institutions, yes. We are going to meet Alfred; a Professor of English in his last year before retirement, obsessed with leaving a form of legacy behind, Bennett; a junior Professor of English hoping to take Alfred’s job next year, Ben; a seventeen-year-old applicant who has been all but groomed for the interview process, Alice; an applicant to whom this world seems bewildering, George; a PhD student struggling to reconcile his relationship with his working-class, pub quiz loving step-dad, and Anna; a PhD student whose mental health is suffering to the point of giving up on her academic dreams.

      And is the play a one-person show portraying the various characters we encounter, or do you have an ensemble?

      We have a very talented ensemble who are able to bring their own distinct voices to each character who struggle with the pressures of elite education in similar ways, yet often take very different approaches to coping with those pressures.

      You didn’t study at either of the Oxbridge universities, what made you decide to set a play there?

      It didn’t matter so much to place a play where I’ve known. To me, and to most teenagers who go through the UCAS process, Oxbridge is a symbol – a monolith – of excellence. You either make it – become part of the symbol – or live forever outside it. It is the great divider of applicants. Therefore, it felt natural to set a drama within its walls.

      There’s talk of balancing the conflicting hopes of education: to teach for the exam, for success, or to teach for life. Does the play answer which you feel is more vital or just highlight the contradictions that exist?

      The play highlights how impossible both of the strategies are. Under capitalism, under our data-driven, results-driven society, where everything must be quantified and scaled, you cannot teach for life. You must teach for an exam. But you also cannot hope to produce educated, well-rounded citizens of the world if you only take this method. Whichever is ‘better’ cannot be discerned until we realise how to actually do either.

      Do you feel as a country we often give too much reverence just because someone studied at one of the elite universities?

      As someone who did not study there; it is almost impossible to say. Maybe the undergraduates of Oxford did get much better quality teaching than I did at Warwick. I will never be able to know for sure because I wasn’t there. I think it’s that wall that separates the two worlds that the play wants to look at most.

      You’ve clearly looked at their processes deeply to put this play together, do you feel that the universities have changed or is there still a lot of unnecessary tradition at play within them?

      The pomp and ceremony, razzle dazzle of the place is absurd to me. Almost cultish. I am sure those memories of sitting down in gowns and hats to banquets stay with you for life, embedding in you a network and a sense of loyalty that will carry you through your career for as long as you choose to tug on the strings of that network. I feel as though the ritualistic nature of Oxbridge is very much still in place.

      The show has already performed at Bread and Roses, has it changed much since then? Did you learn anything at that run?

      I certainly did. That run was a comedy with dramatic elements. I realised that the themes I want to tackle – how we venerate exceptionalism, the authority of tradition vs. the inevitability of progress, elitism, class, politics, etc – they all leant themselves much better to a drama. A drama with hilarious bits, but a drama nonetheless.

      Why should we come and see Colloquium then?

      Currently, there’s nothing quite like Colloquium out there. It dissects, with wit, and intelligence and humanity, a certain place and time that has yet to be visited on the British stage since the works of Alan Bennett. Come and see it for that.

      And as it’s Camden Fringe, with so much else going on, do you have any recommendations of other shows we should see as well as Colloquium?

      Boiling Frog is a digital event and so accessible to all. It explores the trauma of witnessing the horrific Australian Black Summer Bushfires of 2019/20 using the monologue form. Definitely one I will be looking out for.

      Thanks to Katherine for finding the time to chat to us about Colloquium. You can find out more about the play and book tickets at Katherine’s website here.

      Colloquium plays as part of Camden Fringe at The Hen and Chickens Theatre, 1 – 4 August. More details here and Golden Goose Theatre 5 – 6 August, more info here. More