Bedfringe 2024 Interview: Sparky T-K-O – DIY (A Beginner’s Guide)

Posted in *Bedfringe 2024, *Written Interviews by

cover

“Bedfringe is a special festival because it gives us locals a chance to see shows that are heading to Edinburgh, and also gives local artists like myself a platform to share our latest projects.”

WHO: Sparky Kay Orkisz

WHAT: “Sparky TKO is a poet, musician and performance artist from Bedford. They write about topics ranging from gender, neurodivergency and mental health, to cerebral musings about buses. They have written and performed full fringe shows since 2015, and will this year be combining their own poetic sentiments with some “wall-to-wall hitz”.

May contain punchlines, though these are purely incidental.”

WHERE: Quarry Theatre

WHEN: 21 July 2023 @ 18:00 (40mins)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Bedfringe?

This will be my 9th Bedfringe – would be a solid 10 years in a row, but for 2020 doing its disruptor schtik.

Bedfringe is a special festival because it gives us locals a chance to see shows that are heading to Edinburgh, and also gives local artists like myself a platform to share our latest projects. The garden at the Quarry is a fab place to hang out when the weather’s nice (as is the indoor bar when it isn’t).

From a selfish perspective, it’s a short walk from Casa Sparky, so I don’t have to rack up travel costs every time I want to see a show.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I’m working on a poetry collection, which has grown from last year’s show, “Neuropop”. I explore the intersection between genderqueer and neurodivergent identities, particularly from my own experiences.

I’ve recently been diagnosed with ADHD, which will have come as a shock to absolutely nobody that knows me. As ever, the key lesson of “don’t spread yourself too thinly” may or may not prove pertinent given that I’m also performing at Bedford River Festival a few hours before my Bedfringe show.

So…if we pretend 2023’s lessons were “say yes to everything!” and “concentrate all your high-functioning activity into a tightly-packed period!”…absolutely, completed it mate!!

Tell us about your show.

DIY: A Beginner’s Guide is like a interactive live equivalent of a greatest hits collection crossed with a B-sides and rarities compilation. Maybe. I dunno.

I’ve built up quite a collection of different songs and poems over the last decade, particularly thematically linked to my previous fringe shows, and so I wanted to revisit them and provide a bit of an introduction to those who’ve never seen me before, as I want to make my art as accessible to new audiences as well as those who’ve kindly supported my work.

I’ll be mixing loops, synths and sonic nonsense with words, melodies and…sonic nonsense.

What should your audience see at Bedfringe after they’ve seen your show?

Funky Flamingos and Orange Orange Sunshine are 2 of the fab bands emerging from Living It Up PAC. Go see them at 2pm on Saturday 27 July. My friend Jessica Gherman is sharing her songs on Saturday 20th.

“On Nurturing” features 3 amazing local poets in Katie O’Pray, Cameron Stuart and Chris Belson and takes place at 1pm on Sunday 28th July. Elsewhere, Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq is always good family, and 3 of my favourite comedians are rocking up this year in Sophie Duker, Kemah Bob and Kiri Pritchard-McLean, so…I mean go look in the brochure, there’s bound to be something you like.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!