EdFringe Talk: Grubby Little Mitts: Eyes Closed, Mouths Open

Posted in *EdFestivals 2024, *Written Interviews by

“It’s a very special festival for artists, industry and audiences and we Brits are very lucky we don’t have to cross an ocean to be part of it!!”

WHO: Rosie Nicholls

WHAT: “Join sketch comics Grubby Little Mitts (Rosie Nicholls and Sullivan Brown) in their third magnum opus! Award-winning sketch duo Grubby Little Mitts amplifies the normal to chaotic extremes, using slapstick and absurdism to point the finger at the everyday. Their signature hyper-real style is embellished with rapid dialogue, musical interludes and an aggressively red aesthetic screaming from handmade props. Winners of the Amused Moose Comedy Award for Best Debut in 2022. ‘The White Stripes of comedy’ **** (TheReviewsHub.com). Will make you cry – sorry, laugh.”

WHERE: Assembly George Square Studios – Studio Five (Venue 17) 

WHEN: 16:35 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our third Edinburgh with Grubby Little Mitts, and our third time performing at Assembly! I think the best thing about the fringe is potential it offers acts at all stages of their careers, and that potential is also what keeps audiences coming back year on year. The fringe could easily launch you as a comedian or theatre maker and put on the map as an artist, or you could meet someone who becomes a key collaborator for the rest of your career, or you could discover a show which becomes of cornerstone of your taste in comedy or theatre etc. You also make friends for life at the fringe, and especially in comedy you meet so many comedians on mixed bills that really sets up your network when you’re starting out. It’s a very special festival for artists, industry and audiences and we Brits are very lucky we don’t have to cross an ocean to be part of it!!

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

The biggest lesson we’ve learned is even though there is a certain pressure to succeed that goes with appearing at the fringe, you have to remember that you’re an artist making work and it’s good to take creative risks, especially if you’re coming back to the fringe after performing before. It can be good to challenge the perception of you that’s already out there amongst the audience and the industry! This is our third show in three years, so we were in danger of falling into a pattern with our writing and themes. We’ve made two shows with a fairly traditional sketch show structure, which have both been well-reviewed and popular with audiences. We could easily have done that again – but then what would be the point of writing new work? We have to write for ourselves first and make something that reflects where we are creatively. Of course it really depends on what kind of act you are and you don’t want to tear down the things you have spend years building…!! But personally I feel it’s good to keep pushing the boundaries of your own thing. It’s a nice position to be in. No risk no reward!! I’m excited.

Tell us about your show.

Eyes Closed, Mouths Open is written by Grubby Little Mitts – that’s me and Sullivan Brown (No Rolls Barred). This year we are directed by Dominic Allen (Monopoly But Communist!, Belt Up Theatre) with movement direction for the third time from Lecoq’s finest Simon Maeder (Superbolt Theatre, The Dictator). We four have been friends for many years, with Sullivan, Dom and I training together at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and we met Simon through Dom at an artist-led clowning/improv workshop we used to run before the pandemic. We four are also in another sketch group called The Skin Show. I’m the lead producer for Grubby Little Mitts which I do around my job, and we have been supported this year by our incredible fans from around the world through a massive Kickstarter campaign; we are really proud to be the product of crowdfunding and incredibly grateful for the endorsement. This show had a WIP performance at Komedia Brighton, and we are previewing at the Rosemary Branch, Phoenix Arts Club and Greenwich Theatre – but the show is officially debuting at Edinburgh this summer. We hope to be able to tour our work round the country as we have done the last two years – as well as eventually going to Australia and America too! We love touring, we love meeting fans and we love performing our brand of sketch comedy. Additionally at the fringe this year, we are bringing up our mixed bill show Sketch Book, which has been running monthly for the last six months at the Rosemary Branch Theatre – it’s a compilation show dedicated to sketch, character and alternative comedy. At the fringe we will be featuring the best of the sketch comedy scene in Edinburgh on one of the biggest stages at Assembly. If you love sketch, musical, character and alternative comedy in general, you must not miss it.

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

After Eyes Closed, Mouths Open AND Sketch Book, you should definitely check out Rory Cargill’s Television One – Rory is one of the hardest working comics around and this show is going to be spectacular! Fellow Amused Moose 2022 Winner Chelsea Birkby is cooking up another show This Is Life (Cheeky Cheeky) – I love watching Chelsea who is so smart and so funny, I really can’t wait to see it. Thirdly I totally recommend Katie Pritchard’s I Kiss The Music which is a totally mad hour of musical comedy, possibly to most uplifting and silly thing you’ll see at Edinburgh this year because of Katie’s amazing energy!! A few honourable mentions for Tegan Verheul’s Chokeslame, Bryony Byrne’s Fan/Girl (I’ve done some work on the puppets for this), Piotr Sikora’s Furiozo and Josh Glanc’s Family Man.

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