“I enjoy sharing my work and the rest of the time I am a big ol’ sponge sopping up the energy and creativity. I love it!”
WHO: Joe Janes
WHAT: “The Macbeths have killed King Duncan and taken over his kingdom. Now it’s time to party – except for Banquo’s battered spirit showing up and ruining everything. Lady Macbeth is worried her husband’s guilty hallucinations will doom their tenure as royalty. She orders they go away for the weekend at a seaside resort to get their heads on straight. Try as they might to loose the shackles of their evil deeds with couples massages, karaoke, and vacation friends – a certain trio of witches aren’t far behind.”
WHERE: theSpace on the Mile – Space 2 (Venue 39)
WHEN: 16:05 (50 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
This will be my fourth Fringe. The first was in the mid-90s with a show called The Armageddon Radio Hour. Cut to 2017 with Our Christian Nation and 2019 with The Greatest Theatrical Event…EVER!. What I enjoy most about the festival is meeting other folks performing in the venue. I’m still in touch with people I have met and connected with at each Fringe, including pre-internet 90s! Competing with that is my joy of discovery. Discovering new shows, new actors, clowns, comedians, and experiences. I enjoy sharing my work and the rest of the time I am a big ol’ sponge sopping up the energy and creativity. I love it!
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
I have been fortunate enough to always be involved with quality shows so most of my lessons are logistical. The time slot is important. For our last show, we thought if we had a prime time slot, people would take us seriously. We were just a small show from Chicago in an obscure location and it was difficult to get any reviewers to come see us. They were all busy seeing A-List shows. This year, we are in an easy-to-find location right off the Mile and our slot is in the afternoon after lunch and before dinner. Flyering can be grueling for a small cast, so we have some folks coming just to support us with promotion.
Tell us about your show.
The show is some crazy Shakespeare fan fiction that throws Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into a Twilight Zone weekend getaway whilst skewering the bard. Our shows always have one foot in theatre and one foot in sketch comedy and another weird oversized foot in clowning. Also, stop staring at our feet!
I wrote it and it is being produced by the team. We all paid for our own airfare and are all pitching in for all the other expenses. We’re all friends who have known one another for years. Most of us teach at Columbia College Chicago. Going back to the Fringe wasn’t on our radar a year ago. It just came up in conversation and I had an idea about the Porter from Macbeth I always wanted to explore.
We’re doing four previews in Chicago before we bring it over. The tricky part about comedies is that you don’t know how much laughter will affect the length of your show. We don’t want to be the jerks whose show runs long in a tightly scheduled venue.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
Well, there are many improv shows I’m excited to see – Improv Cage Match, Sheila’s Sister, Batsui, and Spontaneous Potter, to name a few. I love physical theater and clowning, so Aloft Presents Sanctuary and My Last Two Brain Cells are on my list. I’ll also check out some Shakespeare like The Handlebards and Terry Pratchett’s Wyrd Sisters.
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