EdFringe Talk: 17 Minutes

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“We wish this wasn’t a conversation that needs to be had.”

WHO: Scott Organ

WHAT: “The play 17 Minutes explores the communal and residual effects of a shooting through Andy, a man who struggles with his own complicity in the tragedy, and who seeks meaning in the wake of the shooting.”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Teviot – Wine Bar (Venue 14) 

WHEN: 14:15 (75 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes, neither writer, director, nor any of the 6 cast members have been to Edinburgh and we are so excited. (Our stage manager Allison Parker, producer Marshall Cordell and London-based producer Dave Calvitto thankfully have been often.) This is also a first production for The Barrow Group, a New York theater company that’s been around since 1986. Edfringe has such a great reputation here in New York. Whenever we mention that we are going, we hear such positive reactions.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I’ll go a little further back in time: in March of 2020, we closed our critically-acclaimed and extended production of 17 Minutes Off-Broadway at The Barrow Group in NYC. Two weeks later, the city started shutting down and we went from performing this communal piece to locking down in our homes. Since then, I think we’ve all realised the absolute importance of live theatre in our lives. Additionally, and quite tragically, we’ve witnessed mass shooting after mass shooting since then in the U.S. We wish this wasn’t a conversation that needs to be had. But it is, unfortunately, and our hope is that these conversations might help move us toward a better future.

Tell us about your show.

17 Minutes is a show about Andy, an Ohio Sheriff’s Deputy charged with protecting a high school. One day shots ring out – 17 minutes is the amount of time he stands outside the school. This play, written by Scott Organ, explores everything that happens because of those 17 minutes. Though the material is heavy at times, the show is hopeful at its core. Our production, directed by Seth Barrish, had a critically-acclaimed and extended run Off-Broadway at The Barrow Group in 2020. The Barrow Group has teamed up with Edfringe veteran producer Marshall Cordell to bring this show to Edinburgh. The original cast will be intact. We are a group of actors, writers and producers who have worked together for many years.

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

Definitely see this new play by the amazing Barrow Group writer Arlene Hutton – Blood of the Lamb, B Street Theatre at The Assembly Rooms. Hutton’s play Last Train To Nibroc is one of my favorite plays and has touched me in the way that the plays of Horton Foote do. I always look forward to her new work, particularly this new play which delves into an important contemporary topic – the criminalization of abortion.

And don’t miss Shortlist, by two-time Fringe First winner Brian Parks at Assembly George Square. Though I haven’t seen this play yet, I know his work well. His Americana Absurdum ranks as one of the funniest and sharpest plays I’ve seen. His way with words and his poignant theatricality are always worth the price of admission. This new play about two novelists battling for a prize is a perfect world for Parks to take on.

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