“As a younger guy I had my own share of ‘imposter syndrome’, I’ve successfully banished that to where it belongs!”
WHO: Gavin Robertson
WHAT: “Two of Charles Dickens’ creepy tales – with a comic twist. Told on alternate days. Tales with a tingle, but also a giggle! Two yarns to chill and charm: a traveller encounters a ghostly chair and, in a deserted Edinburgh carriageworks, a tipsy reveller is spirited away by, well… spirits! Like The Woman in Black – but funnier, with fewer people! Adapted and directed by Gavin Robertson and performed by Nicholas Collett. From the team who brought you last year’s hilarious detective mash-up, Done To Death, By Jove! ‘Hilarious and quite brilliant!’ (InternationalTimes.it).”
WHERE: theSpace @ Surgeons Hall – Stephenson Theatre (Venue 53)
WHEN: 13:05 (35 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
I also was in the infamous “12 Angry Men” at Assembly with Bill Bailey and a host of stand-up comedians which went on to Australia and NZ. I was in “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” with Christian Slater and McKenzie Crook before its two West End transfers, amid the furore of cancelled shows when Christian got the measles and everyone thought it was a publicity stunt! (It wasn’t!)
I’ve brought several of my own shows and got into international touring as a result. I think I’ve been over 20 times, including as my Spoken Word alter-ego, ‘Greg Byron’, but I haven’t kept count.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
To appreciate the life I have! I love creating shows and touring them. It’s fulfilling to realise you’re a genuinely creative person and to have built a reputation that means an idea can become a reality and then share that not only in the UK but abroad. I’ve also accepted now that stories are a powerful means of sharing experiences, and whereas as a younger guy I had my own share of ‘imposter syndrome’, I’ve successfully banished that to where it belongs! Stories encapsulate our humanity – and whether a show is serious or comic, it provides a shared experience for however long it lasts that is escapist and short-lived, or stays with you for years, and both are valuable.
Tell us about your show.
I adapted the two Charles Dickens ghost stories as I wanted a show specifically for Autumn touring, and not necessarily in a theatre. (we’ve performed it in a crypt, for example). Nicholas Collett, who performs it, had to learn the show twice, a year apart, as the initial show was cancelled the day before as the venue went into lockdown! We’ve taken it to the USA, and will again – and have various dates in Autumn 2023 in the UK.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
Casey Jay Andrews is a lyrical writer. I discovered her in Adelaide after she’d done her show “Archive of Educated Hearts” in Edinburgh. She’s also a designer so creates almost an installation (depending on the show). I’d say the design element has given way to the storytelling recently but she tackles big subjects with miniature props and set, and the informality of the style draws you in to her very descriptive writing style. I don’t care for award schemes myself, but she’s won heaps, if that’s how you rate work!
“How To Drink Wine Like A Wanker”- is a deceptively light-sounding show about wine (obviously) and Anna Thomas uses different wines to compliment different stories of her life. But be warned, there’s a sting in the tale, and the Patriarchy doesn’t come out of it well!
“Appraisal” at Assembly is an innocuous-sounding title. Based on true experiences, it took off last year before traveling to Adelaide. For many people in ‘normal’ jobs I think it touches a nerve as an generally unpleasant and judgemental, not to say manipulative, process. Be prepared to wince!
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