“The festival has been a terrific place to stage our work, with the added bonus of some of the shows finding new productions or being published because of their reception here.”
WHO: Brian Parks
WHAT: “Two enemy novelists duel for the ultimate prize in a fast-paced, war-of-the-words comedy. Multiple Fringe First-winning playwright Brian Parks plunges into the writing world with a Withnail-esque joust between literature’s two sharpest pens. Year after year, Higgins and Houghton find themselves pitched against each other on the shortlist for literature’s number-one title, never winning. But this year is different, each primed to strike and finally grab it. All that stands in their way is each other. A world premiere directed by Fringe First winner Margarett Perry, starring Matthew Boston and Daniel Llewelyn-Williams. ‘A refreshingly mischievous, inventive author’ (Times).”
WHERE: Assembly George Square – The Crate (Venue 8)
WHEN: 13:15 (60 min)
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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
“Shortlist” is my ninth show at the Fringe. It’s a fast-paced, war-of-the-words comedy about two enemy novelists dueling for the ultimate book prize. The audiences so far have really been digging it, and we just got a 5-star review from a reviewing site (one4review.co.uk). My first play here was in 2000, my dark comedy “Americana Absurdum,” which we brought over from New York. We had a great time with it and also won a Fringe First — a terrific way to make an Edinburgh debut. Among my other past Edinburgh productions, “Enterprise” — a business comedy — also won a Fringe First. The festival has been a terrific place to stage our work, with the added bonus of some of the shows finding new productions or being published because of their reception here. It’s an expensive way to do a play, especially coming from abroad, but it has always been worth it.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
Last year’s Fringe was the first full one since Covid, and overall Fringe ticket sales were down about 28% since the previous full festival in 2019. So this year, not knowing how full the overall rebound will be, we’ve made some extra efforts with marketing, flyer-ing, and other promotion.
Tell us about your show.
The Edinburgh production of “Shortlist” is the play’s world premiere. We did some workshop previews of it in New York last month, in the great “East to Edinburgh” program they have at 59E59 Theaters there. Our production here is being staged at Assembly’s George Square venue the Crate, which is an ideal stage for the piece. The show is an international co-production between New York-based Twilight Theatre Company and the UK company Flying Bridge Theatre, which is based in Newport, South Wales. It’s performed by the Welsh actor Daniel Llewelyn-Williams and the American actor Matthew Boston, directed by Twilight Theatre’s Margarett Perry. The US and the UK sides met last year at the Fringe, when we were in back-to-back shows at Assembly’s Studio 2. We all got on great, and now here we are teamed up on the same show. As for after the Fringe – we shall see!
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
“The Rosenberg/Strange Fruit Project” is another Twilight Theatre project, so we offer a big recommendation there. I’m also very eager to see Scott Organ’s play “17 Minutes” at Gilded Balloon Teviot – it’s another show in from New York. Others on my list include Edwin Flay’s “The Quality of Mercy” at the Space/Surgeons Hall and Tim Marriott’s “Watson,” among many others. But eager to get out and see more shows — it’s a fest rich with possibilities.
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