EdFringe Talk: Hamstrung

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“I’ve done Edinburgh as a punter and as a reviewer — both brilliant, magical and hilarious experiences.”

WHO: George Rennie

WHAT: “Alas, poor Yorick! Though he’s not dead… Hamlet’s legendary jester is back to dig up the bones of his misspent life in this irreverent resurrection of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy. Join Yorick as he reconnects with his lost love of performance, embarking on a high-spirited journey to discover what really happened in Elsinore. Hamstrung is a stirring and impactful interactive ghost story about the space between live theatre and the afterlife. To see or not to see? There is no question. ‘Cleverly taps into the timelessness of one of Shakespeare’s most famous works’ **** (FringeBiscuit.co.uk).”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Baby Grand (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 11:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’ve done Edinburgh as a punter and as a reviewer — both brilliant, magical and hilarious experiences. Last year I reviewed ten shows in three days — it was madness, but I saw some amazing work, including Lucy McCormick and Body Show, both next-level amazing. I’ve wanted to take something up myself for years, and was even booked to come up with a play in 2020, before the pandemic put an end to that. There’s something about the atmosphere and possibility in Edinburgh that can’t really be found anywhere else. The quality of the work is so high and yet there’s something so makeshift and DIY about it that makes it feel very special. People take risks and put their full creative selves on the line. It’s beautiful!

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

I’ve been following David Bowie’s advice of just doing everything that scares me, pushing myself to try new things and share that process with others. I wasn’t going to perform Hamstrung myself at first, but gradually challenged myself to take it out in front of audiences, discovering more with each step and deepening my understanding of this story. Being able to trust in my instincts is the best thing I ever learned as an actor, and this feeds into producing, writing and also just living life. It’s all a process, and you have to start small. Any effort can lead you in the right direction, you’ve just got to keep turning up and having faith that the things that need to happen will. And be nice to people!

Tell us about your show.

I am the writer, performer and producer of this peculiar little show. Initially I just wanted to write it, and got an actor to perform it at a scratch night in March last year — on the King’s coronation, no less! After that, I did script reading at the Cockpit (myself), followed by a full WIP performance at the Old Red Lion in October. My director, the fabulously talented Lisa Millar, has been my closest collaborator, and we’ve been working on the show together for over a year. Along the way, I have had input from many dramaturgs, actors, designers, technicians, friends, colleagues and producers to build the show into a well-oiled machine, and the finished product is the sum of all these interactions. I think the combination of working openly like this, while maintaining a strong sense of ownership and direction, is the only way to go.

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

There is so much that I want to see! A lot of it is at Pleasance but that’s partly because I have just devoured the programme. I like things that are spooky and/or queer, so am looking out for Gay Witch Sex Cult, Beyond Krapp, Ginger Johnson, You’re Needy (sounds frustrating), Dan Wye and A Letter to Lyndon B. Johnson or God. For other comic reworkings of classic theatre, it’s got to be Sh!tfaced Shakespeare and The Importance of Being… Earnest? Garry Starr is pure genius and Yoga With Jillian is such a unique theatrical experience… Am sure there are hundreds of shows that I don’t know about yet that I will absolutely love.

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