Author Archives: Dan Lentell

+3 Interview: In PurSUEt

Posted in *Written Interviews, Plus 3 2019 – Features by

“It’s been an emotional roller coaster and an incredible learning curve.”

WHO: Eleanor Higgins: Actor Writer Creator

WHAT: “Inspired by true events: a passionate Sue Perkins Superfan, sent to a therapist to deal with her drinking, relays her adventures pursuing Sue. Fleabag meets Miranda in this fierce, heartfelt new LGBT comedy/drama. Follow our heroines impressive swagger skills, drinking habits and coping mechanisms in an age of social media, #MeToo and Brexit… In PurSUEt is a play with unexpected truth, nuance and hope. A searingly fresh new show that leaves the audience in no doubt: it is by facing our demons, we overcome them. ‘Step aside Fleabag. Hello InPurSUEt!’ ***** (Pink Elephant Arts). Simply Brilliant!” ***** (RadioGaga.com).”

WHERE: theSpace @ Niddry St – Lower Theatre (Venue 9) 

WHEN: 12:10 (45 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’ve visited the fringe the last few years – I love it. The innovation, the raw talent and energy – it’s always been a complete inspiration. It blew me away the first time I “arrived” on the mile. But this will be my first time bringing a show. And one that I have written, directed and starring in myself. Really excited to be on the other side this year – where I belong!

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

So since 2018 I’ve finished my masters degree at ALRA. That was pretty intense – but actually, the biggest thing to happen has been my show In PurSUEt.

It’s been an emotional roller coaster and an incredible learning curve. I can’t wait to finally get on stage with it. It’s the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

Tell us about your show.

So my show is semi autobiographical about a time in my life when I was drinking heavily, having therapy and had a huge crush on Sue Perkins – and basically spent a lot of time trying to get her to date me! But on a serious note, the character has a drinking problem, which she is in deep denial over. So rather that facing that whilst in the therapy, she relays all her run ins with Sue to avoid facing her truth. It’s a story about redemption. And conquering your demons. And though originally based on myself, there is artistic license involved for sure. It’s creativity at the end of the day.

It’s a one woman show – so I’m running the whole shooting match! Writing, acting, producing, marketing – the works! Fortunately it would seem I don’t need to sleep for more than 40minutes a night at the moment… and I’m a crazy multi-tasker. It’s being produced by my production company: Bush Producirtons. An all female led LGBTQ+ film and theatre company. We focus on bringing new talent to the fringe. We are also passionate about mental health, bringing awareness to women’s issues and the LGBTQ+ community. This will be my first time performing at fringe – so I’m pretty excited to make my debut! I hope the show has a life beyond Edinburgh… I would love it if it could be developed further and turned into something greater. I think with all the material and buzz it’s created, there’s strong potential for development. The idea is quite unique. I would love if the show took on a life of its own beyond the fringe. But right now – i’m living in the moment, taking it one day at time, excited to see what happens next.

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

I’m really keen to see Me and My whilst I’m in Edinburgh. It’s an amazing new show written by two talented young women, dealing with the complicated subject of grief. Supposed to be really excellent. So I would definitely recommend that to them! Sooz Kempner is amazing also – and after her huge viral tweet she has really rocketed. We trained together, she has always been one of the most talented people I know. I’m really excited to see where she ends up next.

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+3 Interview: Bomb Happy D-Day 75

Posted in *Written Interviews, Plus 3 2019 – Features by

“We are delighted that two of the Veterans (Ken Cooke and Ken Smith) will be attending…”

WHO: Beryl Nairn: Actor

WHAT: “A verbatim play about ordinary young men in extraordinary times. Bomb Happy evocatively brings to life the powerful testimonies of five Normandy Veterans, inexperienced young conscripts who find themselves part of one of the most dangerous operations of World War II. As the action unfolds, memories – humorous and harrowing – collide, allowing a close-up experience of life on the front line, whilst wives’ accounts highlight the lifelong impact of PTSD. Post-show Meet the Veterans at Friday and Saturday performances.”

WHERE: Army @ The Fringe in Association with Summerhall – Drill Hall (Venue 210) 

WHEN: Varies (75 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes it is! I’ve been to see many great shows at the Fringe over the years – but this is the first time I’ve ever had a chance to perform! Who’d have thought that, at the tender age of 62, I’d get a chance to realise my long-held dream to act in a show at Edinburgh Fringe?

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

Loads of things! I’ve been part of a nation wide live-streaming of ‘Bomb Happy’ the play we are currently bringing to the Fringe. It was really exciting. But a bit nerve-wracking as well. All the cast were aware of the audience watching from afar, but we also had to make sure we engaged with the audience watching the show right in front of us. This was just one of ten performances we did on our Edinburgh preview run.

Tell us about your show.

The show, ‘Bomb Happy’ is written by a fabulous playwright called Helena Fox. ‘Bomb Happy’ is produced by Everwitch Theatre and it premiered in 2017 to a standing ovation on opening night and a sell-out tour. The unique feature of ‘Bomb Happy’ is that it uses the verbatim testimonies of five Normandy Veterans, who toured with the show. However, although the words are the true life memories of older men, their words are spoken by a cast of young actors who portray the veterans as their youthful selves on D-Day (June 6th 1944).

We are delighted that two of the Veterans (Ken Cooke and Ken Smith) will be attending performances of ‘Bomb Happy’ on, 16, 17, 23 & 24 August. Ken Cooke ‘Cookey’ is especially excited to be in Edinburgh as he was part of the Highland Light Infantry during the Normandy Campaign. My character ‘Queenie’ speaks the words of Ken Smith’s wife and sheds light on the dreadful impact of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) still experienced by many Veterans today. We’ll be very busy after Edinburgh, as we’ve already had requests to tour the show – and to some pretty exciting and unusual venues – including a huge aircraft hangar in a WW2 air museum!

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

All the diverse range of shows hosted by Army at The Fringe look amazing! We definitely want to see them all – and urge everyone to do the same. We’re also looking forward to propping up the Mess Bar and eating in the Field Kitchen at venue 210!

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+3 Interview: Rust

Posted in *Written Interviews, Plus 3 2019 – Features by

” I wanted to tell the story of my time in hospital for mental illnesses, as I thought there was a need for a show focused on the experience of recovery (rather than on illness itself) and on rehab.”

WHO: Helena Fox: Writer

WHAT: “‘When you leave here, everything else will be exactly the same. The only thing that’s changed is you.’ Based on personal experience, Rust follows Evie over the course of a month in a rehab centre as she starts to rebuild herself from rock bottom. The company behind SiX brings this moving and life-affirming original musical about addiction, mental health services and recovery to the Fringe. Previous praise for the production team: ***** (ThreeWeeks, EdFringeReview.com, Varsity).”

WHERE: theSpace @ Venue45 – theSpace @ Venue 45 (Venue 45) 

WHEN: 13:55 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Nope! I went for five days to watch in 2017, having been wanting to go for years, and loved it, seeing 6+ shows every day. I went back in 2018, after my first year at Uni, to perform in a student comedy musical about Brexit for the month and Cambridge Dragtime for a week. I feel like I’ve learnt more about the Fringe each time, but this is my first time taking a show I’ve co-written, which is going to be another experience entirely!

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

I would have to say placing 2nd at Man Up! 2019, the drag king competition founded by The Glory. 58 kings entered, making it the largest drag king contest this side of the Atlantic, and possibly in the world! It was a surreal, emotional, night. Even my grandma came to watch. Dancing in the interval to Jonny Woo and John Sizzle singing Erasure’s ‘Respect’ with her and my great aunt was unforgettable. The drag king scene is so friendly and it was wonderful to meet the other kings, too. But getting the slot to put on ‘Rust’ at the Fringe and finishing the second year of my degree have to get mentions too…

Tell us about your show.

I first had the idea for the show on a plane from Edinburgh to London during last year’s Fringe, when I was flying home to make my cousin’s wedding! I wanted to tell the story of my time in hospital for mental illnesses, as I thought there was a need for a show focused on the experience of recovery (rather than on illness itself) and on rehab. I wanted to de-Americanise the view of rehab as I feel the main cultural references we have are from the USA. That month changed my life entirely (for the better!), and I hope the audience can leave feeling hopeful but thoughtful, too.

I wrote it with my fellow student, Geraint Owen, who is a stellar composer (my own musical talents are lacking!). ‘Rust’ is being put on by the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society, and produced by the wonderful Elspeth Davies. We’ve had the best week of rehearsals in Cambridge, with many laughs and tears alike, and even a sing-along on the roof of St. John’s College chapel! I can’t wait for the preview in Guildford, where I grew up, on 30th July. After Edinburgh, we’re doing a home run in Cambridge in mid-November.

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

Ooh, lots! I absolutely adored ‘A Heart at Sea’ when I saw it in 2017, so ‘Boulder’, Half a String’s new show, is definitely going on my watch list and it should be really amazing. ‘Herstory’ looks really interesting, too. I was lucky to catch ‘The Ladies’ in Cambridge and it’s at the Fringe; it’s an engrossing, well-told, and impeccably observed LGBT+ and female-driven narrative. For comedy fans: Jessie Cave’s ‘Sunrise’ is also an amazing show (the only comedy show that’s made me laugh out loud AND weep) and this Fringe is the last change to see it. If you like the surreal, John-Luke Roberts has been a highlight of both of the Fringes I’ve been to, while Isa Bonachera is a really quirky and fun watch, too.

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+3 Interview: Standard:Elite

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“…for a long time didn’t think we’d ever be able to take something up to the Edinburgh Fringe. It’s always presented as the Holy Grail of industry showcases, but taking a show up takes a lot of time, resources and ultimately – money.”

WHO: Elliot Hughes: Writer/Performer

WHAT: “There are two types of ticket. Everyone gets a Standard ticket. You have to earn an Elite ticket. Together, we’re going to tell a story… of a girl from Lowground spun from spiderweb and a boy from Highground carved from clouds. Standards work to build the story, Elites control which path the story takes. That’s fair, right? Standard:Elite is a playful, interactive theatre experience about class and privilege that’s irreverent, accessible and fun. There are two types of ticket. There aren’t two types of people. ***** (VoiceMag.uk). ***** (TheSpyInTheStalls.co.uk). Winner: Best New Writing (Manchester Fringe), Best Newcomer (Brighton Fringe).”

WHERE: Bedlam Theatre – Bedlam Theatre (Venue 49) 

WHEN: 16:55 (70 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes. We’ve been making work for years, but for a long time didn’t think we’d ever be able to take something up to the Edinburgh Fringe. It’s always presented as the Holy Grail of industry showcases, but taking a show up takes a lot of time, resources and ultimately – money.

However, thanks to the support of a lot of people (particularly Oxford Playhouse, Bedlam Theatre and three productions worth of Theatre Tax Refund) we’re finally able to bring our show about class and social mobility up to the place where all the gatekeepers go…

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

Standard:Elite has been fortunate enough to win awards at the two other Fringe Festivals we’ve visited – ‘Best New Writing’ at the Greater Manchester Fringe, and ‘Best Newcomer’ at Brighton Fringe.

It’s been amazing to get such a positive response to the show and meet lots of different types of audiences around the country. Now it’s time to tackle the Scots.

We’ve also been working on our new show ‘Drawing the Line’, which was the flagship commission of The Albany’s ‘Rebels’ season and had us creating entirely new nations from scratch with audiences in Deptford.

Tell us about your show.

Hidden Track is a company created by Director Anoushka Bonwick and Writer Elliot Hughes, out of a desire to create playful, political work which challenges narratives, champions the vulnerable, and rewrites the rules of theatre.

They both met at the University of East Anglia, and then graduated University to find themselves unemployed. Anoushka spent ten months handing out flyers for other businesses while she searched for work, while Elliot was sent by the Job Centre to an employment workshop where he was told to take his degree in Scriptwriting and Performance off his CV as it made him ‘unemployable’.

Standard:Elite was first performed in the room above a pub in Manchester for Chorlton Arts Festival, with a total budget of £500. It then received really positive responses, and slowly grew bigger and bigger as it begin to win awards, receive funding, tour around England, and expand its creative team. As well as bringing on incredibly talented designers and artists, they were also joined by Producer Beccy Smith, who has now been with the company for over two years.

Standard:Elite is an interactive show about class and social mobility that splits its audience into ‘Standard’ and ‘Elite’ audience members on the roll of a dice. Elites receive special treatment – getting comfier seats, free cake, and the chance to vote to change the outcome of the show’s story. Standards work to help tell the story – playing games, shouting things out, serving the aforementioned cakes… and the Standards who win those games get to become Elites themselves.

The show is an anarchic, irreverent take on the subject which plays fast and loose with the rules of theatre, but always focuses on our audience just having a great time. All audience participation is voluntary, and you’ll never be asked to do anything you don’t want to do. You can start your own class war, smuggle illicit goods across borders, shout ‘Objection!’ in court, or just sit unharassed and watch the story unfold.

It’s mainly a good laugh that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it also contains an important message about the myths of social mobility and hardships of class discrimination.

You also get to throw things. And there’s a giant duck.

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

There’s so much to go and see!

In particular, first, a shout-out to our fellow shows supported by the Oxford Playhouse – Kuumba Nia Arts’ ‘Sold’ and Doug Crossley’s ‘Give Me One Moment In Time’ (both showing at the Pleasance).

On the same subject matter, we’re exploring, we’re really intrigued to see Scottee’s ‘Class’ at Roxy Assembly.

Comedy-wise there’s the inimitable Joz Norris with his new show ‘Joz Norris Is Dead. Long Live Mr Fruit Salad.’ (showing at Heroes @ The Hive)

And we also can’t wait to see John Robertson’s live-action video game ‘The Dark Room’ at the Gilded Balloon.

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+3 Interview: Sleeping Giant

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“The Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019 will mark the first staging of the play.”

WHO: Christopher Sepulveda: Producer

WHAT: “A writer/producer of television’s Supernatural spins a series of intimate, darkly comic vignettes in this modern thriller. When Ryan’s firework-filled marriage proposal accidentally awakens an ancient creature sleeping in a nearby lake, local residents become consumed by stories about the ‘thing’ and the dark effects it has on anyone who touches it. Admirers descend into zealotry and obsession where mob mentality, paranoia and blind faith best common sense in a landscape that looks surprisingly close to the world in which we live today.”

WHERE: Assembly Rooms – Powder Room (Venue 20) 

WHEN: 12:05 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Our partner, Celebration Theatre, has produced work in Edinburgh, including last year’s hit “Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad on Craigslist” and the 2010 all-male production of “The Bacchae” which our director, Michael Matthews and producer Nathan Frizzell were also involved with, but it is the first time for the rest of our team including playwright, Steve Yockey (TV’s “Supernatural” and “Scream”).

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

Aside from a recent workshop with Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles, CA, this is the very first time “Sleeping Giant” will be presented to the world and we can’t wait for audiences to experience the play.

Tell us about your show.

“Sleeping Giant” weaves a series of intimate, darkly comic vignettes together to explore how mob mentality, paranoia and blind faith can overtake common sense in a landscape that looks surprisingly close to the world in which we live today. It was written by Steve Yockey (a writer/producer of TV’s “Supernatural”) and is being produced in association with Celebration Theatre—the oldest continuously producing LGBT theatre in the United States. Lead by the director, Michael Matthews, the cast includes Tony Award-winner Daisy Eagan and ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and ‘The Flash’ star, Rick Cosnett. The design team includes Tony Award-nominated Sound Designer, Cricket S. Myers who creates an otherworldly soundscape to complement the piece.

“Sleeping Giant” received a workshop reading by Center Theatre Group in July. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019 will mark the first staging of the play.

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

Several friends of Celebration Theatre have projects in the festival including “30 Minute Musicals” and “Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad on Craigslist” which we would absolutely recommend. They’re both very different from “Sleeping Giant” (and from one another) but terrific fun!

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+3 Interview: The Merry Wives of Windsor

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“I was brought up in Edinburgh, went to Uni in Edinburgh, then left to wander around the planet for a while … The Fringe is just the best time of year in Edinburgh.”

WHO: Harkness Robertson: Director

WHAT: “An uproarious tale of marriage, mischief, jealousy, lies and laundry. Set around Page’s Steamie on the Windsor Estate in 1950s Edinburgh, Falstaff woos two women in an attempt to swindle their husbands and regain his squandered wealth. The wily wives see through him, however, and plot their hilarious revenge. Meanwhile, Anne is pursued by two unlikely suitors, each one approved by her respective parents. But she prefers another. Will true love prevail? Will Falstaff get his comeuppance and mend his ways? And will Ford ever accept that wives may be merry yet honest too?”

WHERE: The Royal Scots Club – The Hepburn Suite (Venue 241) 

WHEN: 19:00 (90 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I was brought up in Edinburgh, went to Uni in Edinburgh, then left to wander around the planet for a while. But the call of home was loud and insistent; I came back in 2008, and have been involved in Fringe productions ever since, mostly as an actor. This is my first time directing for the Fringe, so I’m especially excited. The Fringe is just the best time of year in Edinburgh. The atmosphere is unique – absolutely buzzing with life and creativity; the town literally does not sleep at all during the month of August. I love that there is something to suit absolutely every taste – and wallet! The whole city turns into a stage, and it’s such an incredible festival to be a part of, whether as a participant or as a spectator. It’s amazing to be able to be both.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

After EGTG’s Fringe run of Much Ado About Nothing (dir. David Grimes) last year, we took the production to Stratford-Upon-Avon to perform as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s free summer programme at The Dell. I was Stage Manager. It was completely different to performing at The Fringe, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance (or so I thought) to be involved in putting on one of Shakespeare’s plays in his own hometown. I am delighted to say that EGTG’s Merry Wives of Windsor has been invited to participate in the 2019 Dell Space summer programme, so after our run at the Fringe, we’ll be preparing to take the show to another, different audience.

Tell us about your show.

The Merry Wives of Windsor is one of William Shakespeare’s lesser performed comedies, but in my opinion, the funniest. It’s also one of The Bard’s most accessible pieces – it’s mostly prose, and the humour is very visual. I’ve loved the play for years but never thought of directing it until I went to see a production of The Steamie a couple of years ago. I had a lightbulb moment: that set would be perfect for The Merry Wives! And so the obsession began.

This production of The Merry Wives of Windsor is set in and around George Page’s Steamie in 1950s Edinburgh. I hope the audience will bring their chuckle muscles, and enjoy a thoroughly good giggle at Falstaff and his merry friends as they wash their dirty laundry in public. After we’ve finished at The Fringe, we’re off to Stratford to see what the audience at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Dell Space makes of our “Holyrood Wives”.

EGTG has been putting on productions at The Fringe for decades. Founded in 1954, the group has grown from strength to strength and brings together people of all ages from all backgrounds to produce a diverse collection of shows. I’ve been working with them since 2015.

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

EGTG is also staging Mark Ravenhill’s pool (no water), directed by Abbye Eva. It’s on right after our Merry Wives, in the same venue. Why not make it a double bill?

The week after us, Arkle Theatre is taking over the Royal Scots Club venue. Jenny Tamplin is directing Clare McIntyre’s Low-Level Panic, and David Grimes is directing Shakespeare’s The Taming Of The Shrew (12th-17th August).

Also recommended: Arbery Production’s Bull.

There’s so much to see. Even a walk down the Royal Mile is an entertaining day out! Take all the fliers; talk to the characters you meet on the streets – sometimes the best shows you see are those you choose on the spur of the moment.

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+3 Interview: Mandy Muden: Is Not the Invisible Woman

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“I can read your deepest secrets – even the ones that you don’t know yourself.”

WHO: Mandy Muden: Performer

WHAT: “Mandy Muden is a multi award-winning comedian and magician, widely known for her sensational appearances on Britain’s Got Talent. A one-woman fusillade of camp comedy and mind-blowing magic, demonstrating a tour de force in interactive entertainment. She leaves audiences astounded with both the brilliance of some (certainly not all) of her magic and in hysterics at her off-the-cuff one-liners and observations. ‘I don’t get why you’re not already a comedy superstar, that was hilarious.’ (David Walliams). ‘You have got funny bones…. Your timing is brilliant, I love you’ (Amanda Holden).”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Teviot – Balcony (Venue 14) 

WHEN: 16:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my seventh show at the Fringe. I haven’t been here for some years so I am really looking forward to it. I have always had a great time in Edinburgh.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

I have been very busy doing a lot of shows in the UK, Italy, Australia and even in the Arctic. Also doing some TV and shows in the USA and other countries. Last year I was a semi-finalist in Britain’s Got Talent.

Tell us about your show.

It’s a brand new show for the Edinburgh Fringe. I have written and produced it myself and it’s packed with magic, fun and mind reading. I can read your deepest secrets – even the ones that you don’t know yourself. I may do a little tour in the autumn.

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

I love good quality magic – so I’d recommend Kevin Quantum’s Neon Future.

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+3 Interview: Dr Lara Love: Love Leans In

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“This is a new show, written hurriedly after I got the final statement through from the lawyers.”

WHO: Dr Lara Love: My role is to give advice to the pitifully unloved in how to navigate their way through the world of love and relationships, whilst having the charisma of a toad or the breath of a donkey (for example). *qualifications pending

WHAT: “What is love? An unknown quantity, a mesmerising spiritual gift or a song by Haddaway? Love guru Dr Lara Love heals our loveless society in one enlightening hour. ‘Brilliant, unique and boundary bending comedy’ (TalkFringe.com.au).”

WHERE: Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire – Cave (Venue 338) 

WHEN: 16:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

As myself, Dr Lara Love, yes it is my first time. I’ve been too busy building my app, ‘Love in an applicator’.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

My husband Dikkie got sent to rehab for accidentally spending our fortune on cam girls. My app is a snip at £39.99. Get it in any good high street Woolworths.

Tell us about your show.

This is a new show, written hurriedly after I got the final statement through from the lawyers. I’d heard that an Edfringe show is a fantastic way to make lots of money quick, so here I am.

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

After my show, firstly I’d recommend a stiff gin. Then go and see: The Kagools – Cirque Du Kagool, Nicky Wilkinson – Game On, Hayley Ellis – Nobody Puts Hayley in a Corner.

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+3 Interview: Knowing Me, Knowing Uke

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“We’re all really excited to be back in Edinburgh; we had so much fun last time and this year promises to be a great follow-up!”

WHO: Tom Conti-Leslie: Performer

WHAT: “After their sell-out 2018 debut Fringe show Too Many Ukes Spoil The Broth, Ukelear Fusion are back! Their new show Knowing Me, Knowing Uke is full of brand-new covers of songs from every genre, all played using the humble ukulele. Rock, pop, country, musical theatre, and maybe even an ABBA song or two – this quirky little band can play it all. Join a group of fun-loving students from the University of St Andrews for a show full of beautiful harmonies, great uke tunes and lots of laughs. This show is fun for all the family!”

WHERE: theSpaceTriplex – Studio (Venue 38) 

WHEN: 12:05 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It’s not! With Ukelear Fusion, we made our Fringe debut last year with our show “Too Many Ukes Spoil the Broth”. It was in one of those classic small 40-person theatres that you see a lot of at the Fringe. It may not seem like much, but we were so amazed last year when we realised the room was at capacity most days! So this year, with our new show “Knowing Me, Knowing Uke”, we’ve slightly upped the size but the essence of the show remains the same. We’re all really excited to be back in Edinburgh; we had so much fun last time and this year promises to be a great follow-up!

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

We’re a student band, so since last year’s Fringe, we’ve spent most of our time studying in St Andrews. Each year, we tend to put on two big concerts, as well as a few smaller gigs (as you can imagine, anyone organising a Hawaiian-themed evening has the town’s only ukulele band on speed dial). That’s not to say big things haven’t happened though! We’ve rehearsed a lot, and we’ve taken on more and more ambitious and technical song covers which we’ve been proud to present in our concerts. We will be performing some of the more successful ones in “Knowing Me, Knowing Uke”!

Tell us about your show.

“Knowing Me, Knowing Uke” is a fun and laid-back 50-minute show featuring covers of songs from lots of different music genres, all played using our eight ukuleles and eight voices (and occasionally some kazoos to spice it up a bit)! More than a band, we’re a little group of friends and we have all worked together to prepare the songs for this year. When we meet up each week to rehearse during university term time, everyone has the chance to suggest a song to the band, and the diversity of our music tastes is definitely reflected in the set list we’re taking to the Fringe. We’ve got some real musical theatre nerds in the group, so you can expect some of that; we’ve also got some pop and classic rock fans; I like a bit of everything but the stuff I’ve personally brought to the band this year has been a tad more electronic. There’s something for everyone to enjoy!

We really love challenging ourselves and pushing the limits of what the ukulele can do. When people hear “ukulele band”, I think their mind often jumps to things like “Over the Rainbow” and “Riptide”. While we definitely have those songs in our book, our Fringe set list is made to surprise the audience. We want to get rid of the ukulele stereotype and show you that ukes can play a lot more than you thought! One of the “electro” songs I suggested this year is a classic 80s synth tune by Eurythmics; the version we’re playing is inspired by a ukulele band I greatly admire called George Hinchliffe’s Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. It’s not a song you’d expect a ukulele to be able to play, but I can guarantee “Knowing Me, Knowing Uke” will prove you wrong! As you may have guessed from our show title we’re also going to be covering some ABBA songs, in the form of a medley which we all absolutely love playing. It’s going to be great fun!

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

There are lots of other St Andrews student shows coming to the Fringe this year. I’ve been at the university for two years and I’m always surprised at how amazing and talented everyone is. Look out for shows by Bells, The Other Guys, The St Andrews Revue, and the St Andrews Gilbert and Sullivan Society (produced by the Mermaids Performing Arts Fund).

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+3 Interview: 2Elfth Night

Posted in *Written Interviews, Plus 3 2019 – Features by

“Deane spent a magical year at the University of Edinburgh, living among the nudists at Hermits Croft and wandering up to Arthur’s Seat upon occasion.”

WHO: Alan Coyne: Doyle

WHAT: “Keane & Doyle have been spies, wizards, witches and cosmological assassins. Now they embark on their most ambitious adventure yet: Twelfth Night! Unfortunately, upon arriving at the festive fringes of Edinburgh-land, they find that the rest of their company has been detained by security or lost to the pond. And so, they face the grandest questions of our time: Who will play which parts? Will they ever find home again? How many layers of cross-dressing is too many? They may need your help.”

WHERE: Paradise in Augustines – The Snug (Venue 152) 

WHEN: 20:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It is our first time to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe; however, Deane spent a magical year at the University of Edinburgh, living among the nudists at Hermits Croft and wandering up to Arthur’s Seat upon occasion.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’18?

Definitely this foray into the wilds of the Festival Fringe. We’re producing our own show, and it’s been an interesting challenge keeping all the balls in the air. Keane and Doyle have appeared in ShortLived (the US’s largest audience-judged short play competition), Plethos Production’s New Year Showcase, and Stony Brook University’s Science Playwriting Competition, but this is our first international venture.

Tell us about your show.

Our show, as the name suggests, is a 2-person version of Shakespeare’s comedy, TWELFTH NIGHT. Coyne adapted it for the pre-existing characters of Keane and Doyle, who are sort of what you’d get if you mashed up Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello, and Vladimir & Estragon in a big pot, and poured the result into two slightly oddly-shaped vases. Keane plays Viola, Feste, Maria, and Sebastian; Doyle plays Orsino, Sir Toby, Olivia, the Captain, a Clown, and the Officer; the rest are up to the audience. There’ll be improvised sing-alongs, clowning, and so many layers of cross-dressing that even we won’t know what’s what any more.

The company came together shortly after Coyne & Deane met doing Scott Munson’s updated adaptation of CHARLEY’S AUNT ’66 at the Douglas Morrisson Theater in Hayward, California, directed by Craig Souza in early 2017. They hit it off so well that since then, they have performed together in nearly a dozen full productions, including KEANE & DOYLE ARE SPIES, the characters’ debut, and last year’s A TIME FOR HAWKING at Indra’s Net Theater, in which they played Stephen Hawking and his wife-to-be, Jane Wilde.

2ELFth NIGHT is making its official premiere at Edinburgh, though it will have 2 preview performances in Berkeley, California. Though this specific show may not continue after the Fringe, the characters live on, making their next appearance at this year’s San Francisco Olympians Festival in SIR KAY.

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

At our venue (Paradise in Augustines), we recommend Some Kind of Theatre’s THE GRANDMOTHERS GRIMM, which restores the glory of the feminine to well-known folk tales; their group is based in Edinburgh, and took TWELFTH NIGHT to the Fringe last year! Also, our fellow Snug-dwellers the Raymondos are doing a show called ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE PLEBS, which looks right up our alley: two fellows engaging in Shakespearean tomfoolery. Literally right after us is Windfall Theatre Collective’s MORE FOOL YOU, Pt. 1 & 2, which has time travel, gender-bending, and Tudor historical drama; we definitely want to know more about that, if we can only get there in time!

Wandering a little further out, we’re interested in our fellow Americans, 1850 Productions, and their show THE PENGUIN TANGO, a screwball comedy based on the real-life adventures of two male penguins at a New York zoo who decided to raise a chick together; that’s at theSpace @ North Bridge. Also coming from the US is New Light Theater Project’s HITLER’S TASTERS, about the women who had to test the Fuehrer’s food for poison; a dark historical comedy at Greenside @ Infirmary Street.

Also, there are several space-themed shows that we’ll be watching, because Coyne is obsessed with cosmology: Strickland Productions’ APOLLO: TAKE 111 at ZOO Southside; CHAIKA: FIRST WOMAN IN SPACE by Acting Coach Scotland at theSpace @ North Bridge; and SPACE JUNK: A SOVIET MUSICAL, which is one of Slipshod Theatre’s shows, at theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall.

We have a bunch more that we’re going to see, and we’ll be talking about them a lot on Twitter: we’re using the hashtag #EdTwinge to mention shows that we feel are somehow our show’s long-lost twin.

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