Category Archives: EdFestivals 2017

All our coverage from the 2017 festivals.

+3 Interview: Stephen Bailey: Can’t Think Straight

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2017, Plus 3 2017 - Features by

“I feel like I have something to say about the world and so I’ve decided to impose that view on the unsuspecting audience. For returners, there are still some dick jokes.”

WHO: Stephen Bailey, Performer

WHAT: “Following his sell-out debut tour and appearances on ITV’s Safeword, Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit on the Side and W’s Celebrity Advice Bureau, everyone’s favourite ‘guilty pleasure’ (Daily Record) returns with another of his infamous gossips. Join Stephen, support for Katherine Ryan on her UK tour, as he tackles everything from celebrity culture to politics, and from dating to working-class family life. ‘He has charisma, he has his own style, he has a wicked line in material and the ability to go off piste with crowd work that is achingly funny’ **** (One4Review.co.uk).”

WHERE: Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters (Venue 272)

WHEN: 17:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my fourth fringe show but it is the one I am most excited about. In the past, I have just done 60 minutes of stand up – but this year it’s more of a story. I’ve grown up a bit and I feel like I have something to say about the world and so I’ve decided to impose that view on the unsuspecting audience. For returners, there are still some dick jokes.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’16?: Since then I bought my whole family a Toby Carvery (with dessert).

Tell us about your show.

I LIVED the whole thing, started telling people my story through a mic, cut out the fat and a show was born. After the Fringe, I’m taking it on a huge tour to places like Newcastle where I know at least six people. This year the show is all about me being a feminine man in a masculine world. Some men like football, others like lip-syncing to Little Mix and some like both. It’s called the world and it’s fine.

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

I think after seeing me you should go and see something the complete opposite to me. Like Politics or a play. I also recommend you go and see the Manchester powerhouse that is Eggs Collective. I’ve been on a night out to G.A.Y with these ladies and they aren’t messing about.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: Impromptu Shakespeare

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2017, Plus 3 2017 - Features by

“We’ve just finished a fantastic run at the Bristol Shakespeare Festival.”

WHO: Ailis Duff, Actor

WHAT: “A completely improvised Shakespeare play inspired by audience suggestions. Bursting with comedy, love, tragedy, mistaken identity and everything in-between, this show will delight Shakespeare nerds and newbies alike. Back for a fourth year, the cast buckle on the Bard’s britches to bring you the plays he never wrote.”

WHERE: Just the Tonic at The Caves (Venue 88)

WHEN: 13:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our fourth year at the Edinburgh Fringe and we’re very excited to be back! We’ve had a wonderful year performing around the country and we’ve just finished a fantastic run at the Bristol Shakespeare Festival, and now we’re heading to the Big Cave at Just the Tonic – our biggest venue yet!

Tell us about your show.

The show group first started in Oxford several years ago, and since then we’ve gathered various improvisers from groups all over the country. We’re made up of a rotating group of improvisers from some of the best groups in the U.K., and we’ll be touring the South West in the Autumn as well as doing several shows in London.

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

There is so much wonderful improv to see at this year’s Fringe! A few that we’d recommend are our friends The Maydays and Notflix, as well as the Bumper Blyton Improvised Adventure and Adventures of the Improvised Sherlock Holmes. Also check out our Bristol improv pals in This is Soap and Murder, She Didn’t Write. So much to choose from!

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: Charlie’s Letters

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2017, Plus 3 2017 - Features by

“I began making Charlie’s Letters when I was 13 though so in some ways it feels like it’s been a long time coming.”

WHO: Elliott Hasler, Writer, director and lead

WHAT: “An escaped POW’s battle for survival whilst on the run in war-torn Italy, as his wife and son wait for news in England. 16-year-old aspiring director Elliott Hasler’s epic depiction of his great-grandfather’s WWII experiences. Meticulously researched and undergoing production for almost three years, across five countries with scenes filmed around Brighton. The film acts as a testament to the incredible spirit that emerged through the hardships and horrors of the world’s greatest conflict, portraying the human story of an ordinary soldier forced to do the extraordinary. British Film Director – Elliott Hasler, The Next Generation Relsah Productions.”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 20:00 (100 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes, and I can’t believe I’m here, it’s not a bad way to celebrate turning 17. I began making Charlie’s Letters when I was 13 though so in some ways it feels like it’s been a long time coming.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote, directed and star in Charlie’s Letters – along with an incredible cast. It’s based on the experiences of my great-grandfather Charlie during WW2. After being freed from an Italian POW camp, Charlie spent 18 months evading Germans, living with peasants and fighting with the underground resistance as he tried to get home to his wife and young son – my grandfather – in England.

Unfortunately Charlie died a year before I was born, but I think the film does him justice. I’ve been geekily obsessed with films since I was 10 and I knew his story would work brilliantly.

The film premiered at this year’s Brighton Fringe where it enjoyed a sell-out, extended run. Off the back of that I’ve been invited to show Charlie’s Letters on Brighton beach’s Big Screen in August and Camden Roundhouse has also invited me to screen Refuge, a short film I’ve just made, as part of its And Now What? festival in October.

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

It has to be my fellow Brightonians Kids With Beards – a silly and surreal sketch troupe. They won the Audience Choice Award at Brighton Fringe this year so definitely worth a look.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: In The Millennial Dome

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2017, Plus 3 2017 - Features by

“The word ‘Millennial’ is relatively new, and the concept is just crystallising, so we thought it was a more relevant time than ever to write this show.”

WHO: Alex Ferguson, Writer / Producer / Performer

WHAT: “This comic play with poems considers the issues facing an internet generation given a lot of choice without direction. In a trendy bar you’ve never heard of, Tim, a self-assured poet, narrates fellow Millennial, George’s various hypothetical lifestyle choices. Corporate sell-out? Instagram-famous? Vegan activist? Come and see!”

WHERE: Room 1, Black Market, 32 Market St

WHEN: 11:10 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is not my first time at the fringe, no, I have been up as a performer once before, with a uni production of One Flew Over A Cuckoo’s Nest.

But this is my first time taking completely my own show up, with my mate Geraint Williams (Lovely welsh name I know), who’s a proper actor and that.

I’m dead excited to get involved in all the events, get networking and meet as many people as I can up here. I think our show is strong, and I’d love people to come see it, and I’m excited to face that challenge!

Tell us about your show.

I wrote the show with Geraint in January, and we did so after a lot of our friends had sudden changes of career, and were struggling to come to terms with being 2/3 years out of graduation. It’s about a guy, George struggling with indecision, encountering a charismatic old friend who’s since become a poet. They play out various walks of life for George, narrated with poetry and with much hilarity.

I’d been doing a lot of spoken word poetry and stand up nights, and wanted to start to create a narrative, about Millennials and the stereotypes surrounding them. All Millennials have now entered the work place, or there abouts, and are making an impact. The word ‘Millennial’ is relatively new, and the concept is just crystallising, so we thought it was a more relevant time than ever to write this show.
We premiered at the Liverpool Fringe, at the end of June, a new fringe festival that went down to great success this year. We sold out both nights, and recieved two 4 star reviews by local reviewers.

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

I have a strong draw to a particular show at the traverse theatre this year, Nina: A Story about Me and Nina Simone. I first saw this at the Unity theatre a couple of months ago, and it blew me away. A one woman show, with songs, detailing a relationship with both Nina Simone’s music and her politically, it strives to make a deep connect with the audience, sometimes to uncomfortable levels.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: The Nature of Forgetting

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2017, Plus 3 2017 - Features by

“It almost feels like a show and ultimately a team is never quite complete until it has gone through a run at the Edinburgh Fringe.”

WHO: Guillaume Pige, Director and Actor

WHAT: “Part of British Council Edinburgh Showcase 2017 and following a sell-out run at the 2017 London International Mime Festival, Theatre Re presents a powerful, explosive and joyous piece about what is left when memory is gone. Tom is 55, today. As he dresses for his party, tangled threads of disappearing memories spark him into life, unravelling as a tale of friendship, love and guilt. Theatre Re is a London-based international ensemble creating thought-provoking, tangible and poignant work. Its shows examine fragile human conditions in a compelling, physical style embracing mime, theatre and live music.”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33)

WHEN: 12:00 (75 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our fourth Edinburgh! I absolutely love the festival and the whole buzz around it. I also find it very healthy for the work. It almost feels like a show and ultimately a team is never quite complete until it has gone through a run at the Edinburgh Fringe. On stage, it allows us to really own the piece and also gives us the confidence to keep playing with it and be bold. Off stage, we get to see lots and lots of shows together and share life’s incredible moments!

Tell us about your show.

We work mainly through collaboration and The Nature of Forgetting was devised over a period of 2 years by the entire company, which includes actors, mimes, musicians, but also a scientist and public health professionals. We premiered as part of the 2017 London International Mime Festival and then brought the show to the Latitude Festival. After the Fringe we will be touring in the UK in the Spring 2018 and then in the US in the Autumn 2018, which is incredibly exciting!

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

We would wholeheartedly recommend The Flying Lover of Vitebsk by Kneehigh. Firstly because we love Chagall and also because we love Kneehigh!

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: Lost in Translation: A Bilingual Journey

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2017, Plus 3 2017 - Features by

“I first started at The BBC Comedy Venue as a runner and then I came back every summer as a performer or producer.”

WHO: Marion Geoffray, Performer/deviser

WHAT: “What happens in the mind of a bilingual person? Lose yourself in a joyful and intimate journey celebrating languages, cliches and pop culture. Interactive and thought-provoking: a performance like no other, pushing and questioning both theatrical and European frontiers.”

WHERE: Institut français d’Ecosse (Venue 134)

WHEN: 16:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’ve been doing the Fringe ever since I moved to the UK almost 9 years ago. I first started at The BBC Comedy Venue as a runner and then I came back every summer as a performer or producer. It is the first time though that my theatre company Theatre Sans Accents presents its own production so it is a bit like the first time all over again 🙂

Tell us about your show.

Lost in Translation: A Bilingual Journey is a co-devised piece based on true life events created by Marcus Bazley (the director) and myself, it is produced by Eszter Marsalko.

While I had the ideas for the play in my head all along, making them come to life turned out to be more challenging. We didn’t have a script at first, instead, we just shared anecdotes and created a collage of memories and events in different languages reflecting the different parts of my story. Once we had all those blocks and mood boards, we made a collage and assembled all the pieces of the puzzle together. It was a very organic way process. Marcus and I had worked two years ago on the same production (Theatre Re’s Blind Man’s Song) during the Fringe. We wanted to work together and this was the perfect opportunity as I needed to work with someone who was native yet fluent in French too!

The production had its first preview at Summerhall in April 2017 and then went on to preview in Warwick, London and Hidden Door Festival in Edinburgh where it changed a lot through being presented in front of a the live audience.

This show is a journey so we have intentionally left it open ended as we are hoping to add more “stops” and “chapters” to the story as we tour it to different places. We are planning on bringing it to The Festival d’Avignon next summer and hopefully secure dates in the UK this winter.

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

Younger audiences should definitely check out The Wonderful World of Lapin (Le Petit Monde) and Gobland for Goblins.

For us older people: – Palmyra by Fellswoop Theatre / – Extra-Curricular and Brite Theater’s Richard III – a one-woman show.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: AnimAlphabet the Musical

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2017, Plus 3 2017 - Features by

“Many of the families return to watch the show again. It’s lovely to see familiar faces in the audience.”

WHO: Jake Addley, Actor

WHAT: “Treble Clef Island is a wonderful land of music, song and dance, but there’s a problem. Calando the Dastardly Duck has escaped and is threatening to steal sound forever. Join Colin the Cockatoo on a quest to find the island animals and thwart Calando’s plans. A waltzing elephant, a reggae frog, a Geordie jazz giraffe and a hip-hop donkey are just some of the musical-misfits Cockatoo will meet along the way. With an island full of bright characters, bold puppets and unforgettably catchy songs, written by The Hoosiers, it’s a family musical unlike any other.”

WHERE: Pleasance Dome (Venue 23) ​

WHEN: 10:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my fourth time performing at the Fringe. My first performance was in 2010 and I returned a year later to perform a one man show called One Fine Day. One Fine Day received excellent reviews and was nominated for The Stage’s Best Solo-Performance Award (Edinburgh Festival 2011).

In 2015 I performed Cross The Shifting Sands, another one man show, and now I’m very excited to be returning to Edinburgh in a brand new family musical called AnimAlphabet the Musical.

Tell us about your show.

AnimAlphabet The Musical is the creation of Al and Sam of The Hoosiers and Mark Hooper and Dean Penn. Al and Sam wrote the music and lyrics and the story was created by Mark and Dean.

It’s such a fun show, the songs are brilliant, each character has their own unique musical style. The show has lots of humour that appeals to all ages. We’ve performed to children from 15 months to over 80 and it has something for everyone to enjoy throughout the show. Many of the families return to watch the show again. It’s lovely to see familiar faces in the audience.

AnimAlphabet premiered at South Hill Park In July. Over 450 people came to watch and the audiences reaction was incredible. More recently (last weekend) we performed to thousands of children and families at Camp Bestival in Dorset and that was a fantastic experience. What next? We are taking AnimAlphabet on tour to a number of UK venues and there are plans to take the show back out on tour in 2018.

AnimAlphabet The Musical is produced by Hit The Mark Theatre.

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

Come see AnimAlphabet and then, maybe, come see it again. After that Gruffalo’s Child for families, The Nature of Forgetting is a fantastic show, Merrily We Roll Along, and Lula Del Ray by Manual Cinema.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: Jon and Nath Like to Party

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2017, Plus 3 2017 - Features by

“We premiered this at last year’s Camden Fringe, refined it for Brighton Fringe, then refined the shit out of it for Edinburgh.”

WHO: Jon Levene & Nathan Lang, Performers/producers

WHAT: “Fresh from a sell-out Brighton Fringe run, a mischievous new sketch comedy show from best friends who can’t stand each other – Jon Levene and Nathan Lang. Action-packed sketch, crackling satire, outrageous impressions and hardcore physical comedy – including the hottest (and possibly only) Jehovah’s Witness act in town. It’s time to learn how Jon and Nath Like to Party!”

WHERE: Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters (Venue 272)

WHEN: 13:30 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our first Ed Fringe together as Jon & Nath, although we have been up before individually. So for the purposes of this question, yes… and no. We can’t wait for the full festival experience, which includes Jon slapping Nath really hard onstage approximately 50 times. We’ll be sharing a tiny room with our Techie DJ Henry, and possibly a single bed (the description was confusing). It’s been a long road – literally – as we’ve planned this since meeting at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Tell us about your show.

We are the writers, performers, producers (mainly Nath as Jon can’t spell) and special effects designers (which is obvious when you see our robot sketch). After relocating from Australia to the UK we spent a lot of time producing video sketches for our YouTube channel before writing our first live show in years.

We premiered this at last year’s Camden Fringe, refined it for Brighton Fringe, then refined the shit out of it for Edinburgh. After Edinburgh we’ll book more UK festivals before translating it into French to hit the continent and all French-speaking countries in Africa.

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

We recommend you come back for Nath’s solo show The Stuntman (16-27 Aug, 1.30pm @ The Free Sisters) – it’s a surreal physical comedy show about a complete idiot (Nath used Jon for inspiration) told through clowning, characters, physical comedy and real onstage stunts.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: Yvette

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2017, Plus 3 2017 - Features by

“I want people who have been through what I went through to be inspired by the show to reclaim their lives and rise from it.”

WHO: Urielle Klein-Mekongo, Writer / Performer

WHAT: “‘I see the way that butters-fat-lipped-troll-Patrice looks at him, she’s the kinda lighty that finks she’s too nice.’ Evie is thirteen and lives in Neasden with her Mum. She wants to tell us something… her crush on Lewis, trying to be a woman, friends, virginity, garage remixes… an ‘uncle’ lurking in the corner of her story. She wants to make us laugh, she’s pretty good at it. She wants to tell us something, but she daren’t let it out. A one-woman show with original music about stolen childhood and growing up with a secret. Based on a true story.”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) ​

WHEN: 14:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first time in Edinburgh and at The Fringe!

Tell us about your show.

Yvette is a one-woman show, with original music, that tells the story of Evie. Evie is thirteen and lives in Neasden with her Mum. She wants to tell us about something – her crush on Lewis, trying to be a woman, friends, virginity, lightys, garage remixes… and an ‘Uncle’ who lurks in the corners of her story.

I wrote Yvette whilst I was still studying at East 15. It was selected to be presented at DEBUT Festival and subsequently went on to win the Young Harts Writing Fest Audience Favourite, the Kings Head Theatre Stella Wilkie Award and The East15 Pulse Award 2017. It was also at this time that China Plate came on board as the producers and I started working with Director, Rebecca Atkinson-Lord to help elevate the show to it’s next stage of development. The show has been previewed as part of Hull City of Culture 2017, Pulse Festival and The Albany.

I’m incredibly excited to have the opportunity to present the show at the Edinburgh Fringe. Yvette is inspired by my own experiences as a teenager and it was a difficult piece to write. I think I wanted to write myself to a place of healing, but soon figured that I couldn’t. What I actually needed to write was the truth about where I was at. I want people who have been through what I went through to be inspired by the show to reclaim their lives and rise from it.

We hope that this is just the start of the journey for Yvette and aim to tour the show in 2018.

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

I’m looking forward to catching ‘offiside’ in the pleasance above, written by leading spoken word artists Sabrina Mahfouz and Hollie McNish. I’m Huge fan of both there works n fact Sabrina Mahfouz a mentor of mine, I relate to the honesty of her writing style and I’ve heard great things!

I also look forward to catching Leaf and Buzz both East 15 Alumni shows coming from the BA Acting & Contemporary theatre course. They’re both great shows that I have seen but I look forward to seeing how further they have developed since.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: Our Man in Havana

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2017, Plus 3 2017 - Features by

“It seems fitting that the city where some of us met is where we are returning with our debut show. “

WHO:  Ollie Norton-Smith, Director

WHAT: “Havana, Cuba! A Cold War world of suspicion, suspense and silliness. Amidst the sultry and seductive climes of Havana our heroes twirl, twitch and tango away from enemy agents, MI6 and the truth. Jim Wormold, a run-of-the-mill vacuum cleaner salesman turned accidental spy, resorts to fabricating ludicrous military reports in order to save his business and satisfy his decadent daughter, beginning a hilarious and improbable rise to the top of the British Secret Service. This fast-paced physical farce of peril, espionage and vacuum cleaners will leave you gasping for breath and an ice-cold daiquiri.”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 13:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No it is not! As graduates of Young Pleasance, the Pleasance’s youth theatre company, we have all visited and performed at the Fringe over the last 4 years. Edinburgh is a city we love and which some of us have family in, which, in combination with our shared love of the Fringe, means it is a city very close to our hearts. We are particularly excited to be returning with a new company of our own, though, and are champing at the bit for the festival to start.

Tell us about your show.

As a company we were brought together through Young Pleasance, and are performing this year under the XYP initiative. As a company aged 18-21 we likely wouldn’t have met were it not for performing with Young Pleasance in Edinburgh.

It seems fitting that the city where some of us met is where we are returning with our debut show. Our show is a new adaptation of Graham Greene famous novel Our Man In Havana adapted by myself and one of the actors, Hamish Lloyd Barnes. A fast-paced physical farce of espionage, suspicion and vacuum cleaners, ‘Our Man In Havana’ is a fun, silly and family-friendly show.

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

We are enormous fans of Gecko and they are a huge inspiration to us in terms of their journey as a company and the physical theatre style they employ. We have been looking forward to seeing The Dreamer for months and can’t wait to do so on our day off. They are consistently one of the classiest acts on the fringe and I have no doubt this year will be no different.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!