Category Archives: Plus 3 2018 – Features

All our features from the 2018 festivals.

+3 Interview: Antigone na h’Éireann

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2018, Plus 3 2018 – Features by

“It was a huge challenge dealing with a brand new Fringe in a brand new city for the first time (not being able to flyer in City of Manchester council area being a prime example) but it was exciting and ultimately paid off.”

WHO: James Beagon, Director & Writer

WHAT: “Driven by faith to resurrect the IRA, Annie battles to bring her family the honour they deserve. A new Northern Irish adaptation of the myth by multi award-winning writer James Beagon. In the not too distant future, a hard-border Brexit has severed Ireland in two once and for all. Annie and her siblings will not let this stand. An unshakeable shadow lingers over their journey as faith, family and factions collide: the shadow of their father and the memory of the Disappeared. Inspired by Sophocles and other sources. ***** (Families Edinburgh). **** (FringeGuru.com). **** (BroadwayBaby.com).”

WHERE: Paradise in The Vault – The Vault (Venue 29) 

WHEN: 18:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is the fifth successive year that Aulos has presented a production at the Edinburgh Fringe and we’re thrilled to be back at Paradise once more!

Last year, we presented “Gobland for the Goblins!”, which won Best Children’s Show at the Derek Awards, and in the years before that we produced “Lest We Forget”, “Women of the Mourning Fields” and “First Class” respectively.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

Probably the biggest thing would have been in July, when we toured “Antigone na h’Éireann” not only to the Buxton Fringe (which we’ve done several times before) but also to the up-and-coming Greater Manchester Fringe for the first time.

It was a huge challenge dealing with a brand new Fringe in a brand new city for the first time (not being able to flyer in City of Manchester council area being a prime example) but it was exciting and ultimately paid off with a collection of very good reviews which we otherwise wouldn’t have.

Tell us about your show.

“Antigone na h’Éireann” is a brand new take on the Greek myth and more than a simple adaptation of the famous Sophocles play. Instead, it’s a completely new script which draws its inspiration not only from the Sophocles but also from other classical writers who told the story in a different way.

It’s set in a hypothetical post-Brexit Northern Ireland in 2019, where a “hard border” has resulted from the UK leaving the EU and the island of Ireland is essentially severed in two. But Brexit isn’t really the focus of the play; instead, our play is about faith and family. Annie (our modern Antigone) is a devout Catholic in our version of the story, and the play deals with the conflict between her religious and political ideals, as well as the looming shadow that the legacy of her father casts.

As previously mentioned, we’ve just come off the back of a week’s run at the Buxton Fringe and Greater Manchester Fringe, where we picked up an award nomination and several excellent reviews. There’s talk of performing it after the Edinburgh Fringe finishes but it’s very much hypothetical at this stage.

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

We have loads to recommend! There’s so much excellent stuff happening this Fringe and a lot of it is from Edinburgh. The shows that immediately come to mind are:

– “Twelfth Night” by Some Kind of Theatre, performing at Paradise in the Vault
– “Ganymede” by TypeCast Productions, performing at Paradise in Augustines
– “The Monster In The Hall” by Capsize Collective, performing at theSpace on the Mile
– “Dr Korczak’s Example” by Strange Town Theatre Company, performing at the Just Festival at St John’s Church
– “Like Drowning” by Theatre Paradok, performing at theSpace on Niddry Street
– “Number, Please” by Paprichoo, performing at theSpace on North Bridge
– “The Henriad: Histories of Betrayal” by Festivus Collectivus, performing at Greenside on Royal Terrace

There are more but that’s a good start to keep you going for a while!

A cheeky bit of self-promotion – we’re also doing a second show “Shakespeare Catalysts” from 20-26th at Espionage as part of the Free Festival, but we’ll do a second interview for that one!

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+3 Interview: Individual Medley

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2018, Plus 3 2018 – Features by

“I’m really excited to get more time in the city and discover more good people, more good food and lots of creativity.”

WHO:  Katrina Quinn, Writer, performer, producer

WHAT: “Q: What happens when you move a 12-year-old from Basingstoke to Zambia? A: She swims. Katrina weaves together poetry, swimming lessons and some 00’s RnB in a mesmerising coming-of-age memoir about crossing borders. Learn to butterfly, learn how to speak to boys, learn to fit into your skin. And remember to ‘breathe, 2, 3, 4…’ Award-nominated at Brighton Fringe. ‘Katrina’s poetic prowess is truly gold-medal material’ (The Cornishman).”

WHERE: Sweet Grassmarket – Grassmarket 4 (Venue 139) 

WHEN: 11:55 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

As a Fringe performer yes, although I’ve been several times before to visit and love it! One trip involved improvised dance (with flags) at Arthur’s Seat, on the Royal Mile and in the Castle grounds. Other trips mainly revolved around good people and good food, and last year: the Fringe. So I’m really excited to get more time in the city and discover more good people, more good food and lots of creativity.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

Ooooh… I became an aunty, moved into a lovely flat right by the sea, and signed up for Edinburgh!

Tell us about your show.

I wrote, performed and produced “Individual Medley”, which debuted at Brighton Fringe 2017. It was a bit of a solo-endeavour, an experiment post-turning-30 to see if I could give this creative thing a proper go instead of letting life be overtaken by ‘proper’ jobs with barely time to perform poetry now and again. That said, through performing the show and developing it over the past year I’ve met and worked with some brilliant women: Lauren Gauge, Jesse Payne, Rosie Powell, The Junkyard Dogs ladies (award-winning Brighton venue).

Since Brighton, “Individual Medley” has gone to Penzance Litfest, Hove Grown and Swindon Fringe. In the future it would be awesome to perform it in or next to a swimming pool!

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

Pecho Mama’s “Medea Electronica”, which is a lot darker but very moving with a stunning live soundtrack. Rhum & Clay’s “Mistero Buffo” because they never disappoint (and I did drama A-level with Julian and Nick and they’re ace). Kinky Theatre’s “Love like 90’s RnB” if you didn’t get enough TLC, or “The Mariner” for more poetry and water. I’m looking forward to seeing Harry & Chris and Flo & Joan for musical comedy genius. And for more spoken word shows check out Robert Garnham, Fay Roberts and Koko Brown.

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+3 Interview: The Basement Tapes

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“I lost my front tooth! If you come to the show, please humour me by saying you can’t notice the fake.”

WHO: Stella Reid, Performer/co-author

WHAT: “Following her grandmother’s death, a girl faces the overwhelming task of clearing out the basement. She discovers a series of mysterious tapes with recordings made by her grandmother. As she hears these tapes for the first time, things start to unravel… Twin Peaks meets Serial in this award-winning New Zealand mystery, set and performed literally in a basement. Inspired by podcasts and Robert Lepage’s comment that radio is the most visual medium. ****1/2 (Age). ****1/2 (Sydney Morning Herald). ‘Totally engaging. A must-see production’ (Stuff.co.nz). ‘Eerie, thrilling and totally engrossing’ (TheatreView.org.nz).”

WHERE: Summerhall – Former Womens Locker Room (Venue 26) 

WHEN: 18:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I went to Edinburgh as an audience member in 2012. I found it very overwhelming, and had no idea what to choose to see, but looking back that may have been because of the impending sense the world was going to end. It didn’t, thankfully. Which is why I’m here again six years later.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

After performing The Basement Tapes in Melbourne Fringe in 2017 I ended up in hospital with a jaw infection. I lost my front tooth! If you come to the show, please humour me by saying you can’t notice the fake. Oh, and The Basement Tapes’ director Jane Yonge got married to her longtime high school sweetheart Robin, which I think is just as equally important and life changing.

Tell us about your show.

The Basement Tapes fire was ignited when a tape recorder was found while cleaning up my Grandmother’s house when she died. This artefact was its own little mystery (Why did she have this? Why in the basement? What did she record?) but something about this obsolete technology inspired me in a Lynchian, Buñuel fashion. Bringing together three other devisors, including director Jane Yonge (married), sound designer Thomas Lambert (of NZ’s Sonorous Circle) and set designer Oliver Morse (who built his own house!), we wrote the story that is The Basement Tapes together over one year. We are lucky to now be joined by producer Lydia Zanetti, from Zanetti Productions, as we bring our show halfway across the world for the first time.

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

Given the vibe of place I’ve got so far, I’d advise they stay at Summerhall and see Extinguished Things (as soon as we are over!), Sam Snedden’s livestream Running, Valerie by Last Tapes, and finish the night (or really begin?) by listening to the audio tour Happy Hour by Binge Culture.

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+3 Interview: James Hancox: Sports for the Unsporty

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“I bought a window box. It’s probably the most adult thing I’ve done.”

WHO: James Hancox, Performer

WHAT: “Do you have the heart of an athlete, but the skills of a toddler? Then this is the show for you! James Hancox is rubbish at sports. As a response he’s invented his own, and plans to unveil them to the world. Remember, if you can’t beat them, just make up a different game and beat them at that instead. Star of 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown and the award-winning Abandoman. ‘Lightning quick wit… has us all laughing uproariously’ ***** (GutterCulture.com). Nominated: Best Comedy Award, Fringe World Perth 2018.”

WHERE: Assembly George Square Theatre – The Bubble (Venue 8) 

WHEN: 16:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’ve been to the Fringe four times before with Abandoman, but this is my first time solo!

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

I bought a window box. It’s probably the most adult thing I’ve done. I spent a weekend researching which plants grow in shady areas. Oh, and I was nominated for a comedy award (Perth Fringe World).

Tell us about your show.

My show is called Sports For The Unsporty. I’ve always been awful at sporting things, so this year I’ve decided to make up my own sports and teach them to Edinburgh. The sportmaking formula is quite simple as I see it: take an action; repeat that action for 90 minutes; get really good at it; become the face of crisps like Gary Lineker. The show is produced by Sharon Burgess Productions. I took it to Perth at the start of 2018, where it received 5 star reviews and a Comedy Award nomination.

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

JOEY PAGE, JOSH GLANC and KATIE PRITCHARD are all doing gloriously silly stuff at the moment. DAN ATTFIELD’s show last year was a funny blend of Google-based nerdery and musical comedy, so I’m looking forward to seeing this year’s show. If you like surreal games, check out ZAZUTINANY. Or for the perfect Fringe experience, go see the 6-ft bearded bombshell GINGZILLA in The Bubble (the same venue as me!)

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+3 Interview: Dysney Disfunction

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“The show’s a heart-stopper. You’re going to be swept up in the magic of it all, but the rug is also going to be pulled from underneath you.”

WHO: Michelle Sewell, Writer/performer

WHAT: “In Brexit Britain happily ever after (and UK residency) is just a marriage visa away. But Australian Alice’s visa expires today and she’s only got Primark flats for glass slippers, an Oyster card for a pumpkin coach and a prince who won’t twerk. Love, Alice thinks, is a fairy tale. Visa-less and forced to return to a country she doesn’t call home anymore, she waits at the tube for Prince Charming to rescue her. Alice quickly learns love changes people and childhood stories have no place in the adult world. Created by Malcolm Bradbury Award winner Michelle Sewell.”

WHERE: Assembly Rooms – Front Room (Venue 20) 

WHEN: 15:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It’s the first time I’m bringing a show that I’ve written and performed in. Last year I came up on a StartEast mentorship programme working with British Showcase productions Rhum & Clay’s Testosterone, and had worked on Curious Directive’s Frogman.

Although the first time I ever performed a show at the Edinburgh Fringe was when I was eighteen and it was my first year in drama school in Sydney. I was chosen to be part of this show where I only had like two lines. Now I have fifty minutes to myself. I guess I have a lot more to say now. Haha!

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

Finding out that I can’t renew my visa at the end of the year. That was a shock (to say the least…). It gave me the impetus to write this show and it has actually made me appreciate my life in the UK a whole lot more. It’s also made me consider that tear between your home home – being Australia for me- and my home – being Norwich in England. I’ve also been thinking about Tim tams a lot more than I probably should be.

Tell us about your show.

The show’s a heart-stopper. You’re going to be swept up in the magic of it all, but the rug is also going to be pulled from underneath you. The director, David Gilbert, has done an awesome job in building the show into a really enjoyable theatrical piece of drama.

I wrote the piece which started as a three minute performance with SOHO and The Barbican’s Stage at the Walthamstow Garden Party. This then became a five minute journey with Cambridge Junction, Vaults Festival and the Lyric Hammersmith. Now it’s a 50 minute Beast of a play. We’ve previewed at Theatre 503, Cambridge Junction and Norwich Arts Centre. This has been such an incredible experience being able to take the show across the UK.

We’re hoping to transfer it to Adelaide Fringe next year then West End (a girl can dream, yeah?).

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

Oh goodness, there’s so so many kick-ass shows this year. I would definitely say Weird and Dangerous Giant Animals- two one-woman shows that deal with disabilities, which I think are just going to be beautiful and stand out this Fringe. There’s some really great shows from our Norwich friends, Laughing Mirror, who are on at The Space- definitely go check them out! And F*ck you Pay Me at Assembly.

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+3 Interview: Rory O’Keeffe: The 37th Question

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“I got a job writing interactive story apps, which has inspired the style of this year’s show.”

WHO: Rory O’Keeffe, Writer/Performer

WHAT: “Stuart and Zoe meet for their first date and do ‘The 36 Questions’, a psychological experiment designed to make strangers fall in love. It works. Now, after four years as a couple, is it time for the next question? Thirty Six Questions. One couple. One interactive Choose Your Own Adventure-style story. Award-winning comedian Rory O’Keeffe makes his first foray into the pretentious comedy/theatre world of storytelling (or Rorytelling*).‘Thoughtful and self-aware’ **** (BroadwayBaby.com). ‘Comedy for a post-recession graduate generation’ **** (Fest). ‘Downright clever show’ **** (Edinburgh49.org). *He promises not to make this pun in the show.”

WHERE: Banshee Labyrinth – Cinema Room (Venue 156) 

WHEN: 13:20 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is actually my 10th time in some form or another. I have been re-reading last year’s Edinburgh diary to get myself excited. Here is a sample entry (background info: my girlfriend is called Charlotte).

“Walked home disconsolate, bought parmesan, rang Charlotte, basically just complained at her which is unfair.”

So needless to say I am ABSOLUTELY. PUMPED. (for the parmesan).

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

I got a job writing interactive story apps, which has inspired the style of this year’s show. The company make The X Factor Life and Love Island: The Game. They’re Choose Your Own Adventure style stories so you decide what happens and you choose your appearance and your name. Most people choose their own name but I like to mix things up and try to win Love Island as ‘Boris Johnson’ or ‘Stewart Lee’.

Tell us about your show.

‘The 37th Question’ is a comic storytelling show about a couple (Stuart and Zoe) who met doing ‘The 36 Questions’, a psychological experiment designed to make strangers become intimate. It’s about what happens 4 years later when they approach the ‘37th Question’. It’s about choices, jealousy, miscommunication, and has a lot of laughs if you are that way inclined. It’s also slightly interactive as the audience can choose which way the narrative goes at certain points, including choosing between a happy and sad ending.

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

Beard, Lazy Susan, The Pin if you’re into your sketch comedy. Matt Winning for a funny and insightful look at Climate Change. Kieran Hodgson for what sounds like a good Ted Heath impression (I will be Youtube-ing in advance to cross-reference). You should also check out the best novelist at the Fringe, Christopher Bliss. He writes two to three novels a day, which I think is really impressive actually.

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+3 Interview: Casanova Dreaming

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“The story is autobiographical and it does what it says on the tin. I have been telling these anecdotes in the pub for years.”

WHO: Martin Foreman, Writer / Director

WHAT: “The greatest master is passion, who makes slaves of us all… Asleep in bed with his first true love, 19-year-old Giacomo Casanova is visited by an old man who shows him his future – but is what he sees a promise or a warning? In this one-act drama, award-winning playwright Martin Foreman casts a sympathetic eye on the famous libertine and the women in his life. Following previous Fringe successes (Now We Are Pope, Tadzio Speaks), Casanova Dreaming continues Foreman’s exploration of love, loss and death focused on the city of Venice.”

WHERE: theSpace @ Niddry St – Upper Theatre (Round) (Venue 139) 

WHEN: 14:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No. We’re Edinburgh-based and this is our third year at the Fringe. We started off with three one-man plays in 2014, took a year off in 2015, came back with J B Priestley’s The Rose and Crown in 2016. This year we have two very different productions – a one-act intense drama, Casanova Dreaming and a full-length farce, Volpone. Casanova, which explores the life of the famous libertine and the women and men who knew him, is getting its premiere at the Fringe. Volpone was at the Fringe for a week last year. The run was so successful we decided to bring it back for the full three weeks in 2018.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

Winning the 2018 Pitlochry Festival Theatre Short Play Award. That and finding two great casts for this year’s Fringe.

Tell us about your show.

I’m the jack-of-all-trades producing, directing and writing both shows (with a little help from Ben Jonson for the original version of Volpone). We came together in the usual way – some of us have worked together both as part of Arbery Productions and in other Edinburgh based groups such as EGTG and Edinburgh People’s Theatre. Then we auditioned and found some fantastic actors, including the lead actors in Casanova Dreaming (Patrick Bergamo and Creighton King), both of whom moved to Edinburgh for rehearsals and the run.

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

Difficult to say because I haven’t seen anything, but based on previous Fringes, I’d recommend EGTG’s Skirt and Much Ado About Nothing, and Arkle’s You Remind Me of You – but they’re on at the same time as Volpone so go see them another night… I don’t know any of the groups on in the afternoon, but I’ll be checking out The Devil You Know from Nottingham New Theatre, Hamlet – Horatio’s Tale from Guy Masterson and (late night) The Maids from Sudden Impulse Theatre.

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+3 Interview: How to Be Amazingly Happy!

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“I’m the Director of the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield and so I usually come to choose show’s to bring back to the venue. This year I’ll be hoping people choose me!”

WHO: Victoria Firth, Writer and performer

WHAT: “How do you find a new ‘once upon a time’ after the ‘happy ever after’ never turned up? Victoria is on a quest to discover how you make a new life when you can’t have the one you imagined. In this big-hearted, big-thinking show of storytelling and physical comedy our heroine’s mid-life search for joy, identity and belonging features public displays of playfulness, private truths and sheer bloody mindedness. Join Victoria as she asks – what do you do with the rest of your life when you don’t have kids?”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Pleasance Below (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 11:35 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first visit to the Edinburgh Fringe as a performer, well apart from over 20 years ago when I was in a youth theatre production of ‘The Hired Man’. I do come to Edinburgh most years as a programmer – I’m the Director of the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield and so I usually come to choose show’s to bring back to the venue. This year I’ll be hoping people choose me!

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

This year I decided to make theatre again and to go both feet in. I’ve been shadowing the Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange in Manchester, Sarah Frankom, learning to be a clown with Jamie Wood, trying out stand-up comedy with Logan Murray and making this show.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote and produced the show and I’ll be performing it. However it takes a lot of help to make a one-woman show and I’ve been delighted to have the support of Deborah Newbold, who won five star reviews with her show ‘Lost in Blue’ in 2016 and I’ve also had help from Ellie Harrison who has being producing a long running series of artworks on the theme of grief. They’ve both been enormously helpful in helping me explore different performance forms and the best ways to communicate with audiences.

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

It depends on what interested them about my show. If you want to explore ideas about the role of parenting, or not, then I’d recommend No Kids by Ad Infinitum or for more thought-provoking stuff on women’s empowerment and their bodies – Vessel by Laura Wyatt O’Keeffe. For a look at how medical issues have an impact or your life and perceptions then Pricks by Jade Byrne is a lovely show. For more queer experience go to see Gypsy Queen by Hope Theatre Company and for more fun and playfulness Love letters from Blackpool by Ruth E Cockburn is a joy.

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+3 Interview: Ada Campe and the Psychic Duck

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“There’s a mystery, a dance, a bit of magic and lots of jolly nonsense.”

WHO: Naomi Paxton, Writer and performer

WHAT: “Variety! Comedy! A psychic duck! Join 2018 NATYS winner, Ada Campe, for a show about wonderful women, strange encounters and a fairground mystery that occurred on the Welsh coast many moons ago… ‘Extravagantly mischievous persona… brilliantly crowd-pleasing act’ (Chortle.co.uk). ‘Resembles an unhinged super-villain’ (Diva). ‘Sorcery wrapped in the kind of storytelling that would make Scheherezade jealous’ (Kate Copstick).”

WHERE: The Stand’s New Town Theatre – Studio (Venue 7) 

WHEN: 14:50 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No, I first performed at Edinburgh when I was a student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in Glasgow in 2001. Since then I’ve been back as both an actor and as a magician’s assistant in various shows… but performing as Ada Campe is definitely the most fun I’ve had at the fringe so far!

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

Ada Campe came Top of the Bill at the 2018 New Act of the Year Show (NATYS) – the third woman to have done that ever! She also won the 2018 Old Comedian of the Year competition, held by the Museum of Comedy. It’s never too late to be discovered!

Tell us about your show.

The show is about Ada’s experiences of working at a funfair when she was younger – and how the women she met have influenced her career. There’s a mystery, a dance, a bit of magic and lots of jolly nonsense. It’s variety, comedy, magic, cabaret, and good fun!

I wrote the show and have produced it too – there have been previews in London and I’m now raring to release Ada Campe and her Psychic Duck on Edinburgh. I’d love to take her on tour afterwards…

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

Mat Ricardo vs the World, The Creative Martyrs, Charmian Hughes’ new show Bra Trek, Singalong Sitcom Quiz, Magic Faraway Cabaret, That Daring Australian Girl.

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+3 Interview: My Kind of Michael

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2018, Plus 3 2018 – Features by

“The show is about my childhood hero Michael Barrymore, his life and how it influenced me.”

WHO: Nick Cassenbaum, Performer and Co-creator

WHAT: “Ever since he was a kid, Nick has loved Michael Barrymore. In this heartfelt and playful tribute, Nick invites you to examine the turbulent relationship between showman and spectator. Using his unique and praised style of storytelling, and Barrymore’s iconic shticks, Nick intertwines his own personal stories with tales of Barrymore’s rise to fame and ultimate downfall. With live music and gags-a-plenty, it promises to be ‘Alwight’! Nick returns to Summerhall after his 2016 hit Bubble Schmeisis. Created with Danny Braverman (Wot? No Fish!!).”

WHERE: Summerhall – Red Lecture Theatre (Venue 26) 

WHEN: 19:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my second time bringing a show. I came in 2016 with Bubble Schmeisis, which was on at Summerhall and had a ball. The show has been touring since, this year Malta and Detroit! before that I used to work as a technician at the Pleasance, that is what got me excited about the fringe. Cramming in as many shows as possible. And then there was the year i bought my first street show to the Royal Mile. I did a trick with a cucumber….we made about a tenner.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’17?

Oh it has to be taking Bubble Schmeisis to Detroit. The University of Michigan brought us over. The show is all about going to steam baths in East London. The venue they got us was an actual steam baths call the schvitz. It was fantastic, it is a real historic place in Detroit and to be there was a real treat. Everything about it was amazing, the tiles, the history, the people and most importantly the steam.

Tell us about your show.

The show is about my childhood hero Michael Barrymore, his life and how it influenced me. But more than that it is about the relationship between entertainer and audience, and how disposable entertainers are to us. It borrows a lot from Barrymore’s style and features live music, storytelling and audience interaction. I wrote the show with Danny Braverman, we worked together on Bubble Schmeisis after I saw his show Wot! no FIsh? and thought…I have to work with this person. S

Sian Baxter is producing who I have been working with for a couple of years now. The show was previewed at NOW18 at the Yard Theatre and will be headed to the Batterseas Arts Centre in the Spring…where else…who knows?!?!

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

I am super excited to see Thatcher Queen of Soho back. It is a fantastic show, hilarious with plenty of audience interaction. If people like my show…I think they will love this one.
My mates Sh!t Theatre who are bringing back DollyWould, a great show.
The really funny Top Joe. He’s great and wears a high vis so you can’t miss him!

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