Category Archives: Plus 3 2019 – Features

All our features from the 2019 festivals.

+3 Interview: Cathy: A Retelling of Wuthering Heights

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

“I also was on a popular Channel 4 reality tv show, although since it hasn’t aired yet, I’m unsure if I’m allowed to say which one!”

WHO: Michael Bascom: Composer

WHAT: “This new musical by Michael Bascom retells the story of Heathcliff and Cathy, two soul-bound lovers thwarted by family, society and God. The sun shines over the moors, but a storm of vengeance is brewing in this story of a passionate romance which transcends life – and death – itself. Described as ‘a highly moving production, brilliantly depicting the tragedy and passion of Bronte’s novel’ (TCS), the show sees its Fringe debut after premiering last November to a critically acclaimed, sold-out run at the University of Cambridge.”

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

WHEN: 22:20 (75 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I visited Edinburgh briefly last autumn, but this is my first time to the Fringe festival! I was warned that it was ‘a lot’ and I have to say that it’s taken a little while to adjust to the perpetual exhaustion of putting on a show, flyering for a show, and then actually seeing shows, and so on. I arrived with high hopes, having had a surprise mention on Elaine Paige’s show on BBC Radio 2 the Sunday before the festival, although I’ve realised more fully since being here what a slog the Fringe is meant to be. I love a challenge, however, and I’m starting to find myself in my element amidst the madness of it all!

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

The biggest thing to have happened to me since last year’s festival was probably graduating, finally! I started my undergraduate degree a tad later than usual, at 24, and it was something I’ve always known I wanted to do before starting my career. So it’s a bit weird adjusting to ‘real-life’ after feeling a bit on hold for the past 10 years! I studied music at Cambridge, but being a mature undergrad I got to study at St Edmund’s college with other ‘mature’ (aka over 21) students, where I met some truly incredible people. I also was on a popular Channel 4 reality tv show, although since it hasn’t aired yet, I’m unsure if I’m allowed to say which one!

Tell us about your show.

The show is a ‘retelling’ of Wuthering Heights; I wrote the music/lyrics and adapted the original novel into a script (who am I to change Emily Brontë’s own words?). It closely follows much of the original story, but I’ve altered the second half somewhat significantly to make it a bit more Shakespearean in its gesture, with the real-time events of the tragedy occurring all within a 24-hour period rather than over the course of 30-40 years. I first conceived the musical about 10 years ago when I was 17, being a young, closeted Mormon gay boy, and totally inspired by Heathcliff and Cathy’s tumultuous, passionate romance – putting each other above their own family, society, and even God – I knew I had to set it to music.

I also knew I had neither the talent nor means to pull off a musical at that time, so whenever a song would come to me (usually in its entirety, almost like a ‘download’, on random afternoons) I would just archive it until the time felt right. Finally (having since ‘come out’ and leaving Mormonism), last year seemed to be that time and so I put on ‘Cathy’ at one of the university theatres in Cambridge. It had phenomenal success, so I decided to take it to Edinburgh, although really I still consider it a bit of a showcase for a bigger, full-length musical (and I’m looking for a scriptwriter!). Hopefully, I’ll take it to London after, depending on what happens here in Edinburgh!

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

A friend of mine has written a show based on Northanger Abbey (called – surprise – Northanger Abbey), which will be on at the French Institute on the 12-13 and 16-24. She’s incredibly talented and the whole team are great – it also received a 5-star review in Cambridge last year! So I would 100% recommend catching that while you can, and it will probably help lift the spirits slightly after Wuthering Heights!

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+3 Interview: F. Off

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

“The company came together after our membership auditioned via mobile phone self-tapes telling us what they thought about social media and then we spent a month workshopping and scratched the show for one night only at The Criterion Theatre in the West End, when Ian McKellen said it was the best NYT show he’s seen his years.”

WHO: Paul Roseby: Director

WHAT: “F. Off. As the extremes of social media kick up an unsettling and unsavoury stink, Evening Standard ‘One to Watch’ writer Tatty Hennessy, National Youth Theatre Artistic Director Paul Roseby and Britain’s best young talent are kicking off in response in true interrogatory style to put Mark Zuckerberg and his social network colleagues on trial. The question is who really is to blame, and who is following who? So we ask you, the audience, to be the jury and the NYT company will be the disrupters. Served with a heavy helping of humour, some knitting and hardcore experts.”

WHERE: Underbelly, Cowgate – Belly Button (Venue 61) 

WHEN: 12:50 (75 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

My first ever Edinburgh was right next door to our venue this year on Cowgate actually, at the Grey Friar’s Kirkhouse. I was in a play called Respectable Wedding by Bertolt Brecht and we had to eat three courses of food each day whilst the furniture around us deliberately collapsed. There were some interesting actors in there as part of the Hoxton Players, at the time when Hoxton was somewhere you would very rarely go during the day, let alone at night. It was a mixed company [ages and abilities] with some fairly old actors at the time whose first jobs probably weren’t acting and quite possibly never their real jobs. Mixed with us first-timers, not least a wickedly cheeky actor called Neil Stuke who you’ll now recognise on many a TV series playing detectives and wearing raincoats. It was hard work but I loved it and it sold out. I also remember we played the track, ‘Perfect’ by Fairground Attraction every morning when we were getting ready in our bedsits. I don’t think it ever was [perfect] but we certainly tried to make it so. I’m looking forward to audiences getting up on stage and involved in our show, especially the magic trick. Oh, and I went on Christopher Biggins’ show this week, does that count as a namedrop?

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

Long story, that starts with getting an OBE and ends with my husband of 10 years dumping me. In between, I’ve protested outside a Government ministers office in Lisbon to prevent our dream home being destroyed. The use of oversized beach balls featured heavily. Witnessed my Mum of 94 years die, and my Dad of 97 years not. Lose over a stone in weight and reconnect with my 30-inch waist. Sadly no one else has yet to reconnect with it. Crashed a hire car in Suffolk but learnt to meditate in a shed. All in all seems appropriate then to be directing a show entitled F.Off!

Tell us about your show.

It’s written by the brilliant Tatty Hennessy, dubbed ‘One to watch’ this year by the Evening Standard and as sharp and witty as they come. It’s produced by the National Youth Theatre, the world’s first and best. The company came together after our membership auditioned via mobile phone self-tapes telling us what they thought about social media and then we spent a month workshopping and scratched the show for one night only at The Criterion Theatre in the West End, when Ian McKellen said it was the best NYT show he’s seen his years. Where next, who knows, Broadway!?!

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

There’s some amazing young National Youth Theatre talent at the festival in other shows this year, here are just a few:

Katie Greenall fresh from working with us on Spoken World at Latitude is her with her hilarious show #FATTYFATFAT at The Pleasance AND she was on the Guilty Feminist Podcast this week too!

Alice Vilanculo is another one-to-watch from our 2019 REP company and is in E8 at The Pleasance directed by our talented Associate Artist Ria Parry. Our company show the show this week and loved it.

There was never a day without shrieks of laughter in the NYT office when the brilliant Ben Salmon was the assistant on our flagship social inclusion course Playing Up. Catch him in Miller and Salmon at Just the Tonic at The Charteris Centre at 16.40.

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+3 Interview: Piramania! The Swashbuckling Pirate Musical

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

“The whole experience proved to be a little disappointing and I distinctly remember saying to myself that it would be the last time I would do Edinburgh…. Whoops.”

WHO: David Massingham: Co-Writer / Producer

WHAT: “Ahoy! Join John Silverman and the crew of The Maiden’s Ruin on their quest for pirate booty in a bawdy tale of love, betrayal, murder and incest! This five-star adult musical-comedy returns to Edinburgh after its 2010 maiden voyage, bawdier, funnier, boozier, and pirate-ier than ever before. Chock-full of original songs, filthy wit and swashbuckling fun; climb aboard for a boat-rocking good time! ‘Full to the brim with creative genius’ ***** (TheReviewsHub.com). ‘Ingenious… Monty Python meets Pirates of the Caribbean’ **** (FringeGuru.com). ‘Utterly ridiculous in the best possible way’ (FringeReview.co.uk).”

WHERE: Underbelly, Bristo Square – Cowbarn (Venue 302) 

WHEN: 16:35 (75 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I have personally been up to Edinburgh twice before. In 2008, I brought up Plague! The Musical. This was my first experience of the juggernaut of writing and producing at the Edinburgh Fringe. It was a rollercoaster of emotion: big audiences and great reviews followed by bizarrely empty theatres and brutal feedback. We took to wearing the latter as a badge of honour. Overall though, Plague did really well in 2008 and was named a Sell Out Show. Therefore, two years later, I returned to Edinburgh. Again I brought up Plague and this time I brought up my first production of Piramania! The Swashbuckling Pirate musical. This time, running two shows in rep (alternate nights) proved to be a bit of an error. Despite being happy with both shows, neither was able to gain a critical mass of audiences and reviews. The whole experience proved to be a little disappointing and I distinctly remember saying to myself that it would be the last time I would do Edinburgh…. Whoops.

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

The biggest thing that’s happened to me since last year is that I’ve moved to New York City with my day job. And, of course, I then decided that would be the perfect time to bring my musical back to Edinburgh after 8 years of actually being in the same country. As a result I’ve been producing remotely working with a fantastic team back in the UK. I’m now in Edinburgh helping get the show up and running before I return Stateside.

Tell us about your show.

The show is Piramania! The Swashbuckling Pirate Musical. It tells the story of a young man, John Silverman, who gives up his life to join a bunch of pirates but soon finds that pirates (and family members) are not to be meddled with. I initially co-wrote it with Tim Frost back in 2009-2010 and, as I mentioned above, we performed it at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe alongside my other musical, Plague! The Musical. Despite getting a great response we never felt it had enough of an opportunity to spread its own wings so have long wanted to bring it back. In 2015, Tim and I started working with director Alex Howarth and orchestrator Mark Aspinall on a new, longer production for London. This took a few years to complete and, last year, we decided it had been so long that we should give the show another shot in Edinburgh first. What we are presenting is now a fully orchestrated version of the show performed by 10 incredible actor-musicians.

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

The Fat Rascal musicals – Unfortunate and Vulvarine – are absolutely hilarious and silly and fun and would definitely appeal to our audience. We also really loved the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland production of Legally Blonde.

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+3 Interview: Neon Hangover

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

“I was just sitting down to sunbathe when this guy jogged past and something happened that I found really challenging… he complimented me.”

WHO: Kimberley Datnow: Stand Up Comic

WHAT: “A fast-paced hour of the cream of the up-and-coming crop! Sean Lynch (MTV’s Death Match), Ben Keenan (Amused Moose semi-finalist), Adam Elmi (SYTYF semi-finalist) and Kimberley Datnow (Warner Brothers Young Talent finalist, Bridget Jones for the modern millennial). Bringing you an hour of joyous silliness to kick-start your day! Best show you’ll see on the Fringe! See the show, get the glow. Free glow sticks to kick-start your morning! ‘Promising newcomers’ (Buzzfeed.com).”

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

WHEN: 11:35 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

The first time I ever came up my friend emailed me and said do I want to come up to the Edinbrough fringe I genuinely thought it said Edinburgh Fridge. And she was like, “Kimberley what would be in an Edinbrough fridge? Haggis and Heroin!” I’m sorry it’s cause I’m dyslexic I have a problem with the written word.

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

I was hoping to catch some rays in the park the other day… Ray Liotta, Ray Romano and Ray Mears… No, that’s a joke guys. I’d never sleep with a guy named Raymond.

I was just sitting down to sunbathe when this guy jogged past and something happened that I found really challenging… he complimented me. I have the hardest time taking compliments! Whenever someone compliments me… I GO THROUGH THE 5 STAGES OF GRIEF…

So this hot guy jogs past and he goes, “nice top.”  Straight away I’m into the first stage of grief. Denial: Surely he wasn’t talking to me? A moment later it’s stage 2 Anger. How dare he only care about my looks, I not some piece of meat, Then Stage 3 bargaining. Please, God. If he runs through this park again I’ll be nicer. Followed by Stage 4 depression, oh now what do I do, he might have been The ONE! My life is meaningless without him. And finally Stage 5 acceptance, yes, it is a nice top.

And that’s how I handle every single compliment. Maybe it’s just a side effect of having boobs. Lucky I hardly ever got any, otherwise, I couldn’t function.

Tell us about your show.

It’s a 4 person stand up compilation show, it’s our first time at Edinbrough, and first time doing a show together. One of the first stand-up shows in Edinburgh setting the tone for the day. 11.35am.  The comics are from around the world. English woman, Irish man, American man, and a guy from Birmingham and an mc from Texas! We all met on social media and decided to do a show together! “Risky!” After putting out a post and after a lengthy selection process we chose the best 4 based on wit, comic abilities and sex appeal! And one can be seen on MTV and Amazon Prime too!

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

Monsoon season it’s a tragicomedy it’s at 2.25 Underbelly! Unique and gripping.

Rob Mulholland; great stage presence, great timing, well-written jokes, brilliant!

I would recommend A friend’s show called Disabled Coconut, he is a disabled comic, very funny and his show has been sold out every night!

Also, go and see Mother, it’s a 2 person sketch show in the vein of news review, very funny, also go and see news review!

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+3 Interview: Children of the Quorn™

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

“This year is our first time going up as a duo/Megan from HR. which we’re really excited about though of course, it’s equally terrifying because we’re almost starting from scratch.”

WHO: Ambika Mod: Co-writer/performer

WHAT: “Former stars of the multi award-winning Durham Revue, ‘comedy geniuses’ (Jeremy Vine), and future Fringe legends Andrew and Ambika present a new sketch show, complete with séance. From dying onstage to straight-up dying, this is how two friends fill their time whilst waiting for the dead to arrive. From winners of the Derek Award for Best Sketch Show at the Edinburgh Fringe 2016 and 2017, Children of the Quorn™ is an hour of intelligent, original, high-energy comedy that will raise the roof and raise the dead. ‘Gonna be huge unless they get real jobs’ (Stevie Martin).”

WHERE: Just the Tonic at La Belle Angele – La Belle Angele (Venue 301) 

WHEN: 15:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

We performed at the Fringe for three years from 2015-17 as students with the Durham Revue at Underbelly, and we were fortunate enough to experience great success each year, including sell-out audiences, 5-star reviews, and a couple of awards. This year is our first time going up as a duo/Megan from HR. which we’re really excited about though of course, it’s equally terrifying because we’re almost starting from scratch. But we’re thrilled to bring Children of the QuornTM to Just the Tonic and if people liked our work in the Revue, then they’ll definitely enjoy this show too.

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

It’s been eventful: Andrew moved down to London, I quit my job and shortly after, Megan from HR. was born. We only started writing Children of the QuornTM in January with no major plans for development (and certainly not the Fringe) so everything’s evolved super quickly but we’re so proud of the progress we’ve made. The show’s reception has also been exceedingly positive: two sell-out London performances, two 5-star reviews, and ThreeWeeks naming the show as one of their “Three to See” most promising sketch shows at the Fringe this year. Also the Jonas Brothers got back together. Huge.

Tell us about your show.

The show was written by me and the other half of Megan from HR., Andrew Shires. We decided to work together not only because we’re best friends but because we complement each other so well which is one of the reasons our partnership is unique. Andrew is constantly upbeat and quirky, whilst my forte is deadpan, dry and witty humour. We are almost polar opposites which creates an interesting dynamic for our comedy and friendship. Andrew will often make big gestures about how much I mean to him whereas I often stop taking his calls, refusing to see him for weeks at a time. Despite this, we have been working together for nearly 5 years and earlier this year, we wanted to create a brand new sketch show with a difference.

We decided to weave in our shared love of horror and that’s how we came up with the idea of us trying to conduct a séance as the main thread of the show. Within this, we’ve incorporated our tight, witty sketches that really traverse a range of premises and styles, and we strongly believe they have a broad appeal. On the whole, the show is high-energy and fun and the writing is snappy and clever. We’ve thought a lot about the narrative and how to create a story for the audience, especially how everything ties together by the show’s conclusion where there’s a major plot twist (#nospoilers). We debuted the first incarnation in February and have gone on to perform it twice more as well as taking smaller chunks of our material around the London comedy circuit. We had our final London preview on July 18th and we definitely have plans to bring it back to London after the Fringe (follow us on social media for updates on this).

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

House of Influenza – this is a play that Andrew wrote which parodies a lot of the tropes you see in horror movies (a theme?) and is equally funny and moving. It’s being performed by our super talented friend and fellow Revue alum, Lily Edwards.

Phil Wang: Philly Philly Wang Wang – not that he needs my or anyone else’s recommendation but Phil is one of my favourite comedians (maybe, ever?) and never fails to make me laugh. He’s also a super, super nice guy.
Police Cops – The original Police Cops was perhaps the best show I have ever seen at the Fringe; combining physical theatre with parody, it was insanely funny and impressive. Their follow up Police Cops in Space was also really enjoyable so I will definitely be seeing their new show Badass Be Thy Name.

Lily Hyde & Alissa Anne Jeun Yi: Gentleman Please – our friend Alissa made her Fringe debut with the awesome Love Songs at last year’s Fringe and the show did insanely well (becoming Guardian and TIME’s Pick of the Fringe). She’s now turning her talents to stand-up and I think she and Lily will be a really refreshing combo.

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+3 Interview: Morgan & West: Unbelievable Science

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“The Wee Windes gave way to Garfunkel’s Coffee House some years ago and we’ve slowly moved away from the long hours flyering. As we get older we just don’t have the legs for it anymore…”

WHO: Rhys Morgan: Performer and co-writer.

WHAT: “Unbelievable Science is an interactive science show for the whole family, where experiments take place right before your eyes! Captivating chemistry! Phenomenal physics! Bonkers biology! Magicians, time-travellers and all-round spiffing chaps Morgan & West have a secret past – they are genuine, bona-fide, legitimately qualified scientists and now are bringing their knowledge to the stage! Expect explosive thrills, chemical spills and a risk assessment that gives their stage manager chills! ‘This is magic at its very best’ **** (EdinburghFestivalsforKids.com). ‘Hugely Talented’ **** (Daily Mirror). ‘Superbly crafted’ **** (Stage).”

WHERE: Assembly George Square – Gordon Aikman Theatre (Venue 8) 

WHEN: 16:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

We’ve been coming to the Edinburgh Fringe as performers since 2007 with only one year off (last year as it happens). When we started out we used to spend six hours a day standing outside the Wee Windes on the Royal Mile handing out our flyers to anyone who walked past. The Wee Windes gave way to Garfunkel’s Coffee House some years ago and we’ve slowly moved away from the long hours flyering. As we get older we just don’t have the legs for it anymore…

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

Taking a year off from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2018 was brilliant. We had time to sleep, eat properly, and not worry about how our show was going. It also gave me personal time to train for my first ever marathon. I ran the London Marathon in April raising money for my local branch of Samaritans (which I also volunteer for). It was an amazing experience and gave me a new perspective on a lot of things including how to take the pressure of the Fringe with buckets full of good cheer.

Tell us about your show.

We’ve been magicians for the last decade but before we ran away to join the circus we were science teachers. Very well qualified science teachers who loved educating kids about science and so we decided that it was about time we stopped squandering our degrees and training! So ‘Unbelievable Science’ was born, all about the scientific method with the hope that families who see it will be stimulated into looking more into what science actually is. In the age of ‘so called experts’ we want to help make ‘expert’ a respected, fantastic title again.

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

Foxdog Studio: Tomorrow’s Office – Just brilliantly innovative technology and funny as heck comedy. Jonny & The Baptists Love Edinburgh and Hate Bastards – Crying with laughter, happiness, and significant feels. Matt Parker: Humble Pi – fascinating and funny, all about maths gone wrong. Timandra Harkness: Take a Risk – A show all about risk, EdFringe is all about taking risks on shows so get to it!

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+3 Interview: Naomi Karavani: Dominant

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“My show, Dominant, is about how everything thinks women should run the world but don’t take assholes like me into account.”

WHO: Naomi Karavani: Publicist

WHAT: “Whoever said that women should rule the world clearly hadn’t met Naomi. Don’t get her wrong – she’s sure the future’s female. But when blow jobs and bombs are celebrated as feminist acts, does a female future look any less bleak? Drawing on her own experiences as a power-hungry archaeologist (seriously, they do exist), New York City teacher, and member of an eccentric Yemeni-Jewish family, expect dark, sardonic satire from the star of TV’s Redacted Tonight. ‘The finest TV satire’ (Salon.com). ‘Very funny’ (Time Out).”

WHERE: Just the Tonic at Marlin’s Wynd – Just the Wyndy Room (Venue 296) 

WHEN: 20:05 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It is my first time doing Edinburgh. I visited the festival last year, to practise trying to find my way through the clusterf*ck and hordes of people. I also scouted out a venue for my show this year. I’m at Just the Tonic’s newest venue and I’m really excited to help pop the room’s cherry.

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

Frankie Boyle followed me on Twitter.

Tell us about your show.

My show, Dominant, is about how everything thinks women should run the world but don’t take assholes like me into account. I wrote and produced it. Edinburgh will its first public exposure. I want to tour the show wherever I can and offend all different kinds of people.

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

Some of my favourite comedians will be at Edinburgh this year. I’ve gotten a chance to see over the past year, but the amazing thing about Edinburgh is having such a panoply of funny all in one place. Anna Drezen is such an amazing and original joke writer and Langston Kerman always makes me laugh. And I love Anders Lee’s thought-provoking and hilarious hour.

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+3 Interview: Trips and Falls

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“Trips and Falls is a feel-good relatable road trip comedy for everyone–from grandparents to moody preteens!”

WHO: Aimee Buchanan: Director

WHAT: “Trips and Falls follows two sisters on a mission to scatter their grandmother’s ashes in the perfect place. They steal the urn, take their mother’s car and head across the border for Scotland in miniature: the Isle of Arran! Hot on their tail though are Mum and Dad. Oh, and the local police officer with her work experience boy. Will the race to Arran restore some harmony or will it end in chaos? At this point, it’s anyone’s guess.”

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

WHEN: 16:05 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Student Theatre at Glasgow is really excited to be returning to Edinburgh for the Fringe, as a company, this is our 41st year of bringing student theatre to the Edinburgh Fringe. After two consecutive sell-out years, the standard has been set, and as a company, we aim to bring top-quality student theatre to the diverse international audiences we get to perform for here in Edinburgh. Last year I was able to perform as an actor and to have the opportunity to direct up and coming Scottish talent and represent local student theatre groups at the world’s largest theatre festival is an incredibly humbling experience. Trips and Falls is a feel-good relatable road trip comedy for everyone–from grandparents to moody preteens!

I definitely partly drew inspiration for this project from classic Scottish films and plays when thinking about how I wanted the show to look and feel. But I also wanted it to be something completely new. Growing up, I always felt boys were often at the forefront of these narratives. But Trips and Falls is about two sisters, their mum, Gran, and the amazing bond they share. I really love playwright Maddie Beautyman’s canon of work so much, because all her plays are nostalgic, but they’re nostalgic for a bright future–a contemporary and inclusive Scotland that everyone can call home.

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

This is my 50th production that I’ve worked on, I started out almost exclusively as an actor–and I’ve been working professionally/semi-professionally/doing youth theatre for 8 years. It’s been a long hard graft to get to this moment, and watching all that hard work and training come together through this Fringe production has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Having collaborated with playwright Maddie Beautyman before as an actor, being able to be trusted with her story as a director is a huge honour. When we were at the fringe in 2018 together, I intently watched her direct, produce, and publicise her show ‘Ah Dinnae Ken’. She managed to pull off a sell-out and create a name for herself and I was able to watch her strategies and implement them for our Fringe show in 2019. She’s prepared me so much for this, and I feel very prepared for this run.

Tell us about your show.

Trips and Falls won STAG’s New Works Festival of new writing in March 2019. Winning this Glasgow based new writing competition allowed us to have the funding to put this show up at the Fringe. Inspired by her own journey of spreading her grandmother’s ashes on the Isle of Skye, this is a very personal and special story written by upcoming Scottish playwright Maddie Beautyman. Beautyman’s wholesome, heartwarming work has been making a splash on the Scottish theatre scene. Her play “Kicking the Can” was shortlisted for Dundee Repertory Theatre’s ‘Rep Stripped’ 2019 programme, and featured in the 2018 UK Inter-University Drama Festival. Her play “Ah Dinnae Ken” sold out STAG’s Fringe run last year. I would love to see Trips and Falls, her newest work, get another life, in a smaller festival, or be workshopped by a major Scottish theatre.

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

Audiences should definitely go see Table Spoon Theatre’s Painted Corners. It’s Aug 2-3, 5-10 at Venue 36, theSpace on North Bridge in the Argyll Theatre at 10:10 am. It’s a great piece of physical theatre, and 10/10 recommend!

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+3 Interview: Hotel Paradiso

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“We wanted to tell a simple story about a hotel and its dysfunctional working family that tries to survive – and has to face the reality of a banker that tries to repossess their hotel, a hotel that is also their home.”

WHO: Massimiliano Rossetti: Performer and Artistic Director

WHAT: “Irresistibly colourful, loud and fun show for all the family. Thrillingly spectacular circus skills, physical comedy, clowning, theatrical storytelling and slapstick combine in this follow up to international hit The Hogwallops from good old fashioned contemporary circus company LiT. A rundown hotel becomes a physical playground for the six multinational highly skilled acrobats, clowns and jugglers. Madame and the charming staff of the quirkily ineffective Hotel Paradiso battle to save their home and livelihood from the dastardly banker. ‘The UK’s most acclaimed family circus company’ (WhatsOnStage.com). ‘Packed with inventive comedy and dazzling physical skills’ (StageTalk.co.uk).”

WHERE: Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows – The Beauty (Venue 360) 

WHEN: 12:10 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our 4thtime. Edinburgh Fringe is an amazing buzz – one of the best festivals in the world that I’ve been amongst the festival I’ve been as a performer. It’s vibrant, it’s funny, it’s great to try out work, to have positive feedback and criticism about the show, to see other shows and get inspired. Also, a great chance to get to see old friends and to meet new ones.

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

Running our own circus festival in Norwich called the Chapelfield Summer Circus – in its second year – has been a huge success. And non-circus related, I got married to my beautiful wife – also co-director and circus performer.

Tell us about your show.

The concept of Hotel Paradiso came from an idea that we always wanted to try – to represent a very simple narrative about one of the multiple sides of the human condition.

We wanted to tell a simple story about a hotel and its dysfunctional working family that tries to survive – and has to face the reality of a banker that tries to repossess their hotel, a hotel that is also their home.  We tell this very funny story of triumph over adversity and the forces of rampant capitalism organically using high-level circus and the theatre farce of comedy.

This version of the show has specifically been created for the Spiegeltent in Edinburgh and is being premiered during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival! You can also see our big top circus tent version of Hotel Paradiso in King’s Lynn in from the 30thThere are so many great shows to enjoy! I look forward to seeing Super Sunday, Ivory Wings and of course DNA from the Casus Circus, and can’t wait to see my friends from Le Coup and Circa on stage again. Their shows offer a variety of things that inspire me: evocative, highly skilled talented performers – and they include movement aspects that I really love, as well as quirky narratives. Humans from Circa, for example, is such an exciting and boundary-pushing combination of dance, theatre and circus. August onwards.

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

There are so many great shows to enjoy! I look forward seeing Super Sunday, Ivory Wings and of course DNA from the Casus Circus, and can’t wait to see my friends from Le Coup and Circa on stage again. Their shows offer a variety of things that inspire me: evocative, highly skilled talented performers – and they include movement aspects that I really love, as well as quirky narratives. Humans from Circa for example is such an exciting and boundary-pushing combination of dance, theatre and circus.

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+3 Interview: Bait: Kill the Princess

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

“Michelle’s identity was stolen as part of a fake news scandal during the Senegalese elections. Lizzy started a removals empire after buying a van and has developed one of the South East’s most loved/hated drag kings, Danly Steele.”

WHO: Michelle Madsen and Lizzy Shakespeare: Performers, devisers, directors

WHAT: “What happens when the glass slipper doesn’t fit? Is it time to put a bullet in the princess’ head? In a savagely playful subversion of identity, Lecoq/LISPA-trained clowns, poets and storytellers Lizzy Shakespeare and Michelle Madsen upend beliefs and expectations in a fantastic game, using clown, spoken word and live art to create a genre-defying work which teases and provokes. ‘Seriously challenging in the most ludicrously enjoyable way’ **** (BroadwayBaby.com). ‘I’ve seldom seen two faces quite so perfect for clowning’ (BrightonandHoveNews.org).”

WHERE: Heroes @ The SpiegelYurt – SpiegelYurt (Venue 327) 

WHEN: 15:40 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It’s our first full Edinburgh run as Bait. Michelle took her poetry panel game I’m Sorry I Haven’t Haiku up in 2014 and has performed in the BBC Poetry Slam (she’s judging it this year). Lizzy has been up with a student show called Barry the Barrister/Barista and we came up together last year to try out a scratch of the show at the Free Fringe where the entire set collapsed on us and we got told off for borrowing someone’s projector screen.

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

Michelle’s identity was stolen as part of a fake news scandal during the Senegalese elections. Lizzy started a removals empire after buying a van and has developed one of the South East’s most loved/hated drag kings, Danly Steele. We’ve also started an absurdist cabaret club night The Office Party for Those Without an Office in the bloody heart of London’s live art scene, VFD in Dalston. Oh and we started going to EVE, an all-female wrestling training at the mad and brilliant Resistance Gallery in Bethnal Green…if you come to see the show you’ll see why.

Tell us about your show.

We wrote the show together over the past two years. We met working on a street dance piece (Proactive Dance – the brainchild of Margherita Franceschi) and realised we studied at sister schools (Lecoq and LISPA) and were both trying to create genuinely feminist physical retellings of fairytales. We bonded over a shared love of leotards and a frustration at how women in fairytales always seemed to get screwed over…

So we started looking at our own histories and behaviours and how everything fits together. The journey’s been absurd, silly, joyous and sometimes really gruelling but we’ve created a crazy spell of a show that examines identity & questions archetypal behaviours that are really deep within us. It’s an experimental clown show with grunge music and a massive parachute. The subconscious is a dangerous place. We’re being produced by the amazing Roxanne Carney, a fellow East Anglian word person and theatre maker who also produces for Scottee and Rachel Mars, who we love. We previewed the show at two amazing feminist theatre festivals earlier this summer: The Party Somewhere Else at Nottingham Playhouse and a very, very sold-out show as part of the Calm Down Dear at the Camden People’s Theatre. Lizzy’s dad couldn’t get in, which teaches him to not book tickets in advance for our shows.

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

Two amazing recommendations in the Yurt – Butch Princesa by Andrea Spisto, Michelle’s Resonance FM cohost on Bears at a Picnic Naked and Laughing and fellow Latinx and the incredible Lucy Hopkins, our clown mentor and general golden goddess of the mad and good. We also recommend lovely clown Josh Glanc and the excellent Rachael Young whose Nightclubbing, an incredible exploration of Grace Jones and Afrofuturism, is on at Summerhall. We’re loving the witchy vibes at this year’s festival and can’t wait to see A&E Comedy’s Witchhunt. And CLAW, the Confederation of Lady Arm Wrestlers, which we are very much hoping to take part in.

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