Category Archives: *Written Interviews

From time to time we encounter an artist or producer toiling away at something pretty special. Here’s what they have to say, in their own words, about their work.

+3 Interview: Not Quite Write

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2016 by

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“The material is partially stuff we have performed in Oxford before, and partially un-vetted material incognita. Scary.”

WHO: Barney Rowe – Producer, Writer

WHAT: “We always strive for those eureka moments, the top 1% of ideas, but what about the other 99%? Rubbish right? Wrong. Not Quite Write prides itself on the 99%. All that glistens isn’t gold, but it’s sure worth trying to make a cheap joke out of. Join Oxford student comics Low Hanging Fruit as they take a deconstructed look at the sketch writing process, imagining a fictional writers’ office which throws quality control out the window and stages the lot: the good, the bad, and the not quite right.”

WHERE: theSpace @ Jury’s Inn (Venue 260) 

WHEN: 20:40 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes, this is our first show in Edinburgh. Apparently some of us had been here as toddlers but we don’t remember that.

Tell us about your show.

Not Quite Write in part aimed to capture how we ourselves write sketches. Since the entire cast create and develop the material, often as a group, there are many frustrations. Certain sketches go down a storm, others go down like a cup of cold sick. By setting Not Quite Write in a TV writer’s office we were able to both perform traditional sketch comedy, as well as capturing some of the process we undertake to create them in the first place.

All members of Low Hanging Fruit, (“us” and “we”; Barney Rowe, Jordan Reed, Sybil Devlin, and Tommy Jolowicz), have written this show in part. We are, regrettably, all recent graduates from Oxford University. The material is partially stuff we have performed in Oxford before, and partially un-vetted material incognita. Scary.

Our producers are the heroic Jordan Reed and Barney Rowe, whose names you may recognise from around 30 seconds ago. They both have eight arms and two brains and one patience shared between them.

We may hope to take Not Quite Write, or some of its material to a small theatre/venue somewhere in Didcot after Edinburgh! Just kidding, London.

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

We saw The Starship Osiris by Willis & Vere a few days ago and it was incredible. A remarkably ambiguous show that was never clearly on- or off-script, in both an unsettling and hilarious way. Highly recommended for fans of sci-fi, fourth wall breaking, and for the downtrodden cast members in any theatre group.

We also loved Joie de Vivre by Vets Kill Comedy. Jamming more material into an hour than any show we’ve seen at the Fringe so far, it was completely unique. Part musical, part character comedy, but never safe, and never conventional. It shone like a light amongst average stand-up and paint by numbers Revues.

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+3 Interview: Revan and Fennell: Fan Club

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2016 by

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“We felt it would be a real shame to put the show that we had worked so hard on to bed before showcasing it at the festival once more.”

WHO: Alice Fennell – Co-creator, writer and performer

WHAT: “Award-winning double act, Revan and Fennell, return to the Fringe after making their critically acclaimed Edinburgh debut last year. 2016 New Act of the Year finalists, 2015 Foster’s Golden Jester finalists and 2013 Best New Sketch Act finalists.”

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

WHEN: 12:05 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Nope, we made our debut last year and caught the bug… the Edinburgh Fringe Bug, you understand – not some sort of sickness bug. We enjoyed it so much last year that we had to return, and we’re so glad we have. We’re having a great time!

Tell us about your show.

It’s a comedy sketch show, and we write, produce and direct it all ourselves…what saints we are! We met at East 15 Acting School and decided to become a double act a few years after graduating. Our show this year is actually a very similar show to the one we took to Edinburgh in 2015, as we didn’t really attract the audiences we had hoped to (due to the fact that it was our debut and there are hundreds of other comedy shows at the Fringe!).

So, we felt it would be a real shame to put the show that we had worked so hard on to bed before showcasing it at the festival once more. In September, we plan to start writing new material and working on our next show… Bring it on!

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

Baby Wants Candy! They’re a Chicago-based improv troupe who perform a completely improvised musical on the spot, with a full band. We saw it a few days ago and thought it was hilarious. We had tears running down our face.

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+3 Interview: In Our Hands

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2016 by

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“It’s a fast paced, human and heartfelt hour that will leave the audience gunning for Alf to succeed.”

WHO: Molly Freeman – Co-Artistic Director and Performer/Puppeteer

WHAT: “Alf is a trawler fisherman at the top of his game. But times are changing and so is the industry. Will Alf adapt in order to survive? Follow a fish’s journey from sea to plate, watch a seagull’s ridiculous attempt to find food and witness a father and son reunite. Award-winning Smoking Apples, co-creators of CELL, use innovative puppetry, a striking set and an original score to transport you out to sea, under the ocean and onto the deck of the Catcher’s Fortune.”

WHERE: Underbelly, Cowgate (Venue 61)

WHEN: 16:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No, this is our second trip to Edinburgh. Last year, we brought our previous show, CELL, which was a collaboration with another puppetry company, Dogfish. We’ve also all been to Edinburgh prior to this with other companies and shows. It’s really exciting to be back with In Our Hands, we love the city and the festival, it’s the best bubble to be in in August.

Tell us about your show.

In Our Hands uses puppetry and visual theatre to tell the story of Alf, a trawler fisherman. It’s a show about how the current pressures in the trawling industry affect the people who work in it but it’s also about Alf’s personal life and his distant relationship with his son. It’s a fast paced, human and heartfelt hour that will leave the audience gunning for Alf to succeed.

It is a bit of an odd subject to make a show about but that’s sort of our thing. We like to take subjects that are difficult to digest and use puppetry and visuals to present them in an interesting, accessible and enjoyable way. We work very much as a devising collective with everyone in the cast taking responsibility for the creative content. Myself and my colleagues Matt and Hattie, co-produce and co-direct but ultimately, the show is a direct product of the entire cast and creative team.

We started developing In Our Hands is 2014 and premiered it last year in 2015. We chose to make a show about trawler fishing because within our cast of five, we had a number of different, conflicting opinions on it and thought this would be a good starting point. Myself, Matt and Hattie met whilst studying at Drama school and then we studied puppetry abroad in Prague together and this formed the basis of our company. Luke and George are our long term associates but we have never made a show together so decided it was time. That, and they have some great beards…

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

I highly recommend checking out The Marked by Theatre Temoin, it’s a brilliantly dark show featuring some stunning mask work and well worth a watch. The hilarious and abusive bad boys of the puppetry world, Boris and Sergey, are also back this year and they’ve brought along their own venue, the Omnitorium. They’re hugely entertaining and no two shows are the same because they are completely improvised. Also, if you’re an artist at the Fringe, you also get a discount at the bar – winner!

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+3 Interview: Aquapella: Mash-up, Mix and Blend

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2016 by

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“We wanted to create a show that was fun, entertaining, engaging and bursting with energy.”

WHO: Gabriella Monnington – Co-Musical Director, Main Arranger

WHAT: “Since their Edinburgh debut last year, vocal sensations Aquapella from the University of Bath have toured, won highest-placed UK mixed a cappella group at ICCA, and were a Voice Festival UK finalist. Bringing home awards for outstanding choreography and arrangements, Aquapella certainly know the recipe for success: mash-up, mix and blend. Their secret ingredient – a spoonful of sass, a pinch of humour and cheesy dance moves to taste.”

WHERE: C venues – C (Venue 34)

WHEN: 15:30 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our second year at the fringe and there has been a massive step up in the quality of our music, the confidence of our performers and the connection we have with our audience.

Tell us about your show.

Aquapella is an award-winning, 15-piece a cappella group from the University of Bath. We wanted to showcase our unique arrangements, high-octane choreography and sense of humour and have done so by tieing it all together in a cooking programme themed show designed to exhibit the ingredients that make our brand of a cappella so great!

This is the last hurrah for 11 of our graduating members and really shows our group off at the top of its game. We wanted to create a show that was fun, entertaining, engaging and bursting with energy and charisma but at the same time retain the incredible musical integrity the group has become known for across national and international audiences – judging by the feedback from our audience and audience reviews we seem to have achieved what we set out to do!

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

More a cappella!!! There are some incredible groups on at the fringe, we would specifically suggest our Southwest buddies the Bristol Suspensions and The Sweet Nothings but there are loads of other really talented groups out there as well!

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+3 Interview: Jack Barry: You Don’t Know Jack

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2016 by

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“I wanted to be in the Cambridge Footlights, but was too think.”

WHO: Jack Barry – Head Honcho

WHAT: “Who the f*ck is Jack Barry? Come and watch him figure it out in this show about identity and quarter-life crises. Tour support for Joe Lycett, Patrick Kielty and James Acaster.”

WHERE: Just the Tonic at The Mash House (Venue 288)

WHEN: 18:40 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No. This is my seventh year at the fringe. I’ve been coming since I was a student and used to do sketch comedy with the Leeds Tealights (I wanted to be in the Cambridge Footlights, but was too think.)

Since then I’ve been working on my skills as a stand up, appearing in the Comedy Reserve and Comedy Zone showcases. This year I’m performing my second solo hour. I’m also doing my third show as part of double act Twins, with Annie McGrath.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote it, I produced it, I’m performing it and the company is me. The company came together earlier this year when I was poor couldn’t afford anyone else to produce it for me. I didn’t do everything though, the wonderful Nick Helm has helped to direct me, shape it into a proper show and given me numerous pep talks over the last few months. I’ve been previewing it for some time, all over the country but have no idea what will happen to it after the fringe.

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

I’ve only seen one show far and it was my friend Mat Ewins. He is a comedy genius and his show is amazing. However, he hasn’t bought any flyers or done any promotion this year, so make sure you don’t miss it.

I’ve also previewed with Fin Taylor, his show is amazing this year and everyone should see it. I also can’t wait to see Sean McLoughlin’s now show. His show last year was my favourite thing I saw.

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+3 Interview: Hayley Ellis: FOMO

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2016 by

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“I’m really not good at this self promotion lark.”

WHO: Kathryn Norton – Producer, Co-Director

WHAT: “Hayley Ellis has Fear of Missing Out (FOMO to the kids). Join award-winning Ellis (tour support for Rob Delaney and regular contributor for BBC Two’s Russell Howard’s Good News) for her follow-up hour to find out how neurotic we all really are.”

WHERE: Just the Tonic at The Community Project (Venue 27)

WHEN: 21:35 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I first came up to Edinburgh in 2012 and performed in The Comedy Zone showcase. I returned with a solo show in 2014 and this show is my second solo show. You’ll notice I have a year off every time I perform a Edinburgh show as I like to spend a lot of time writing, that and community service clashes.

Tell us about your show.

This show is an hour of stand up performed and written by myself. After Edinburgh I’m performing it at the Liverpool Comedy Festival and the Nottingham Comedy festival so far.

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

Well first they would probably need a drink as my room is very hot and they will need to replace fluids lost.

There’s loads of amazing shows up in Edinburgh and I could literally recommend so many but If I had to say just one I personally would love to see Chris Gethard’s show. I can’t see it as it clashes with mine. I mean not that I’m saying you should see his show and not mine, but if you had to pick one, then yeah go see his. I’m really not good at this self promotion lark.

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+3 Interview: Family Values

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2016 by

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“Writer Michael Dalberg is an incredibly smart guy, maybe too smart for his own good.”

WHO: David Gasperetti – Director

WHAT: “Trent and Liam have completed one last job which hopefully has freed them from their mafia ties. Set in the Florida Everglades, these two brothers must learn how to become a real family. Just as their bond seems to strengthen, two strangers arrive at their hard-to-find home. Are these people here by accident, or have they been sent by other members of the family? Or worse: are these people closer to Trent and Liam than they realize? A dark, gritty, physical new drama that explores how perilous escaping the past can be.”

WHERE: theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39)

WHEN: 19:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I was here last summer for a few days as a spectator and fell in love. This year I’m proud to say I’m a participant.

Tell us about your show.

I went to undergrad school with the playwright, Michael Dalberg. He’s an incredibly smart guy, maybe too smart for his own good. I was looking for a script to direct in my hometown about three years ago and contacted him. That’s the first time Family Values was placed on my radar. After reading the summary of this mafia play, I determined it was not the kind of play a very conservative community would embrace so I put it on my shelf.

Just about a year ago after my first Edinburgh Fringe experience, Family Values was put back on my radar. Michael’s play won a fresh ink competition back in the USA and received a staged reading. I finally sat down and gave the play a read and determined this was perfect for the Fringe. Absolutely perfect.

As one reviewer wrote, it’s “frustratingly brilliant” and that’s a true description to the intelligence of the play. There are so many layers of this play that showcase the complicated life of the brothers, the remnants of a broken family, and is redemption even possible for this group? It’s light-hearted and funny, but also physical, dark, and gritty. People have even used the word “Tarantino-esque” to describe the intensity and physicality and yes that is an accurate description.

We received 4 & 5-star reviews during our London preview which is fantastic and reflects both the efforts of the Ghost Light team and also the appetite of our audience. People want to see a play that’s intelligent, intense, draws you in until the very end, and when the lights come back up the audience says to themselves “Whoa”. Vital clues are sprinkled throughout the play and if you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss out. At the end of our thriller play, I guarantee you’ll come to one conclusion, the person on your left another, and on the right a third. As artists, this is exactly the experience we want to create for our patrons.

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

I haven’t seen too much yet as we’re still getting into the swing of things for our show, but I do recommend Yokes Night by the Stay Up Late Collective. Dublin, March 11, 2015, all drugs are legal. Without giving too much away, it’s the right amount of striking directly to the heart and the right amount of messed up.

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+3 Interview: Yokes Night

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2016 by

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“It’s amazing to be back in this incredible city.”

WHO: Isabella Javor – Producer

WHAT: “Dublin, 11th March 2015. A slip-up loophole in the law declares all drugs legal for 24 hours. On this night of rebellion, Harry finds himself under the influence of Saoirse. Bound by the ecstasy of their union, secrets are shared, and the stench of bloodshed is looming. Stay Up Late and Bear Trap Theatre fuse cut-throat dialect with stylized movement, forging a fresh, progressive theatre experience.”

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 with my own company! I came up as an assistant with Ornamental Theatre for the fringe two years ago, which marked my first time in Edinburgh. It’s amazing to be back in this incredible city feeling like I’ve got a bit more experience under my belt, but nothing ever prepares you for the ride.

Tell us about your show.

Yokes Night is a new Irish play set in Dublin, March 11th 2015. The night where all drugs were legal for 24 hours in Ireland. Scott Lyons – who co-founded Stay Up Late Collective with Zoe Forrester – wrote Yokes Night last year in our Easter holidays of our second year of drama school.

At East 15 Acting School we all trained on the BA Acting & Contemporary Theatre course as actors and devisors, and were encouraged to pitch a show idea for the annual Debut Festival. After producing Debut Festival’s 8 new plays, which included Yokes Night‘s embryonic scratch performance, I joined the company to develop the show professionally.

Jesse Briton of Bear Trap Theatre, and Dimitris Chimonas from Ugly Collective came aboard to co-direct the piece together for Edinburgh. We’ve had a lot of support on the way, and a fantastic sold-out preview at the Old Red Lion Theatre in London!

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

TOO MANY RECOMMENDATIONS!!! Juice Straw Are Bleak, Triumvirette, and Buzz: A New Musical at Greenside. Blush by Snuffbox Theatre and Starship Osiris at Underbelly, Family Values and Ladies inIn Waiting: The Judgement of Henry VIII at theSpace on the Mile, Police Cops by Pretend Men and The Mission by The Outbound Project at Pleasance, I Keep A Woman In My Flat Chained To A Radiator at ZOO Venues, Lies, All Lies, at the Laughing Horse Bar and Coup de Grace at Sweet Grassmarket.

Oh, and for God’s sake please go see Camille O’Sullivan sing.

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+3 Interview: Alice Unhinged

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2016 by

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“Prepare for a phantasmagorical adventure.”

WHO: Kathryn Norton – Producer, Co-Director

WHAT: “Young Pleasance present a phantasmagorical reinvention of Lewis Carroll’s warped world. With the turbulent logic of a dream Alice Pleasance Liddell is catapulted back into the vortex to unpick her own chaos and confusion. YP breathe new life into Carroll’s refreshingly amoral shape-shifting fantasy, where Alice becomes aware that everything is possible, one second lasts forever and consequences evaporate into thin air. With their trademark ensemble cast Young Pleasance have created another thrilling show to delight audiences.”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33)

WHEN: 13:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is the 21st year for YP at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe!

Tell us about your show.

Young Pleasance specialise in large scale ensemble theatre staging original writing and adaptations tailored to the company who are involved in the creative process. This is the world premiere of Alice Unhinged

Renowned for showcasing the talents of promising young actors and delivering the highest production values on the Fringe – prepare for a phantasmagorical adventure. This is a contemporary Alice which pays homage to much of the surreal narrative and bizarre characters in Carroll’s original, layered with a contemporary steampunk twist. It is a riotous visual feast of colour, hats and bubbles…

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

All Quiet on the Western Front – featuring XYP actors and directors
Swansong – gloriously anarchic and witty comedic theatre
Beasts – future sketch-show comedy legends

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+3 Interview: Albatross

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2016 by

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“The piece was born out of desire to explore the relationship between poetic, language-driven live performance and sophisticated multimedia.”

WHO: Benjamin Evett – Performer & Co-author

WHAT: “The Mariner has wandered the earth for 300 years. Now he draws you to a theatre at the Fringe to share his ghostly tale. This award-winning solo performance, using state of the art multimedia technology, takes off from Coleridge’s masterpiece The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, telling the real story behind the poem – complete with sea battles, storms, ice-bound ships and a mystical seabird that reveals the interconnectedness of all living things. Thrilling, hilarious, terrifying and profound, Albatross speaks urgently about contemporary themes of human indifference and our responsibility to our planet.”

WHERE: Paradise in Augustines (Venue 152)

WHEN: Times vary (95 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes, this our first time in Edinburgh. The show is having it’s U.K. premiere here in Scotland at Paradise Green.

Tell us about your show.

Albatross is a brand new play inspired by The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Not just a recitation of the poem, it leaps off from it and thrusts the Mariner into the modern world, having wandered the earth for 300 years, and addresses both age-old issues of sin and redemption, but also contemporary themes of ecological depredation and our responsibility to our planet and to each other.

Albatross was co-written by Benjamin Evett, an actor based in Boston, Massachusetts, and Matthew Spangler, a San Jose-based playwright, whose adaptation of The Kite Runner has had a very successful run at the Nottingham Playhouse and a national tour in the UK, including at the King Theatre here in Edinburgh.

Albatross premiered last year in Boston, where it won three prestigious awards, including Outstanding Solo Performance and Outstanding Production. It is now enjoying its U.K. premiere at the Fringe, before going on to a production off-Broadway at 59E59 Theatre.

The piece was born out of desire to explore the relationship between poetic, language-driven live performance and sophisticated multimedia in a way that creates an environment in which the story can come to the life for the audience with an intensity that is visceral and immediate.

The piece was directed by Rick Lombardo, who served as Artistic Director of the San Jose Rep for six years – a major regional theatre in the U.S – and is produced by Michael Seiden & The Poets’ Theatre. Michael is a dramaphile and philanthropist from Phoenix, Arizona, while The Poets’ Theatre is a theatre based in Cambridge, Massachusetts devoted to exploring the poetic possibilities of theatre in all its facets.

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

Haven’t had much time to see anything, but we really liked Ghost Quartet, which has similar artistic ambitions. It’s haunting, poetic, thought-provoking, and has really strong music and performances.

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