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: The Older Brothers’ Almanac

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

“Much of my actual childhood has disappeared and been replaced by events that can be told in 50min.”

WHO: Richard Thieriot, Writer, Producer and Actor

WHAT: “From NYC comes a darkly comic guide for brothers everywhere: how to teach, protect and permanently traumatise each other. All (almost) techniques applicable to Sisterhood. Free beer for siblings who come to the show together! Features classic techniques and time-honoured rituals such as The Headlock, The Dead Leg and Psychological Torture, plus Historical Accounts and Science! Guest appearances include Cain and Abel, The Wright Brothers, The Kennedys, Liam and Noel Gallagher, Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine, and Billy Baldwin. Have we said already? Free beer for siblings who come to the show together!”

WHERE: C venues – C (Venue 34)

WHEN: 17:30 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first time bringing a show to the festival although I spent two rain-soaked days there last year and absolutely loved it!

Tell us about your show.

The Older Brothers’ Almanac began out of telling stories from my childhood. I grew up with three older brothers and we did a lot of crazy, funny, violent things. It absolutely shaped show I am. I started working it into smaller pieces years ago and when I saw the Fringe last summer I realized that it was the perfect place to bring it all together. I reached out to Zach Evenson first.

We went to The National Theater Conservatory together a decade ago and I don’t think there is another actor who feels more like family to me. Then I went to Wes Grantom to see if he’d direct, again, we’ve worked together a bunch and we’ve fallen into comfortable grooves in the rehearsal room. Since then we’ve been refining and shaping the piece (much of my actual childhood has disappeared and been replaced by events that can be told in 50min). We’re hoping to get a run in NYC at a late night venue when we return.

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

13 and not Pregnant and Obfuscation

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+3 Interview: The Gin Chronicles at Sea

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

“People from everywhere can see us if they want to, and then get their foul-mouthed, lewd violence quota from another show.”

WHO: Robert Blackwood, Producer/Writer/Actor

WHAT: “It’s 1947. Jobling and Golightly set sail across the Atlantic for some respite. Their best-laid plans are scuppered, however, when a secret recipe for the world’s greatest gin is alleged to be on-board. Join The Misfits of London as they return for their third year at the Edinburgh Fringe with their third (brand-new) adventure following five-star and four-star reviews for the last two! A favourite of visitors and locals alike, we offer every adult a complimentary gin and Fentimans Pink Grapefruit Tonic and all non-drinkers a Fentimans soft drink.”

WHERE: artSpace@StMarks (Venue 125) ​

WHEN: 18:30 & 20:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

We are delighted to be returning for our 3rd at the Fringe this year, especially to be part of the 70th Birthday celebrations!

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’16?

This is probably a very unsexy answer, but having a new website done. We said to ourselves “We need this to work for us” and wanted to invest in it going forward. It has been one of the most important things for us to have better online presence, and Ken & James at Matrix Digital Media were unique from the beginning in the fact that they were the only guys who asked us straight up what WE wanted rather than telling us what they were going to do. We found there was a lot of “you probably won’t understand what we’re going on about” from companies, but Ken & James have always taken the time to make sure we know what’s happening. Great guys, superb professionals.

Tell us about your show.

This will be our 3rd year at Edinburgh, and we bring the third adventure in The Gin Chronicles series up. I am the writer, and what I am very clear about doing is trying to make each adventure stand alone, so that you don’t have to have seen the previous ones for it to make sense.

Interrupt the Routine is the producing company, and the 1940s fictional Acting Troupe who perform The Gin Chronicles are called The Misfits of London. We have 3 brand new misfits with us this year, which is very exciting, along with two of us who are old hands.

The Misfits of London were created by myself and co-founder Nick Cowell as a troupe of actors who could bring shows for people of all ages to enjoy. We would focus on delivering comedy with no ‘nasty surprises’. By that I mean no swearing, no overt lewdness and nothing gruesome. It means that people from everywhere can see us if they want to, and then get their foul-mouthed, lewd violence quota from another show. Also, performing in a beautiful Unitarian Church on Castle Terrace means that it would feel slightly strange if we were putting on Reservoir Dogs.

We will have a couple of previews in London before we come north, and afterwards we’re taking it to The Asylum Festival in Lincolnshire, and beyond that is to be decided (though we have a run in November that is taking shape with dates in London and Guildford, hopefully).

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

Last year we talked about Laughing Stock, who are wonderful and who are in Edinburgh again this year with their Brand New Show, but this year we’re going to recommend Austentatious – the improvised Jane Austen show – as it is a glorious example of how years of hard work and incredibly high standards have paid off for a group of very talented people. Go and see them perform. It’ll be worth every ha’penny and farthing you have.

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+3 Interview: All Night Long

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

“All Night Long, is a combination of our favourite songs, old and new, geared towards getting our crowd’s evening off to a wild start.”

WHO: Tristan Weller, Business Manager

WHAT: “The Other Guys from the University of St Andrews return to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the third time, with more energy and excitement than ever before. After a jam-packed year with shows around the country, they are thrilled to be returning to home turf to finish the year off in style. Presenting their new show, All Night Long, The Other Guys cannot wait to start this party in the early afternoon… With a diverse repertoire, from heart-wrenching ballads to bop-around bangers, there is something for everybody. Expect a royal welcome from Scotland’s reigning men!”

WHERE: theSpace @ Surgeons Hall (Venue 53)

WHEN: 16:50 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It certainly isn’t! I’ve lived in Edinburgh since I was 2, having moved from Australia, so the Edinburgh Fringe is something I’ve been a part of for ages. As a group, we brought our show, Well Sung, to the festival last year, but since then we have brought on five new members who are new to the Fringe experience!

Tell us about your show.

The Other Guys was formed in 2004 by a group of guys who wanted to bring the American tradition of collegiate a cappella to St Andrews, and since then we have gone from strength to strength. Highlights of the past 13 years of TOG include our Youtube hits Royal Romance, St Andrews Girls and It’s Raining Men, performing for VIPs such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Stephen Fry, Hillary Clinton and JJ Abrams, as well as our tour to North America in January of last year. This year’s show, All Night Long, is a combination of our favourite songs, old and new, geared towards getting our crowd’s evening off to a wild start.

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

Be sure to check out our St Andrews friends, The Accidentals, and their show Dangerous Women.

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+3 Interview: The Cat Man Curse

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

“The whole thing has a very collaborative, home-made kind of feel.”

WHO: Sam, Writer/Performer

WHAT: “The Cat Man Curse is a whirlwind comedy by ex-Footlights Jordan, Sam and Guy. Using sketch, clown and physical theatre, Pelican balance a cartoonish narrative with playfulness and improvisation to tell the story of a bizarre mystery. When TV actor Charles Heron (famous for playing hotshot lawyer Harvey Hardtruth) is struck by an old Hollywood curse, he needs legal advice from a real-life solicitor, Mark Swift. Thrown into a kaleidoscopic 1970s noir investigation, the unlikely pair must come together to solve a mystery that’s wildly funny.”

WHERE: Bedlam Theatre (Venue 49) ​

WHEN: 20:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

We’ve each done shows at the festival before (ranging from sketch shows to the single most terrible performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Edinburgh history staring Sam aged 15) but this year’ll be the first time that we’ve come up as a company made up of the three of us, so it very much feels like a new adventure.

Tell us about your show.

The Cat Man Curse is basically a high-energy surreal comedy show. It’s a 1970s noir narrative that tells the story of Charles Heron, a TV actor famous for playing the hot-shot lawyer Harvey Hardtruth in a popular law show. Everything’s going great for Heron until he’s struck by an ancient Hollywood Curse and finds his life in grave danger. Think fast-paced, madcap and surreal.

The three of us write and perform the show and the whole thing is brought together by our amazing director Lucy who, as well as directing, choreographs it all. We also write our own soundtrack and make all our own props and costumes, so hopefully the whole thing has a very collaborative, home-made kind of feel.

We all met at university and started making shows together whilst we were there. Each of us came to Pelican (our company) from quite different performance backgrounds, ranging from film to music to theatre. It’s been really exciting bringing those different experiences together and seeing what kind of thing we make as a group. As a result we think that The Cat Man Curse is a real mix: part physical comedy, part storytelling, part dance show.

We’ve been really lucky to get the chance to develop the show over a long period of time. We did a work in progress version of it at VAULT Festival in London back in January and have developed it at festivals in Paris and Brighton through the year. We’ve also got another preview coming up at The Bill Murray pub in London on July 26th before we head up to Edinburgh where we’ll be performing the first full version of the show.

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

There is so much!

We think Juan Vesuvius: I am Your Deejay is great, especially if you’re into your Venezuelan calypso comedy.

We also loved Peter and Bambi Heaven last year and we’re very excited to catch them again.

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+3 Interview: Confessions of a Personal Trainer

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

“It all started once I began to write down the stories of my interactions with my clients.”

WHO: Katie Kopajtic, Your Role in the Production: Writer, Actor, Producer

WHAT: “From New York City, Katie Kopajtic makes her international debut. She’s always had a love/hate relationship with personal training thanks to the entitled, bratty, bitchy, f*cking insane, totally helpless, utterly incapable clients who have stolen her heart. This show is a behind the scenes look at the luxury fitness world and the unconventional relationships that blossom within it.”

WHERE: Greenside @ Infirmary Street (Venue 236)

WHEN: 15:00 (45 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It is my first time! Now that we are sub-20 days away, I have begun to practice diaphragmatic breathing.

Tell us about your show.

Confessions of a Personal Trainer is a show written about my survival job at a luxury fitness center in New York City – Equinox. It has one producer, one performer, and one writer (me!) Once I cobbled together a script I enlisted the help of my friend and comedy wizard Amanda Rothman to come on as director and help shape it for the international stage.

It all started once I began to write down the stories of my interactions with my clients. After workshopping it around New York City it premiered at The Tank’s Pride Fest last July. I cannot yet reveal where it will go post-Fringe, as there may be legal issues with my workplace. I am still employed under Equinox, and I am admittedly playing with fire by not censoring the company’s name.

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

SHOW UP by Peter Michael Marino. I saw it. It is incredible how he improvises a different show every night based on what the audience gives him.

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+3 Interview: Ella Enchanted

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

“Almost our entire cast and crew are East 15 Acting School graduates.”

WHO: Frankie Regalia, Your Role in the Production: Director

WHAT: “Ella is cursed with the “gift” of obedience. After her mother dies and father remarries, Ella begins a journey to break the curse – battling ogres, meeting giants, and trying to avoid her evil stepsisters. After becoming tangled in a possible romance with Prince Charmont, her curse makes things more complicated – does she accept his proposal and endanger the kingdom, or break her own heart and let him go?

Adapted from Gail Carson Levine’s novel, Ella Enchanted is an empowering retelling of the classic Cinderella story, where a young woman gains freedom through personal strength and love.”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33)

WHEN: 11:15 (75 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes.

Tell us about your show.

The idea to do a stage adaptation of Gail Carson Levine’s beloved young adult novel Ella Enchanted came to myself and my friend Stephanie Neuerburg a few years ago when we were in University together. Last September Stephanie began working on the adaptation and we formed our theatre company Bushel/Barrel/Tun. Stephanie and I work as Co-Artistic Directors of the company, though she adapted the script and plays the title character, and I am the director of the show and lead producer. Steph and I have produced the show together.

Our premier is at the Colour House Theatre in London July 14-16. After we finish Edinburgh we will do one performance at the Roof Gardens in Canary Wharf as part of the Space’s summer family season.

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

Almost our entire cast and crew are East 15 Acting School graduates. Many other alumni are bringing really amazing shows up this year with us. We highly recommend The Starship Osiris, Scribbles, Leaf.

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+3 Interview: Jack Barry: High Treason

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“My show this year is all about the legalisation of drugs, the only political issue I care about.”

WHO: Jack Barry, Comedian

WHAT: “This show is about why we should legalise all the drugs. It’s serious business, so has a serious name. But it’s also a pun, so you know you’ll have fun. As seen/heard on Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV 2 and BBC Radio 4.”

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

WHEN: 19:40 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my 8th year at the fringe! I have been performing here since I was a student. I will never stop until everyone is dead.

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’16?

Professionally, I appeared in the Channel 4 sitcom Catastrophe. Romantically, I moved in with my girflriend. Physically, I had surgery on my knee. Culinarily, I learned to make quiche. Surreally, my genitals transformed into a bumblebee and pollinated all the flowers in Kew Gardens.

Tell us about your show.

My show this year is all about the legalisation of drugs, the only political issue I care about. I wrote it, because I feel so passionately about the issue. It’s being produced and directed by Berk’s Nest. I’ve worked with them since I was a student, before they started the company. Now they’re the most exciting production company around, so I am very happy to continue working with them. If the show is a success, who knows where it will go after the fringe. The sky’s the the limit, excuse me while I kiss it!

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

I previewed my show the other day with Nick Coyle. His new show is incredible. It’s a spoof horror story, about a governess looking after a haunted house. It’s hilarious, but at times also genuinely terrifying. You feel all the emotions while you’re watching it, I can’t recommend it enough.

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+3 Interview: Laughing Stock

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“We like to tell stories in odd and unusual ways, and so we experiment with sound and movement a lot in our shows.”

WHO: Rhys Bevan, Writer and Performer

WHAT: “Laughing Stock is a character-based and narrative-driven sketch comedy foursome. Sketches are interwoven within a rich tapestry of music, dance, mime and song in order to tell detailed and intricate tales of irreverence and irregularity. Expect reality to rub shoulders with absurdity and for everyday observations to be stretched to breaking point.”

WHERE:  Underbelly, Cowgate (Venue 61)

WHEN: 16:20 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

As a company Laughing Stock have been up to the Fringe twice before. A couple of us did come up years ago with university plays but it’s a very different festival when you’re a student.

We love the Fringe and its relentless, serotonin-sapping, waistline-defeating, alcoholism-inducing bonkers-ness. But now that we’ve been a few times and it is, to an extent, our ‘job,’ we do have to look after ourselves a little better than we used to.

Tell us about your show.

Our show is sketch comedy with big laughs and a lot of heart. We’re all trained actors who grew up watching Smack the Pony, The Fast Show, League of Gentlemen etc and we try to bring a level of authenticity to our live shows, to commit to observed characters and situations.

It’s written by all of us, devised and directed by us, and produced and marketed by us. Self-made comedy for the crowdfunded generation!

We all met doing the Post-Grad course at the Oxford School of Drama. The show has had a first preview at the New Diorama Theatre and will probably return to London in the Autumn. After that, who knows!
We also love a song and a dance and there’s plenty of that. We like to tell stories in odd and unusual ways, and so we experiment with sound and movement a lot in our shows.

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

So so much. Shelf, Loren O’Brien, Rory O’Keeffe, Colin Hoult, Police Cops in Space, Jon Pointing, Red Bastard, Spencer Jones, Marny Godden, Kat Bond, Sleeping Trees, Joseph Morpurgo, Emma Sidi… Blah blah. We’re very excited. To be more succinct, here are three newcomers on the sketch scene to look out for: Dirty White Boys, Muriel and Cloak & Dagger Club. Three bright young things of sketch, mark our words.

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+3 Interview: Two Sides of the Curtain

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“We’re really excited to show the new and improve version this year at the Fringe.”

WHO: Jack Kelly, Director/Writer/Producer/Supporting Actor

WHAT: “Erich and Ada are separated by one of history’s most famous man-made divisions: the Berlin Wall. They both live in times of great global and personal shifts that throw their futures into disillusionment. But the times that Erich and Ada live in are not the same. When Erich journeys to the other side, he not only crosses an ideological line, but a temporal one as well, traveling 25 years in to the past. Stuck in between space and time, Erich and Ada’s relationship becomes a bittersweet take on star-crossed lovers.”

WHERE: theSpace on North Bridge (Venue 36)

WHEN: 19:05 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my second time at Edinburgh Fringe, after taking another original piece TOYS in 2015, which I wrote and directed and lead man of Two Sides of the Curtain Andrew Crouch also starred in.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote and directed Two Sides of the Curtain and the show had a small but successful run in Brighton. Since then the piece has been tweaked and cut and messed around with and we’re really excited to show the new and improve version this year at the Fringe. I’ll probably look into developing the piece into a full two act play after the Fringe, though the length now is not a problem and works just fine.

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

I am definitely keen to camp out at the summerhouse and see as much stuff there as possible especially in the Paines Plough’s Roundabout Venue (Every Brilliant Thing is a must see).

However my top tip would have to be the Wardrobe Ensemble, who have their new show this year Education, Education, Education. These guys are great, physical and hilarious theatre.

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+3 Interview: My Leonard Cohen

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“Rather than a straightforward impersonation, the show offers arresting and imaginative arrangements of his best-loved music.”

WHO: Sandy, Producer

WHAT: “Following a sold-out season at the Sydney Opera House, D’Arrietta and his six piece band return, due to popular demand, with their rousing celebration of the late, legendary Cohen. This stirringly personal tribute offers arresting and imaginative arrangements of Cohen’s best work, punctuated with poetic anecdotes that give insight into the great musician’s life. The heartrending Suzanne, desperately sensual I’m Your Man and iconic Hallelujah are part of the 15 songs given the D’Arrietta treatment.”

WHERE: Assembly Rooms (Venue 20) ​

WHEN: 19:45 (80 min)

MORE: Click Here!

What’s the biggest thing to have happened to you since Festivals ’16?

We went on to play some pretty amazing shows – First a sold-out season at the Sydney Opera House – an iconic venue at which we received some rave reviews; then an amazing run at the Adelaide Fringe – packed houses once again, great reception from audiences and critics, it was a huge amount of fun.

Tell us about your show.

The show was written by Stewart D’Arrietta, who is also the lead performer, inspired by the great works the late singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. Rather than a straightforward impersonation, the show offers arresting and imaginative arrangements of his best-loved music. It suggests new ways to approach these classic songs.

We’ve got a great team of musicians, who have an amazing, palpable energy on stage together. We always have a great reception at Edinburgh – We were here last year and played to many full houses, and Stewart has been before with Lennon: Through a Glass Onion and Belly of a Drunken Piano (a Tom Waits tribute). We hope to take My Leonard Cohen on a UK tour in the future, watch this space!

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

We recommend going to see EdFringe regular, Irish born Australian comedian Jimeoin, because he’s a mate of ours and hilariously funny. It’ll keep you in a great mood all evening!

In contrast with a bit of comedy, we saw Henry Naylor making waves with his theatre at last year’s EdFringe, so we plan to see Borders when we get a chance.

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