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.

EdFringe Talk: Napoleon’s 100 Days

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“Like many artists, I live and breathe for doing my own shows.”

WHO: Andy D

WHAT: “Andy D tells the story of Little Boney’s second coming. Not recorded by history, he’s accompanied by his Mancunian friend and a dog called Fido. Napoleon once famously stated ‘I am the revolution’. And he was. Once. However, in 1814 he gets banished to the little island of Elba by European powers. There, not surprisingly, he gets howling at the moon bored. So he escapes, with a force of just over 1000 men! Along the Route Napoleon he is advised by his Mancunian friend. And protected by Fido. All three of whom will end up at Waterloo.”

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

WHEN: 19:45 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Originally, I’m from Manchester but have been based in Edinburgh since 2017. Since then I have done 4 Edinburgh Fringes. In 2018 we Sold Out with ‘Shackleton and his Stowaway’, which I both wrote and produced. This went on to play 4 weeks in Park Theatre London, which goes to show that Ed Fringe really can be a great platform. In 2022 it was ‘Tam O’Shanter, Tales & Whisky’, which went on to play The Gaiety, Brunton, and the Trav in Scotland. So once again, as long as the show comes together, it can have a future life!

Like many artists, I live and breathe for doing my own shows. But in 2019 and 2021 I just attended the Fringe as a spectator. Sometimes I can barely believe my luck having the world’s biggest Arts Festival, just a 20 minute bus ride away! Looking at shows as an outsider, but with a producer’s and a writer’s eye, can give you a really good feel for where you fit into the whole eco-system.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

2023 was my first year as a solo performer. It went pretty well and we had good audiences. The show was ‘Mark Twain’s Stolen White Elephant’. But as they say in Spain I was really getting my ‘tablas’ last year – getting stage experience. This year I feel far happier at playing on the stage, as opposed to just keeping the train on the tracks!

Napoleon’s 100 Days is a piece of comic storytelling, that does have some dark moments in it. I think this is another evolution for me, from last year’s absurdist piece.

Tell us about your show.

My show is Napoleon’s 100 Days. It’s actually a lockdown project. I love history and I read a lot back in 2020/21. Initially, I was going to write a show about the Duke of Wellington, but I find Napoleon a far more fascinating character. Having said that, it is a story still told from a kind of British perspective: Stanley, Napoleon’s sidekick, is from my home town of Stockport! The show is pretty comic, and throughout Stanley pokes some fun at ‘Little Boney’s’ megalomaniac/populist tendencies.

Napoleon was undoubtedly the biggest historical figure of the 19th century, and hugely divisive. In France, he remains so to this day. He was a populist and a master manipulator of the media. Undoubtedly, certain parallels can be drawn about his lust for power at any cost, and some modern day political figures.

In my show Stanley (and Fido) are often satirising him, hopefully pretty effectively!

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

Various history shows, as there are so many great historical stories: Boiler Room Six A Titanic Story – everyone knows The Story of the Titanic, but there are so many individual stories to tell. Tom Foreman has found a new angle with this one, it is the equivalent of the band playing on, but with the heroics going on in the foremost boiler room.

Chopped Liver and Onions – lots of parallels with the modern age with this one too, with its political themes of immigration, equal rights, and far-right demagoguery. About the life of the Unionist Sara Wesker. Pivotally, it builds up towards the Battle of Cable Street, which is when London as a city effectively rejected fascism.

The Last Bantam – Michael Hughes is a superb storyteller, and once again we have a unique angle on a famous historical event, World War I. The bantams were battalions of men, between 5ft and 5ft 3 inches in height. They were particularly effective at working in confined spaces underground. Hughes plays an Irish Bantam, which also adds the dimension of the Easter Rising of 1916. Several well-researched stories!

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EdFringe Talk: Long Distance

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“I’m constantly in awe of the perseverance and creativity of the artists I meet here.”

WHO: Eli Zuzovsky

WHAT: “Two young queers meet. They fall in love, have sex, fight, make up, and break up – and all through texts. These texts, like poetry, chart their unforgettable relationship. Long Distance dives into the empty space between us and our desperate attempts to fill it up. A funny, heart-breaking new play about intimacy, technology and the daily work of love.”

WHERE: ZOO Playground – Playground 1 (Venue 186) 

WHEN: 14:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’ve been to Edinburgh twice as a punter, but this is my first time coming to the Fringe with a show of my own. The levels of talent and passion that I see here every single day absolutely blow my mind. I thought that having a show at the festival would undo some of the magic of this place, but so far it’s only intensified it, if anything. Even just walking around the city is deeply energising and inspiring (especially if the sun happens to be out). Putting on a show here is no small feat, to say the least, and I’m constantly in awe of the perseverance and creativity of the artists I meet here.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Working on Long Distance has completely changed the way I think about writing and directing. Above all, it’s taught me a huge lesson on the importance of simplicity. The play has significantly changed since I wrote the first draft; I’ve had to kill too many darlings. Every day in the rehearsal room, Jonathan, Lewis and I asked ourselves: ‘Does this feel real? Does this feel true to the characters we’ve created and their unique relationship?’

We’ve stripped away bits of flowery language, jokes that only half-worked and moments that didn’t serve the play’s emotional arc, including ones we loved. The original idea was to do the whole play on treadmills, which we were all very excited about. However, after a few rehearsals, we gave up on the treadmills. We realised that they distracted us from the goal we set for ourselves when we embarked on this journey: to create a portrait of an unforgettable relationship that is propelled by honesty and empathy.

Tell us about your show.

Our show, which I wrote, directed and produced, is called Long Distance. It stars two amazing recent graduates of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), Jonathan Rubin and Lewis Merrylees (a Glaswegian!). The three of us had mutual friends, but we didn’t really know each other before we started working on the play. We did a quick reading of one scene together, which felt like love at first sight.

Long Distance follows two young queers who fall in love, have sex, fight, make up, and break up – and all through texting. Their texts, dramatised like poetry, paint a portrait of a tumultuous relationship. The play dives into the empty space between us and our desperate attempts to fill it up. It’s about the daily work of love, technological despair, and the long distance that exists in every relationship these days.

We had two sold-out previews at the Camden People’s Theatre in London in July, and we’re hoping to tour the show as much as possible after the Fringe.

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

We were fortunate enough to have developed the play through Soho Theatre Labs, which I highly recommend to anyone taking a show to the Fringe. We’ve already seen many of our friends’ shows and they’re all astonishing. To name a few: Gaby Foley’s Flicker, Temi Wilkey’s Main Character Energy, Sarah Cameron-West’s KAREN, Alexis Sakellaris’s A STAN IS BORN! Lil Wenker’s BANGTAIL, John and Christian’s Battle Counters!, Mirren Wilson’s PALS, Claire Parry’s Boorish Trumpson, and Tiggy Bayley’s Squidge. We’re so proud of them all—they’re amazing.

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EdFringe Talk: The Three Strangers

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“I love being here for the Fringe, it’s a wonderful atmosphere and the audiences are knowledgeable and supportive at the same time.”

WHO: Adrian Palmer

WHAT: “A fusion of storytelling and a one-person show, keeping as close as possible to the original text. Adrian Palmer performs his own adaptation of this mysterious but inspiring story. On a stormy night, three travellers arrive at an isolated cottage. Why is the first abroad so late? What’s the trade of the second that leaves a mark on his customers? And why is the third so terrified? A unique performance of a classic piece of literature from the incomparable Thomas Hardy. ‘An expressively superb Adrian Palmer, held the audience spellbound’ (Southern Daily Echo).”

WHERE: Paradise in Augustines – The Snug (Venue 152) 

WHEN: 12:45 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No I’ve been here before as a performer in other people’s shows. I first came in 1980 in a production of The Caretaker by Harold Pinter and then again in 2016 in The Trial by Franz Kafka. I love being here for the Fringe, it’s a wonderful atmosphere and the audiences are knowledgeable and supportive at the same time. There’s a great buzz among the creatives too. It’s competitive of course but there is a genuine interest in sharing work and ideas that you don’t get anywhere else.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I wasn’t here in 2023 but the main change for me came during lockdown when I no longer had any work as an actor and so spent my time reading stories online to friends, family and then wider groups – book clubs, charities and clubs. This gave me the confidence to adapt and perform my own work and the work of other writers who I admire. Of whom Thomas Hardy is one of my favourites.

Tell us about your show.

I adapted the show from the short story by Thomas Hardy – The Three Strangers. It’s a great story. The first time I read it I was overwhelmed by the skill of the telling, the forcefulness of the story and the twist at the end. I read it in a prepared version a few times and decided that along with Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by R L Stevenson, I would bring it to Edinburgh to see if audiences here would appreciate it as much as I did. I’m glad to say that they definitely seem to. I have been very pleased with the reaction I have had from the performances in Paradise at Augustines here and the very supportive comments I have had from audience reviewers.

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

I like flyering here. It’s a great way to meet your audience face to face. You get some rejections but many times people are interested in what you are doing and only too willing to stop and chat. I also stop and talk with other performers who are selling their wares and generally we swap flyers. I sort out the ones I am interested in and will try and see as many as possible in the course of the three weeks of the festival.

Three shows I have particularly enjoyed so far are –

Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act
A Balloon Will Pop
Zelda and Hadley: Together at Last

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EdFringe Talk: Sardines

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“You may have spotted us sprinting up and down the Mile dressed as giant fish.”

WHO: Joe Makarov

WHAT: “Have you ever wondered what would happen if your favourite poets from the 1800s got stuck in an inflatable life raft in the middle of the ocean with no nautical know-how and a fractured friendship? Join William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge in this absurdist comedy, one man in the midst of a mid-life crisis, the other obsessed with opium induced poetry, all the while battling a stagehand who threatens to deflate the show. Throw in a pirate, an albatross and positive reviews from Theatre Royal Bath’s Elevate Festival, and you have all the ingredients for a grand misadventure.”

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

WHEN: 20:30 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Oh yes! This is our first visit to the Fringe, and for some of us, our first time in Scotland. We followed the sound of bagpipes as we swam upstream from Bristol and we are delighted to find such an incredible city filled with like minded creatives!

Something fishy is happening at the festival this year – it’s us! We are a relatively new company, having only established a couple of years ago and we were drawn to the festival due to the vast range of shows available to watch! We wanted to join in the medley and launch the Blank Slate Ensemble headfirst into the festival like launching a seal out of a cannon. You may have spotted us sprinting up and down the Mile dressed as giant fish.

As we reach the end of our first week of the Fringe, we realise how much of a special place this really is, and how art is well and truly alive here. We are honoured to be here and are relishing seeing so many brilliant artists at work!

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

1) A punctured life raft doesn’t float, and you shouldn’t try to swim to Edinburgh.
2) Share the love, even in the ocean.
3) It’s important to wash your costumes often, especially when crammed in like…Sardines!
4) Fish are friends, not food!

Tell us about your show.

Join Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth as they attempt to sail to German in an inflatable life raft. This previously unknown story (that we promise is almost 5% true) explores their ridiculous adventure as they battle storms, sharks, pirates and an ominous albatross. On top of all that, they have to combat a useless stagehand who is at risk of sinking the whole production.

This new writing has been written and developed by the Blank Slate Ensemble and has arrived in Edinburgh after a mini tour of the South West including Theatre Royal Bath’s Elevate Festival. Described as ‘joyously silly’ and ‘a surrealist treat of a play’ we aim to take you on a journey across the North Sea and welcome you to embrace the chaos with us.

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

Our Certified Fish® recommendations are Turbo Town, an absurd one woman show that had us in stitches start to finish, Triggerfish, the best ensemble piece we’ve seen at the Fringe, plus they’re also set at sea, Murder She Didn’t Write, brilliant improv done at its best, and finally The Antics Joke Show, a sketch show like no other, has to be seen!

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EdFringe Talk: Binocchio the Bisexual Liar

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“I actually attend and lead worship at Augustine United Church who host Paradise Green. So I’ve preached when the sanctuary is set up for a show. It feels almost like I’m performing when I do a service so I got the bug!”

WHO: Binocchio (real name Carol Joyner)

WHAT: “Lock up your garden chairs, dismantle your altar tables, nothing is safe around Binocchio the bisexual Christian! She’ll sleep with anything with legs – after Bible Study, naturally. Fresh from the mammogram cubicle in Tesco car park, Binocchio brings you 45 minutes of stand-up (she can’t be trusted with a chair), featuring subjects as diverse as fertility signalling, German toilets, Low Emission Zones and Elderflower Shloer. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to encounter this rarest of creatures, the bisexual Christian!”

WHERE: Paradise in Augustines – The Snug (Venue 152) 

WHEN: 18:55 (45 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my maiden Fringe. I actually attend and lead worship at Augustine United Church who host Paradise Green. So I’ve preached when the sanctuary is set up for a show. It feels almost like I’m performing when I do a service so I got the bug! I got chatting to the PG crew about my stand up and one thing led to another and here I am, complete with guitar and several pairs of spare trousers! I’m local so over been to several Fringe shows over the years. But this year is mad. I fully expect there to be pavement crush fatalities.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I’m new this year but I’ve already learnt that it’s highly inadvisable to rock up as a solo performer and producer without at least two committed sidekicks to help with social media and flyering. I got overwhelmed and exhausted on Day 1 and had to take a step back and put my mental health and family first – or there would be no show for my punters and my wife would be filing for divorce!

Tell us about your show.

I write and produce all of my observational stand up comedy and original songs. I trialled it at several LGBTQ/Christian open mic events earlier this year to positive acclaim. I’m currently looking at doing a show DARN SARF where I have many contacts, since I lived in Hampshire for over 30 years.

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

Go and see my fellow bi female comic, Anti-Heroine. And do go and see Around the World in 80 Days. Laurence Waring is a very talented man!

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EdFringe Talk: Stefania Licari: Trust Me, I’m a Comedian

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“Obviously, I belong to the category of those going to Edinburgh and my life now completely revolves around it.”

WHO: Stefania Licari

WHAT: “Following her hit show Medico, Stefania Licari returns with a brand-new stand-up hour. Drawing on her experience as an NHS doctor, first-generation migrant, comedian and sometime endurance runner, she explores the diverse roles of women in today’s world. From the operating theatre to the theatre stage, via an ultra-marathon through the Sahara, Stefania reflects on the big question: what are we running to and from? Multi award-winning Stefania sold out venues and earned rave reviews for Medico. Her follow-up promises to deliver her most personal, thought-provoking and side-splitting material yet.”

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

WHEN: 16:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my third consecutive time at Edinburgh. It’s an interesting mixture of emotions.
It feels like the comedy world is divided between those comics going to Edinburgh and those not going. Obviously, I belong to the category of those going to Edinburgh and my life now completely revolves around it.

From the preparations to the moment the festival starts and ends it’s a rollercoaster of looking forward to playing this amazing venue to then waking up in the middle of the night questioning why I’m going instead of getting a suntan on holiday for considerably less money.

It’s a constant reminder of how much you’re investing and the sacrifices you’re making to be there. It also doesn’t take much to knock your confidence, as the festival gets closer. It’s like the day before your period starts. In fact, I’d describe the weeks before Edinburgh as a hormonal challenge!

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I tend to dive into things before I’m fully ready and every single Edinburgh has been like that so far. It’s like trying to run a marathon before you’re ready for a 10k. But it works!

I think that’s the way to go in life. If you wait for the right moment, then it might never happen.

Although it gives me a high-level of anxiety with the preparations and stress!

I think the universe rewards bravery. It’s tough, but in the grand scheme it works.

Tell us about your show.

I have a wonderful team. It’s myself as writer/perfomer. The director Chris Head and Nathan Cassidy who also helped with the writing. Production is by Ben Weaver-Hinks and publicity by Patrick Gough at Wilberforce PR.

My best friend Michael is also crucial. We have a tradition before every show that he tells me to ‘break a leg’. I don’t know any more if I want to hear that as encouragement or that I’m so freaking superstitious! I feel the show is landing with audiences in the way that we designed it. I wanted a show that made people stop and think.

Judging from the previews, I think we’ve achieved that. After the show, I’ve had both men and women telling me that the messages are powerful, and the narrative is so extraordinary that they’ve been moved by it. It’s encouraging and I wanted to do a stand-up show with layers of messages. It will be good if the show is funny as well!

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

It’s extremely heartwarming that many of my favourite comics are there. Definitely go and see my friends Nathan Cassidy and Elena Mazzon who both have fantastic shows. I’ve also just found out that the Australian comic Hannah Gadsby is performing near the same venue as me (Underbelly) next week. I’m such a fan and even by association, it’s so uplifting.

On a personal level, I have many friends who will be there, and we can support each other. It can be as simple as the right word, or a big hug and you get all the reassurance you need.

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EdFringe Talk: Songs for a (Brave) New World – Free

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“My show is a satirical cabaret.”

WHO: Richard Lewis

WHAT: “Songs for a (Brave) New World. Richard Lewis follows up last year’s hit show A Cabaret called Hamlet by looking at the state of the world in 2024. Whether it’s politics, digital dating, Trump, green issues or political correctness, Richard finds a musical reason to spotlight the natural absurdity of the human race – and if that’s not your cup of tea, just sit back and enjoy the piano playing! ‘Not only is Lewis’ patter quick-fire and knowledgeable, but his piano playing is sublime’ **** (JonathonBaz.com, 2023).”

WHERE: PBH’s Free Fringe @ Fingers Piano Bar – Fingers Piano Bar (Venue 221) 

WHEN: 16:20 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’m from Edinburgh and did my first show here when I was 10 for the Edinburgh International Festival. Since then I’ve done numerous shows here both at the fringe and the Edinburgh International festival.

The fringe is great, but always a challenge. With the EIF, you just get a fee which makes your life a lot easier!

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

The biggest thing is, I’m very grateful to be an Edinburgh resident. God knows how anyone else is able to afford it…

Tell us about your show.

My show is a satirical cabaret looking at contemporary themes such as digital dating, politics, environmental issues and anything else I could think of.

I try to mix as many musical styles as possible as my background is in classical as well as pop and musical theatre.

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

I confess, I haven’t seen anything else as yet! I’m doing two shows a day and rehearsing a third one.

I am musical director on Wallis at The Space and very very happy to plug my excellent colleagues on that show.

From the 19th to the 25th, I do Liberace in his own words.

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EdFringe Talk: The Techtonics: 44 Days of Liz Truss (A Cappella)

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“I went into the 2023 festival as a tourist with zero information on it other than that Fleabag originated there.”

WHO: Alex Christopherson

WHAT: “It’s been a bumpy few years in UK politics, and one story is particularly comical: Liz Truss’s stint as prime minister. In 44 days, Trussonomics tanked the economy, her cabinet made more U-turns than Mr Bean on a roundabout and, after one meeting, the Queen passed away. Who could be more fitting to tell this story than an all-male a cappella group of nerds from Imperial College London? Not just any group though: the only UK group to have won the ICCAs! Yes, that’s the competition in Pitch Perfect.”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Patter House – Doonstairs (Venue 24) 

WHEN: 11:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Even though I actually put Edinburgh as my insurance university, the first time I ever visited was for the Fringe last year and I fell in love with both the city and the festival. I had never seen such an amazing and diverse display of the arts which, as a performer my whole life, was really special. It’s not the first time the group has been to the Fringe though – back in 2016 The Techtonics had a sell-out show, though none of the current members were there. Once the trauma of those stressful few months had been forgotten, talk of going back resurfaced, and that’s when I had this idea…. the alumni still think we are crazy.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

What haven’t I learned? I went into the 2023 festival as a tourist with zero information on it other than that Fleabag originated there. Now we’re about to start our run at the 2024 festival with a show I’ve written, directed, and am starring in! Safe to say there has been a lot to learn, and I’ve gained a real appreciation for just how much work goes into putting on a stage show. It seems endless, but it’s worth it!

Tell us about your show.

Weirdly, the group was formed as part of the Imperial College Croquet Society in 2008 when a group of guys realised they had a mutual love of A Cappella. Over many generations of “techtoddlers” we’ve released three albums, been on international tours and won and hosted competitions, but this show is something very new for us.

I came up with the idea myself just after Liz’s chaotic premiership back in Autumn 2022 as the group were planning what to do the following Summer. Eventually we decided not to go to Fringe and instead head on tour to the USA, but the idea stuck with me. When the same conversations happened ahead of the next academic year, I teamed up with Alex Li (together we are called Alex Squared) to pitch the show again. Our president, Robert Brickle, joined to produce the show and friend of the group Mari Dickenson came on to choreograph. Its been a roller-coaster ride putting this together, especially alongside Summer term at university! We did manage to preview the show back in June though, so are very excited to be coming to Fringe next week!

What have we got planned for after the Fringe? Well, that’s up to the returning and new members of the group! Sadly, this is my last project with the group, but it won’t be over right after our last show because we are making a film of the show too!

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

Where to begin? Of course I have to recommend our A Cappella partners in crime from the University of Bath, Aquapella. Unlike our show, theirs is just an hour of music (no politics!), but boy is their music good. If you see two A Cappella shows this year, make it them and us, and, better still, we’re in the same venue, one after the other!

My other university group recommendation is Musical Theatre Warwick: The Improv Musical. Every show is different and based on audience prompts, but somehow the singers and jazz band come up with a full soundtrack right in front of you!? I really don’t know how they do it, but its incredible and hilarious every time.

Moving away from student groups, I am super excited to see Newscast and No Such Thing as a Fish live at the Fringe! These two podcasts are where a lot of my random/topical facts come from for our own show!

Of course, my inpiration isn’t just podcasts… I am an absolute sucker for stand up comedy and topical panel shows, so I can’t wait to go see Hannah Gadsby and Tiff Stevenson.

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EdFringe Talk: The Chairs Revisited

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“We’re not only actors but also producers, marketeers, writers, translators, designers, proof readers, costume designers, pencilpushers (a term from the play) and roadies.”

WHO: Louise

WHAT: “Following five-star success with Miss Julie (*****, ThreeWeeks) and The Nine Lives of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (*****, CafeBabel.com), the veterans are back with a perfect lockdown party. Picture an ancient couple, beached in life and marooned in some isolated spot, inviting many imaginary guests. Sometimes life is more absurd than fiction. ‘Brilliant new version of Eugene Ionesco’s surreal, funny and moving mini-masterpiece with rhyming rhythms and sizzling dialogue’ (Scotsman). ‘A pot-pourri of word-plays, slapstick and physical comedy. Well-paced theatre and highly entertaining. A wee bit like Waiting for Godot meets The Marx Brothers’ ***** (Herald).”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Patter House – Other Yin (Venue 24) 

WHEN: 10:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be our 15th time at the the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Over the years this Festival has grown and grown and grown and grown and exploded all over town to as far as Leith in the north and the Meadows in the south. In 1996 we were invited by Ricky Demarco and the Demarco European Art Foundation to perform the Chairs in his St. Mary’s School building in Albany Street in Edinburgh’s NewTown. There were other theatre groups from Eastern Europe and in the front of the building was an art exhibition with new work by Jimmy Boyle. We probably fitted into his
Eastern Europe programme because Eugene Ionesco is from Romania. The next year our Director
Andrew Dallmeyer got us into The Assembly Rooms on George Street in a long and narrow room
with crystal chandeliers on a tiny high stage where you could easily fall off. Of course we haven’t
been every year but pretty regularly though. Producing and writing takes a lot of time and research especially if you wear all the hats. We’re a small company but we have performed in all the big venues. New and existing plays, we’ve brought it all to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. We’re not only actors but also producers, marketeers, writers, translators, designers, proof readers, costume designers, pencilpushers (a term from the play) and roadies. It is great to see how much people can enjoy the imagination that is inherent to theatre. It is an event of communication in which the experience of imagery is shared with others. The Festival is great to discover new talent, to see such a variety of performers and the city is buzzing with creative energy.

But to get them to your show…. You have to work hard get an audience in. They don’t come flying
in like that, especially when there is so much choice, so you REALLY have to work for it. It’s
always nice to run into people who say their friend urged them to come and see us. Word of mouth is the best publicity. We can’t complain, we’ve always had very decent audience numbers and even some groupies that check us out whenever we’re back.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Since 2023 we learned that Absurd theatre is appreciated and recognized much more in this day and age than in the past. And we see a much wider range of people – young, old, comedians, and people who would never go to a theatre play – all craving to have an absurd experience that touches on the essence of life. Before the Covid pandemic absurdity in Western Europe was a term only used by dramaturgs or high brow theatre critics to describe incomprehensible niche plays. In Eastern Europe absurdity and black humour was part and parcel of daily life. A way to cope with the stark reality of daily life. A way to express yourself and talk about things that mattered. Since the pandemic however we have all been experiencing absurdity in our daily lives: rigorous rules that had to be obeyed turned out to be rules that changed every day. Experts on virus infections had more unanswered questions every day. Nothing was certain, everything was real and not real at the same time. Theatres were closed, technical operators found new work installing solar panels. People changed careers because of Covid, divorced or fell in love, lost friends and neighbours, bought dogs for company and suddenly realized what really mattered in life. Ionesco was a close friend of Samuel Beckett. They lived in Paris and were part of a group of European writer friends who, after the horrors of World War II, had a different look on life. They concentrated on the emptiness and absurdity we encounter in our lives. Now we recognize their take on the world.

Another thing learned since 2023 is that the importance of social media is nothing to be sniffed at. I never cared much for social media, but now really have to force myself to contribute to all the different platforms on behalf of the company. It’s a steep learning curve. This way to advertise and keep people informed, to me feels as an easy, lazy and ephemeral way to communicate and work yourself into the picture. Apparently it’s the thing to do so we have to adapt to that phenomenon and go with the flow. I still prefer language over emojis and the old-fashioned contact between real people over all that digital froth. Funnily enough on my rounds I meet a lot of people who re-appreciate the old legwork and real contact with someone who is involved in a show over the virtual deluge of information they are forced to swallow every day.

Tell us about your show.

Eugene Ionesco wrote The Chairs in 1952. He wrote many other plays like Rhinocéros. That play deals with the temptations of Fascism. A very bizarre play, probably because it is not realistic but at the same time a very striking a comparison with our own society. That is his strength and that is what we liked about The Chairs. A very old couple, living on a remote lighthouse island. One day the old man decides it is time to reveal his message to the world and invites all the great and the good to come and listen to his message to mankind. We hear the boat arriving, the doorbells – they have many front doors -we see the chairs they pull out from every nook and cranny but we don’t see any real guests. However we can imagine very well what they all look like and how they (mis)- behave.

After the pandemic we decided to take up this play again because it made so much sense all of a sudden. We call our new translation The Chairs Revisited because the same actors are coming back with the same play, after 28 years, to the same festival. During the Covid pandemic we all had to adapt to living in small bubbles. Just like that old couple in the play. Those restrictions led to apathy and depression for some of us and to revolt, protests and inventive actions for others. What can you do when all entertainment and all sportclubs shut down? You go for a walk in the woods. There we stumbled on secret meetings: friends gathering in the middle of nowhere far out on the moors, looking over their shoulders while carefully nipping at glasses, passing around a bottle of Gin. We passed grandparents and grandchildren sitting on a fallen tree the midst of the woods. With all the restaurants and theatres shut where else to go for fun and entertainment? Experts and politicians, that we looked up to, had to bring hope and clarity but in the end proved to be inexperienced weak humans like the rest of us. They did not know the answers to all our questions and misbehaved as much as the rest of us. All this and more (Greta Thunberg) you can find back in our new translation/adaptation of the play from 1952. We plan to bring it to other theatres after the Fringe and are working on a Dutch translation to be able to show it in Belgium and the Netherlands.

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

Please go an see other theatre productions during this Festival. It is a small section in the Fringe guide but worth exploring. What about Myra’s Story. I keep running into people who were deeply moved by this play, a one woman show and I plan to see it this year now my schedule will not clash. Grandma ‘s shop sounds really interesting, a granddaughters investigation in the life of her own grandmother, new work and multi characters. Also in Gilded Balloon Patter House: The Steamie. It is a fantastic play done by a great team with music, funny and heart warming. And don’t forget the comedians: Jason Byrne, I saw him a couple of years ago, he never fails to surprise you with anarchy and fun. Michelle Brasier, saw her last year, she’s a powerhouse very inspiring, good connection with her audience and quick witted. And of course: the magician Caspar Thomas who combines self-deprecating humor with really clever tricks and a very good with his audience. Check out Anu Vaidyanathan. I met her last year, we were both flyering for our shows and found her already very funny off stage, this year our shows are not at the same time and I plan to go to her show at Gilded Balloon.

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