Tag Archives: EdFestivals

All our coverage, from all Edinburgh’s festivals, past and present.

+3 Interview: Hotel Paradiso

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

“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.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+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.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: I’m Just Kidneying

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

“I became friends with my online kidney crush! I got to know Nina Martinez on Twitter (she’s the very first living kidney donor with HIV). And then she CAME TO SEE MY SHOW Y’ALL!!!”

WHO: Amanda Nicastro: Performer, Writer, Producer

WHAT: “Amanda donated her kidney for her sister. But she wasn’t a match. Yet, she saved two lives. What?! Sounds like an incredibly heroic sacrifice, but Amanda loves attention, so it worked out for everyone. From carrying her urine on the NYC subway to enduring needle-happy nurses to passing resounding farts, this award-winning comedy questions what it takes to be a “hero.” Audience Choice Award, Frigid Fest NYC. ‘She may have donated a kidney to a stranger, but Amanda Nicastro still has her funny bone’ (AM New York).”

WHERE: Sweet Novotel – Novotel 3 (Venue 188) 

WHEN: 14:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

YES! This is my first time at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and my first time in Scotland! I’ve been to the International Orlando Fringe and this past winter I won Audience Choice Award at Frigid Fringe NYC. But Edinburgh has been such a different process… All of my non performer friends and my family ask me questions about Edinburgh like I’m the expert and I have all the answers. HA! HA! The reality is I’m learning as I go. I’ve got professional goals for myself but I’m probably most looking forward to networking with other artists. I already have an army of new twitter friends–can’t wait to meet them all in person!

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

I became friends with my online kidney crush! I got to know Nina Martinez on Twitter (she’s the very first living kidney donor with HIV). And then she CAME TO SEE MY SHOW Y’ALL!!! Let me clarify, she does not live in NYC, yet she came to one of my preview performances at 59E59 Theaters in Manhattan. (We both like unicorns!) She’s so cool, and it was nice to talk with someone who is as comfortable as I am being in the spotlight.

Meeting audience members after a show whose lives have been touched by organ donation in some way is the best part of my career right now. I get to hear their personal stories because I’m breaking the ice by putting my story out there for them. So many times I’ve had other living donors say to me, “you’ve put into words what I was feeling that I didn’t know how to say.”

Tell us about your show.

I’m Just Kidneying is a solo kidney solo show about how I donated a kidney for my sister as part of a paired kidney exchange. It’s comedy that’s low on kidneys but big on heart.

I’m the writer, performer and producer. So many hats! But I have had some help. My development director, Frankie Johnson, really helped shape the initial run of the piece. My current director, Geoff Grimwood, has helped me finesse the mission statement and improve the flow of the show. My US stage manager, Christine Pynn, is a goddess of all things tech and production. My co-producer Tom Brennan has been instrumental in reaching the media. I’m ecstatic to bring on Joey Neill as my Edinburgh tech and stage manager. And I’m not sure if this show would even exist without the opportunity provided by SoloCom Fest in NYC which was founded by the wonderful Peter Michael Marino.

In the future I’m hoping to work with organizations committed to raising the profile of organ donation and transplantation. I’m also applying to several Fringes throughout the US and Canada for 2020.

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

There are two shows that audiences NEED to see after mine. First, check out Mimi Hayes “I’ll Be Ok” which is about how her brain exploded and her life during the aftermath. Mimi and I have had some very fun jokes together on social media about our various weird medical experiences. “I’ll Be Ok” is at PBH Free Fringe Bar Bados Complex Room 4 @ 12:00.

Secondly, “Werewolf: Live – Charity Spectacular!” on August 15 with all proceeds going to Kidney Research UK. Check ’em out @ Underbelly, George Square – Udderbelly 23:30. (If you can’t make the Charity Spectacular that’s ok they’re very funny see one of their other shows.)

I’m also looking forward to seeing Tami Stone – My Funny Bits, 2Elfth Night, Hitler’s Tasters the Play, Drowning the Play, and Samantha Hannah How To Find Happiness (In A Year).

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: Free Spirits

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

“Unfortunately, my attempt at being an official fringe busker wasn’t so great. Whilst I’m happy to perform to big crowds on a stage, my anxiety went into overdrive when having to navigate through them with music equipment to get to various busking locations.”

WHO: Lisa Kowalski: Your Role in the Production:I wrote and sing the songs and feel all the emotions they express

WHAT: “The cruelties of social media could have broken a girl’s spirit. Instead she picked up a dusty guitar and turned to song. Lisa Kowalski started writing songs at age 13. She soon turned to singing on the high street, where she found a kinder audience. At 16 she became a big player in the Paisley UK City of Culture bid. Before turning 18, Lisa had released her first EP and music video, won several awards for songwriting and been invited to represent Scottish youth music at New York Tartan Week. Lisa shares her challenges and triumphs.”

WHERE: Acoustic Music Centre @ UCC – Main Room (Venue 138) 

WHEN: 16:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’ve had some good times and some bad times performing in Edinburgh before. Highlights include bringing a multi-artist Taylor Swift tribute night to the city and performing for the John Byrne Award Summer Party and BBC at the fringe in 2017. Unfortunately, my attempt at being an official fringe busker wasn’t so great. Whilst I’m happy to perform to big crowds on a stage, my anxiety went into overdrive when having to navigate through them with music equipment to get to various busking locations.

This is my first time putting on a self-curated, solo music and stories performance at the fringe or anywhere. Historically when performing as a musician, I have said that I sing because I am no good at talking. I thought it was time to put that right.

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

The last year has covered quite a lot of ground. Musically, the second half of 2018 went well with a number of showcases at music festivals, such as the Killin Folk Festival and Dougie Maclean’s Perthshire Amber Festival. I released a single in November which is all about the tough experience of having your heartbroken for the first time by a person who seemed to enjoy making that experience as long and drawn out as possible. I did get a consolation prize, however, with some very high praise for the song from reviewers and a prize of £10,000 for reaching the Salute UK Musicmakers competition with it.

On a personal basis, only I could somehow manage to blend the lowest and the highest times inextricably together at the start of 2019. I fell in love with the most amazing person (and their dog) while at the same time having to withdraw from quite a lot of areas of my life due to depression. Luckily, I’ve come back feeling stronger, still in love and happy about my life again.

Tell us about your show.

The show is basically the story of my personal journey since the age of 13 or 14 (the last five years) when I started writing songs and performing them. All of my songs are highly personal and about things I have felt and experienced so I will be weaving them together with chat about the underlying themes of my life during my teenage years.

These themes include dreams of achieving in a tough business and pursuing your dreams and your art when people tell you not to. Its about the risks of social media, both for teenagers in general and those who are trying to build a professional profile, about mental health, about how people can help each other and bring each other down, about girls with guitars and free spirits.

The show has a cast of one, written, performed, lived and medication taken by me. All other characters in the songs will not be performing on the day, especially the one who broke my heart so painfully!

Whether the show goes anywhere else in its current form depends on the success of the day – for now its “One Day” only. “One Day” was the name of the first song I ever wrote by the way!

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

There’s been some great female-led shows on social media giving support to other female productions.

I would recommend the following shows because they either portray some of the issues and challenges females face or have been put together by strong and creative females that I admire.

Please check out:

Drowning The Play

Femmes of Colour Comedy Club

Daddy Drag

Her

How to find Happiness (in a year)

Catching Rainbows

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: Down It Fresher!

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

“Every August I see the town transform for Fringe as it gets filled with the most fantastic people there are; storytellers.”

WHO: Clementine Gruer: Producer, Co-writer, Co-director

WHAT: “After getting dragged along to the smelliest, most infamous night club in Edinburgh by her new friends, Frida the Fresher meets Matt, a posh English guy from the rival university. It’s love at first sight, but only for Frida. Grab your pals and a pint and come along on Frida’s journey as she tries to win Matt over and learns to navigate the many unwritten rules of university life without dying from alcohol poisoning. A hilariously honest play about being a student, falling in love and finding yourself. (And failing miserably).”

WHERE: Laughing Horse @ The Bier Keller – Courtside (Venue 154) 

WHEN: 19:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I am lucky enough to have called Edinburgh home for four years now, lured here by pretty buildings and a festival for every month of the year. Every August I see the town transform for Fringe as it gets filled with the most fantastic people there are; storytellers.

Living in a city like this there was only a matter of time before I got swept up in it all and here we are; my very first Fringe show with my own theatre company! Let the fun begin! (And also the stress. And the flyering. And the price increase on everything. (But mostly the fun.))

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

Down it Fresher! 2019 has been in the works for 1.5 years. Since the 2018 festivals, we’ve built this show and our company from the ground up, from rewriting the script to securing funding. It’s been a journey and a half, and a maddening learning process however, it’s been incredible to see our play go from just an idea to a full-fledged fringe production.

Tell us about your show.

Down it Fresher! was written by myself and one of my best friends, Lisa Emily Petersen. We met when we were freshers at Edinburgh Napier University and what started out as morning after anecdotes quickly morphed into (somewhat) fictional characters and scenes. The play was first performed to sold-out audiences at Le Monde in November 2017. Following this, we were encouraged to take the show to Fringe, so we started our own theatre company, rewrote the show, found a wonderful Technical Director on Tinder and seduced him (that was all me to be honest) and now we’re here!

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

I’d definitely recommend checking out all the other PWYW shows as these performers have so much passion for what they do and there’s a ton of great stuff out there! A few local original shows that I’ll be definitely seeing this year include:

Space… a sci-fi musical by Napier University Drama Society.
Atlantis, a dark drama by Broadsword Theatre
Level Up, a dystopian drama by Full Breakfast Productions featuring our very own Mackenzie Paterson

I’m also really excited for some of the bigger productions coming/returning to Edinburgh this year such as Them/Us by BalletBoyz, Trainspotting Live by In Your Face and Paris de Nuit by Recirquel, to mention a few of the bigger productions.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: Wild Women and Oneironauts

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

“We’re bringing two shows to the Fringe that are being performed back-to-back, Wild Women and Oneironauts. Wild Women is a hilarious lady bouffon trio and Oneironauts is a dance/circus theatre experience surrounding dreams. Two exciting polar opposites.”

WHO: Brittany Price Anderson: Director and Performer

WHAT: “Three goddesses are summoned to Earth through an ancient ritual; instead, the heavens send the women your mother hoped you would never become. These grotesque creatures go on a hilarious, offensive journey of feminine storytelling (from Eve to Cinderella) to discover what has happened to the Wild Women. In Oneironauts, we slip away from reality into deep sleep, where time begins to melt. Here we encounter the moments, memories and shadows our subconscious has tucked away. We submerge the audience into our dreamworld of visual poetry and post-modern dance and dare them to engage the unknown.”

WHERE: Summerhall – Bruford at Summerhall (Venue 26) 

WHEN: 20:50 (85 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes! This is our first time to Edinburgh but certainly not to Europe!

Our company, The Whisper Theatre Collective, formed out of our MFA cohort in which we studied devised physical theatre in Berlin and Chicago (through Arthhaus Berlin/LISPA and Columbia College Chicago). We’re bringing two shows to the Fringe that are being performed back-to-back, Wild Women and Oneironauts. Wild Women is a hilarious lady bouffon trio and Oneironauts is a dance/circus theatre experience surrounding dreams. Two exciting polar opposites.

We are super looking forward to seeing shows, meeting artists from around the world, and STREET MARKETING! We have a Spanking Booth for Wild Women – so look out for us…and your butts…hehehe…

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

Well…we formed a company AND graduated with our MFAs! So that’s new and exciting. And it means we underwent a lot of therapy.

What else? Four of us moved in with our significant others. No animals have been killed, but a lot of plants have, accidentally. We’ve watched Endgame and the third season of Stranger Things, we’ve taken bike rides, we’ve eaten ice cream. We’ve enjoyed the glorious Chicago summer after the bitter -40 degree temperatures we experienced this winter. And we’ve been working our faces off since graduating – half of us work at SoulCycle and the other half works as Segway tour guides (no, I’m not kidding). Ah! And we did a co-production with The West in Berlin, putting up a work in progress of Le Taste of Jean-Pierre – look out for it next year!

Tell us about your show.

The Whisper is presenting a double feature of Wild Women and Oneironauts. Wild Women features three lady bouffon clowns who relive their own hilarious, raunchy versions of female-driven stories (from Adam & Eve to Cinderella). Oneironauts uses physical theatre, dance, and partner acrobatics to tumble into the dreamscape, where we wonder if we will ever find our way back.

Our company came together after studying for our MFA in Lecoq-based theatre at Arthaus Berlin and Columbia College Chicago. We’re from all different performance disciplines, and we worked together for two years on both of these shows. Each company member also has their own show – these are just two of them. We premiered both of these pieces at The Third Mask, a festival for new devised works, in Chicago, USA, as well as performing works-in-progress showings in Berlin. After the Fringe, we plan to tour the shows around Chicago, and we would love to create international exchanges with other companies (perhaps with others we meet at the Fringe!)

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

Manual Cinema’s Frankenstein – They’re Chicago friends of ours and do INCREDIBLE puppetry work with simple mechanisms like overhead projectors and live instruments. Innovative, heartfelt, and anyone who appreciates tech will love it because they have a backstage feed live during the show.

Desk by Reetta Honkakoski Company – Judging by the trailer, we’re excited to see them because of the physical precision and rigor that goes into their work. Looks amazing!

2 Clowns 1 Cup by Ugly Bucket Theatre, Witch Hunt by A&E Comedy, The Burning by Incognito Theatre, Kill the Princess by Bait Theatre – all shows by other WILD WOMEN, and we are INTO IT.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: The Kiss

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

“The show is adapted from a Chekhov short story. We tried to capture his beautiful language throughout the show but our interest in physical performance inspired us to take it one step further and turn it into the light-hearted comedy it has become.”

WHO: Teddy Davis: Performer

WHAT: “Heartwarming, funny and bursting with energy, The Kiss tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two soldiers. After the timid Ryabovitch is mistakenly kissed for the first time, his world is transformed. Overwhelmed, the wallflower soldier stumbles into a magical adventure. When he tries to tell his story, his relationship with his cocky and overconfident friend, Lobitko, is threatened. Adapted from Chekhov’s short story, The Kiss cleverly blends physical comedy, live music and storytelling to create a fun and feel-good show that will have you laughing and crying all at once.”

WHERE: C venues – C aquila – studio (Venue 21) 

WHEN: 16:55 (45 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes, this is my first time performing at the Fringe. I visited a couple of years ago with my brother. I remember being quite overwhelmed by the scale of it all. It was surprising but really made me want to perform there one day. I’ve been lucky to perform twice through uni in the Warwick Arts Centre and I’ve learned so much so performing in Edinburgh feels like a really exciting next step.

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

Tottenham getting to the Champions League final. Best moment of my life.

Tell us about your show.

My friend and I started developing the show last year and eventually did a short run at the Hen and Chicken’s Theatre in Islington where we were really overwhelmed by the positive reception. That inspired us to perform it at Edinburgh for one final run. The show is adapted from a Chekhov short story. We tried to capture his beautiful language throughout the show but our interest in physical performance inspired us to take it one step further and turn it into the light-hearted comedy it has become.

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

There’s a load of other shows going from our university, Warwick. There’s the highly entertaining ‘Takin’ it Easy, 1916′ from Smirk Theatre. Pound of Flesh are putting on some cool gig theatre, ‘Fires our Shoes Have Made’. And coming from Warwick for its 6th year, the Improv Musical is always hugely entertaining.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

Princess Party (Gilded Balloon, Aug 3-11, 13-18, 20-26 : 22:30 : 1hr)

Posted in 4*, Comedy, EdFestivals 2019, Gilded Balloon, Theatre by

“Required watching for anyone who wants to be in a comedy duo”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars: Outstanding

It’s 4pm on a Saturday. The sun is beating down through the window and drowning my laptop screen, but it doesn’t matter. After a half hour, I’ve got nothing to show for all my squinting and sighing except for unanswered questions: how do you talk about the incredible comedic restraint in a show that starts out with everybody being flashed? What kind of production simultaneously respects and ridicules its audience? How do you even begin to describe Princess Party?

The synopsis is simple enough: it’s a duo comedy presented by comedians Lauren Howard Hayes and Hannah Pilkes, about a rich kid’s birthday party that goes horribly wrong. The audience are the children, and sometimes the parents. You get to hold a cool flashlight. Telling you any more than that would be revealing far too much, and give Hayes and Pilkes too little credit.

Princess Party is a lot of things. It’s the best party you’ve ever been to, wrapped in the worst party you’ve ever been to. It’s like going to Disneyland, if Disneyland let in people who’d been drunk for three days. But most importantly, Princess Party is a masterclass in how to properly implement artistic restraint and make hard comedy look easy.

From the outset, the basic mechanics of the piece are excellent. With an impressive pile of acting, writing and comedy credits between them, Hayes and Pilkes are very visibly comfortable in their craft. Punchlines are crisp and well execution; physical clowning elements have complete follow-through; and everything is presented with a confidence and polish that can only come from collaborators who know how to fit into their genre like water in a glass.

And make no mistake, Hannah Pilkes and Lauren Howard Hayes are the show. It’s hard to nail down exactly what each brings to the table, but only because they jump from role to defined role like it’s child’s play. Pilkes plays the perfect dope, but her sense of comedic timing and verbal dynamics would make a razor weep. Hayes, who so effortlessly channels a living cartoon from the moment she’s on stage, can go acid queen in a single wig change. But what’s so truly excellent about this show, oddly enough, is invisible. To define it, we’ve gotta talk about nudity.

I have a lot of thoughts on comedic nudity. It’s not hard to pull off (you’re welcome), but damn hard to actually do well. Audiences have a level of shock fatigue, and if it’s not incorporated enough or relied on too heavily, it can come off as crass and lazy. Even worse, it can pull an audience out of the flow entirely. But in Princess Party, it’s funny as hell – It’s not played for too long, or too hard, and is so at home in its setting that you can only think “well of course this is happening”. Beyond the visible, it’s an incredibly impressive display of artists who know the relationship between shock and restraint.

So why is that important? Because it applies to every other joke and theme in the show. Controversial jokes and setups only stick around insofar as they’re funny, and never push themselves into bad taste. Do they toe the line? Pilkes and Hayes have basically built a big mansion on the line. But God knows they never cross it. It’s a testament to how tight and well crafted their material is, and a joy to watch.

The same goes for the multimedia portions of the performance. Despite a few visible command boxes, it’s seamless and ultimately serves its purpose without ever sticking out or dragging. As a cover for costume changes, its brevity only becomes more impressive.

Does everything in the show work? No. Because of the creative talent on display in other portions of the performance, certain skits (particularly the balloon artist sketch) seemed sluggish by comparison. Although these pockets of slowdown seldom lasted long, and were usually ended with some crackling improv, they were nevertheless noticeable in amongst the otherwise flawless wallpaper.

Princess Party is, if nothing else, a wonderfully crafted piece of entertainment. When I one day ascend to power and rule with neither pity nor mercy, it will be required watching for anyone who wants to be in a comedy duo, and/or anyone who thinks lavish parties for children are a good idea. Hannah Pilkes and Lauren Howard Hayes are damn funny people, and this show is a love letter to the hard work it takes to make that talent into something worthwhile. If you’re in need of laughter, this is the next best thing to nitrous oxide.

outstanding

StarStarStarStar

—

Reviewer: Jacob Close (Seen 2 August)

Visit the  Potterrow & Teviot archive.

 

+3 Interview: Mother and the Monster / Free Festival

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

“At this early stage, we’ve decided that we would like to work together in the future.”

WHO: Lewis Forman, Eduardo Fahey, Arabella Spendlove, Emily Knutsson, Erin Lynch: Producer

WHAT: “Charlotte was a legendary Hollywood props mistress who disappeared from public view decades ago. Now she lives in retirement, with no one to keep her company except the cleaning lady and a mysterious voice coming from her cupboard. Can a young journalist coax her to reveal what happened all those years ago? And who is it who keeps calling Charlotte ‘mother’?”

WHERE: Laughing Horse @ The Golf Tavern – Upstairs Bar (Venue 114) 

WHEN: 21:45 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Lewis: This is my first fringe and I’m very excited to be at the beginning of what will hopefully be a long journey for our new collective. With the collective, I’m looking to bring everyone forward and progress as a group. Despite only acting in theatre through first year, I’m very happy to be working on the production side of things starting this fringe. Moving forward it gives me chance to express myself creatively in different ways.

Eduardo: This is my eighth fringe so far. In my first 6 years I performed acapella with a male group, and in my seventh year I performed ‘American Idiot’ with Edinburgh University ‘Footlights’. Working as a smaller collective has a different performance dynamic and more freedom. This is my first time doing straight theatre as a smaller group, which more collaborative and already feels more intimate and productive. A fear with every free show is that whether or not people are going to come, but not having that fear means you’re not putting your all in to it. All that does is make us push for publicity which will just work in our favor.

Arabella: This is my second fringe. My first fringe was spent performing with group that combined Manchester University and Edinburgh University students. Last year, working with a big theatre collective meant it was a different experience than the smaller collective we’re working with now. This experience has felt more involved creatively and productively, along with having a role as cast in the play. I’m looking forward to seeing how our show will be received because we’ve been working on it for a long time and feel really connected to it, so it’ll be exciting to share it with other people.

Emily: This is my first year at fringe. I recently moved to the UK from New York, so I’m really excited to experience the intensity of the festival. I love how the city becomes open to artistic expression and a center of art during the fringe. I’m excited to be part of a new collective that feels cutting edge and open to exploring different aspects of the show. I’ve loved not being too strict with the script and letting it grow organically.

Erin: This is my first year at the fringe, and I’m so excited to be doing it with our collective. The process has been so involved and equal, giving the chance for all of us to become really close to the story and how we want to communicate it. Having the chance to work at the fringe has been such a privilege, and I’m so excited to experience it as a visitor and creator!

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

Lewis: Since last year, I have finished my first year at Edinburgh University and dived in to straight theatre as opposed to musical theatre. This has changed my perspective and renewed my love for theatre, despite only being in two plays before.

Eduardo: Since last fringe, I have been in several non-musical productions and 2 musical productions. This has allowed me to diversify what I’ve done so far, and instilled confidence and drive.

Arabella: I have since graduated from Edinburgh University. This year, I’ve done more drama than ever, having three main parts in uni shows. This has been my biggest year and only time in drama apart from school. This is because of my focus on skiing in first three years of University. My first year at fringe was last year and was my first time in theatre, meaning its my fifth show of the year and final University show!

Emily: I have really delved in to the theatre community in Edinburgh and experienced the characteristics of the city. I’ve grown as performer through being exposed to new ways of approaching acting and directing. My worldview has been expanded in a way that has grown my approach to acting.

Erin: Since last fringe, I’ve involved myself in theatre in a way that I’ve been so pleased with. Since involving myself in the theatre community in Edinburgh, I’ve felt so welcomed and pushed creatively in ways that have made me grow as a person and professionally. I’ve learnt lots of new things from so many people and I’m so excited to continue in my next two years at University.

Tell us about your show.

Collaborative answer: The writer of the play, Rory Kelly, booked a run for fringe and was then looking for a team to help put it on. Lewis and Erin decided to direct and produce together. We then held auditions and cast those who would be best in the roles, and on top of that found that we gelled really well as a collective! At this early stage, we’ve decided that we would like to work together in the future. After the fringe, we have been discussing keeping Rory Kelly on as a writer. Additionally we may go in a different direction, however we have decided to keep the process as collaborative as possible. This would mean choosing scripts as a team and keeping everyone as involved in creative decisions as possible!

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

Lewis: Deficit theatre because its approach to physical theatre looks interesting

Teddy: Footlights ‘RENT’ because it’s always nice to support other theatre groups from our University

Arabella: ‘Sweet Charity’ because the publicity looks amazing!

Emily: ‘Number Please’ because of the collectives feminist ethos!

Erin: Never None (But She) because it incorporates the same messages of feminism and inclusivity that we want to promote in our show

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

+3 Interview: Confirmation

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

“I don’t drink during the month and get to do a lot of walking so it’s always a sort of a bit of fitness boost which of course I forget about on August 28th when I hit my couch in London.”

WHO: Xnthony: Performer

WHAT: “This is not a story about the status quo. This is a story about making a change. Xnthony was 12 when he made his confirmation. He was 26 when his home town voted against Ireland’s marriage equality referendum. Gig meets theatre in a moving and hilarious look at how a vote can change the way we view ourselves. Direct from a sell-out run at the Dublin Fringe Festival, this is a poignant pop concert from an award-winning company exploring the relationships we have with the places we call home and the stories they hold. ‘Captivating’ ***** (TheReviewsHub.com).”

WHERE: Pleasance Dome – JackDome (Venue 23) 

WHEN: 16:10 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is not my first time at the rodeo and I am so excited to be back at Edinburgh! Every time I get here I take it as a chance to take stock of where I am in my work and my life so it’s always a good marker! It’s also the time I get to wholly spend focusing on seeing amazing work from other artists and really exercising my own skills as a performer. I get really focused and secretly love the structure and intensity of it. I don’t drink during the month and get to do a lot of walking so it’s always a sort of a bit of fitness boost which of course I forget about on August 28th when I hit my couch in London. I also really love meeting all the locals again that I’ve performed for in the past. I’ve built up a great relationship with people in the city and their support is really valued.

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

Since the last time I was at Edinburgh Fringe with DOUZE in 2017 I was given funding by the Arts Council in Ireland to develop my practice and create this show. I don’t work in easily identifiable categories, so I’ve had to work extra hard to show to big supporters like the Arts Council that I’m not just a nutty, art weirdo (which would be fine!) but someone with big plans and big ideas. Using the funding I’ve been able to focus on the next steps in my work. Right now it’s all about the personal, the rural and storytelling. But soon I’m starting on another new show and that’ll build on the pop world of this show and will hopefully be a show that makes people dance.

Tell us about your show.

The show is a poignant pop concert about how a vote changes the way we view ourselves and where we’re from. Much like the UK, Ireland recently had its own referendum revolution and in 2015 Ireland voted on Marriage Equality. In what was seen as a massive sea change in Ireland’s perceived conservatism the country voted overwhelmingly in favour of giving same sex couples access to marriage. But to my horror and sadness, my home town, Roscommon became the only place in the whole country that voted against Marriage Equality.

The result made me think a lot about my hometown and what it meant to me after what initially seemed like a vote against my identity. So I went back home to investigate and ended up making this show about growing up there and my changing relationship to the place I call home. In the show I talk about my story, my childhood in rural Ireland as a magical, queer child and how that presents its own challenges. It’s an ambitious blend of theatre and pop music which moves between sweeping choral arrangements and some really fabulous Robyn style beats which premiered and had a sell-out run at Dublin Fringe Festival in 2018.

Of course I’m nothing without my team and it’s taken a lot of work from great artists to make this show. Many on the team have a myriad of skills like David Doyle who produces for the show as well as assisting on the writing and designing the lighting! I think creatives can have many different skills so I don’t see why someone can’t have a dynamic, varied role like this. It keeps every day different!

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

I am super excited to see the new comedy show by comedian Harriet Braine at Gilded Balloon. Harriet does this thing where she’s able merge history and music and somehow make it universal, relevant and hilarious. As a fan of the Eurovision I also have to recommend a fellow Irishman Fionn Foley: his one-man show Brendan Galileo for Europe is whip-smart and hilarious. For those loving a late night out, I am so excited to experience drag icon’s Ginger Johnson’s Happy Place at Pleasance. Wouldn’t you?

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!