“Taking a nap every day was key to surviving last year, so I’ll definitely be doing that again.”
WHO: Sevrin Willinder
WHAT: “A solo silent clown show about a time traveler who needs the audience’s help to recover the defining moments of his life. “It Was Really Good to Know You” takes audiences through time and space, from the prehistoric period of the caveman to the disco era of the 70s. Featuring showdowns in the wild west and express mail deliveries across the galaxy, this engaging story invites audiences to embrace the unexpected and explore the beauty of human connection.”
WHERE: Wee Container at Hoots @ Potterrow (Venue 243)
WHEN: 22:20 (55 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
This is my second time going! Last year we took a show called Shakespeare Translate where we put all of Shakespeare through Google Translate 15x and then back to English and performed the garbled nonsense it gave us. We just performed the last week of the festival, but attended for a week before that, and we were blown away. Going to the festival had been a dream for a long time, and it really lived up to it. This festival is like heaven for theatre lovers. It’s a nonstop party and celebration of art in the best way possible! I’m so happy to be involved in any way at all. As an attendee all I wanted to do was go to as many shows as I could, and as a participant all I wanted to do was play with as many audiences as possible. I truly cannot wait to return this year, and for the whole month this time!!
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
I’m much more mentally prepared to live off the Tesco Meal Deal than I was last year.
Taking a nap every day was key to surviving last year, so I’ll definitely be doing that again. At some point last year I had to accept that I couldn’t see every single show I wanted to, so I hope I can remember that immediately going in this time (otherwise I’m gonna be very exhausted for my own show).
I’m so glad we went last year for a short period of time to scope everything out because I feel infinitely more prepared this year. We got the venue and timeslot we wanted (Potterrow at 22:20), and we have a good momentum of support from a lot of amazing people who will be at the festival this year.
Tell us about your show.
It’s a solo silent clown show about a time traveling mailman. It’s heavily reliant on audience participation. Think of it as a “take your friend to work day” kind of vibe, and the mailman wants every audience member to be his friend. There is also live sound operation done by Melissa Ingle, my director and artistic partner, so it’s much more like a 2 person show disguised as a solo show. She and I created the whole piece from scratch using a lot of improvisation and weird devising techniques that she is a lot better at speaking on than I am. It was a lot of free association set to jazz and our favorite songs that slowly became a show that now makes a lot more sense than from when we first began.
She and I are producing it under the name Devon Loves ME! Productions, a company that came about from our need to create shows because we weren’t finding any opportunities that excited us. We did a few preview performances in NYC (we’re based in Brooklyn), and are planning on bringing it back here for a full run in the fall/winter. After that we’re looking at touring internationally — definitely Australia for at least Adelaide Fringe, and then hopefully we can meet the right people to get us to tour around Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, Antarctica, literally any and everywhere that will have us.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
Can’t Find My Way Home (amazing, vulnerable storytelling show also from NYC!!)
Night of Drama (hilarious improvised clown with banana peel throwing from the audience. You’ll never love to watch someone fail to be a good actor more than this! I’ve done guest spots with them and it’s endlessly fun)
The Great Pistachio (we’re also producing this fun absurdist comedy about making art at the end of the world)
Mr Cardboard (these clowns are such a delight, and surprisingly sentimental as well for how ridiculous they are)
Dirty Work (Jess is the best high status clown of all time, and I’m so excited to see my friend KILLING IT this year)
Furiozo: Man Looking for Trouble (easily top 3 favorite shows of any kind that I’ve ever seen in my life, and a huge inspiration for this piece. Piotr is a master clown, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt so taken care of as an audience member before)
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha (also easily in my top 3 favorite shows of any kind for pretty much all the same reasons as Furiozo. This show might be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. It made me laugh a lot, and cry a lot)
Readymades (I haven’t seen this yet, but Levi is an amazing performer, and a show about a urinal that walks away already has me hooked. Also the videos of the shadow puppetry I’ve seen have really blown me away).
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