“The second lesson of the show, for me personally, is learning how to let my daughter grow up.”
WHO: April Wish …but I answer to Wendy lately
WHAT: “Following her return from Neverland, Wendy Darling, now grown-up, moves to Hollywood to become a writer. This modern take on the classic story of Peter Pan features a captivating score and non-stop multimedia with celebrity video appearances by Jon Cryer (Pretty in Pink, Two and a Half Men) and Busy Philipps (Freaks and Geeks). Wendy, a charming, potty-mouthed mother to a tweenager, finds herself stuck in a ‘creative death spiral’. Topical, heartfelt and hilarious, Wendy is ‘…a voice for all women who found out hard truths about the real world as they grew up’ (Orlando Sentinel).”
WHERE: theSpace @ Surgeons Hall – Stephenson Theatre (Venue 53)
WHEN: 17:55 (60 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
Coming from Los Angeles, I’ve known more than a few people who have been to Ed Fringe and they all say the same thing, almost verbatim: it’s the hardest thing they’ve ever done, grueling, emotional, expensive, terrifying. And that they can’t wait to go back next year.
As an artist myself, I know that this is code for it being a big experience with big feelings, and I want in on it. It will be my first year at the Big Show and I’m coming in with my mind – and heart – wide open.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
Oh, I LOVE this question! As a writer, so much of my personal story has ended up in this show and I believe that if I say the words out loud in front of other humans enough times, it will eventually click. Wendy, My Darling has a few key lessons for me and, no, I don’t believe I’ve fully learned them. The most obvious lesson is one that our main character’s best friend speaks freely and frequently about: giving less fucks. I’m not sure I will ever achieve zero fucks given, but I have learned to give at least a few less as I get (a little!) older. The second lesson of the show, for me personally, is learning how to let my daughter grow up. As “mommy adventures” become replaced by sleepovers with her friends and her morning cartoons turn to trashy teen sitcoms, I am working to find the magic and joy in our changing relationship…and that’s just not easy for me, a girl that never really did grow up (it’s why I do theatre!).
Tell us about your show.
Tammy Glover, a television producer and musician (toured with Sparks for many years) wrote her first solo Indie Rock album in the middle of the pandemic. She had seen my first one woman show the year before and wanted the album to inspire and become a companion to another art form: theatre. Her creative mission and mine completely aligned – to raise up female voices and stories. We brought on Krysia Plonka, who resonated with our message and has added a great deal of depth to the show, as well as bringing on some notable talent. Jon Cryer and Busy Philipps recorded their roles within the same week, we crafted the show in a few months, and we have been racing around Canada and the US with it, refining and solidifying as we go. We will be launching the World Premiere, the result of nearly 9 months of previews and editing, at Ed Fringe this year. We are looking forward to exploring the many forms this story can take following the fringe, as we have an eye on an international tour as well.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
I want to take this opportunity to shout out F-Bomb Theatre (www.fbombtheatre.co.uk) for putting together FemiFringe, an entire program dedicated to feminist theatre. I hope that audiences will show that, when women are given a voice, they will go and listen. Maybe one day Hollywood will take notice and give us all more than superhero movies or murder shows. I also want to mention that at least a dozen solo theatre artists from Los Angeles have been chatting away for months now, talking though details, sharing links and ideas and generally helping to lift each other up. Please consider: Rise and Hollywouldn’t.
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