“I was commissioned to write “Take The Bins Out” by a British businessman (who has asked, for personal reasons, to remain anonymous).”
WHO: Mark Janicello
WHAT: “Take The Bins Out is a dark comedy, telling the story of Finley Whitmore, whose congenital eye disorder wreaks havoc on his professional and personal life. It’s a touching, funny, one-man show with music. Bins stars TikTok Sensation Milo Mooney (@milomooner), a visually impaired actor in the title role. The play was written and directed by the award-winning author/playwright, Mark Janicello. ‘I’ve learned that there are all kinds of blindness, and true to form, I’m guilty of most of them. You must never lose sight of what’s important’ (Finley Whitmore).”
WHERE: Greenside @ Nicolson Square – Lime Studio (Venue 209)
WHEN: 18:25 (60 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
I attended the Fringe in 2019 and again in 2022, both times as an audience member. This is my first time attending the Fringe with a production. Back in 2019, I promised myself that I would be performing at the Fringe as I had so much fun there. I thought I would be here as an actor or a singer, and didn’t imagine that my first time would be as playwright/director.
In any case, it’s a thrill to be working in Edinburgh.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
I would hope that I continue to learn and grow on a daily basis, and not just from 2022 onwards. 🙂 I’ve been onstage or in front of a microphone or camera since I was 4 years old. I’m now 60. That’s 56 years of my life in the arts in one form or the other. The one truth that has never changed during these many years is that: “If you don’t grow, you shrink.” I moved to London two years ago from Berlin, Germany. I had spent 28 years in Europe (I also speak German and Dutch fluently), because I felt that I was no longer growing. I no longer felt challenged personally, professionally or artistically. I moved to London to be in a market where I was an absolute unknown and would have to really hustle and work very, very hard to make a name for myself — basically to “start over” at 58 years old. My friends in Europe thought I was crazy! However, in the UK you are competing for roles and jobs with Oscar-, Tony-, Brit-, Olivier-, Emmy- and Grammy Winners. It’s a HUGE challenge. It’s both difficult and at the same time a thrill, to be the “worst one in the room” and to continually have to “up my game” to compete.
Tell us about your show.
I was commissioned to write “Take The Bins Out” by a British businessman (who has asked, for personal reasons, to remain anonymous). In 2022, I answered an ad on StarNow or Mandy (I don’t recall which) looking for a playwright. This gentleman had an idea for a story and wanted someone to dramatize it. I sent some of my other stage works (I have written 7 other productions for the stage) as well as some of my screenplays and a few of my articles as a journalist and critic. He liked my writing a lot. After meeting in person a few times, hearing his concept for this project, and spending some time together, I accepted the commission. Over the period of a few months last Spring, I wrote the play.
The play, as it now stands, is quite different than what this gentleman originally envisioned. However, through our talks I felt that the core of the story was not in what he was communicating to me, but rather what he left unsaid. It was that “unsaid” storyline that I felt needed to be told. That was what interested me in doing this project, what he WASN’T saying. After quite a bit of back and forth and with some gentle arm-twisting, I convinced him, that what ended up as “Take The Bins Out” was the story he wanted to tell all along.
This same gentleman is providing the financing for the Edinburgh Production. I am producing and directing it. The Edinburgh Fringe is the World Premiere Production for “Take The Bins Out.” We plan on doing a regional production of the play sometime next season and eventually bring the show to London in an “Off” theatre.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
There are two “Opera for Kids/Young People” productions playing at the Fringe this year that look like a LOT of fun. I was an operatic tenor for many years. Opera and classical music as art forms are slowly dying out because we are not reaching younger audiences. These two shows (neither of which I have seen myself) are trying to introduce classical music in a lighthearted way to a new and younger audience. The Fringe, because the tickets are so inexpensive, is a perfect place to do that. It’s “low risk” in this setting. It’s not like you’re paying West End prices for something you’re not sure you’ll like. This way, people can experiment and see if that music and those stories speak to them. Both Brian Bannatyne Scott and “Madame Chandelier” look like they are having a blast. That joy with classical music is contagious and might encourage a new audience to seek out opera or classical music outside of the fringe. I’m all for it!
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