“This show has been evolving for two years now and I guess it seemed like a nice way to kill it off. You know, celebrate it’s due demise at the festival of all festivals.”
WHO: Sammy Trotman
WHAT: “This is not a show about mental health. This is a disorder. Is it rehearsed? That depends. Scripted? Half. Improvised? Absolutely not. Is it a play? No it’s not a f*cking play. F*ck off. My cousin in christ, this is a borderline comedy. ‘Falls into almost every category of art, or none of it: its own individual masterpiece of mess’ ***** (BroadwayBaby.com). ‘Hilarious’ ***** (LostInTheatreland.com). ‘Essential’ ***** (NorthWestEnd.co.uk).”
WHERE: ZOO Southside – Studio (Venue 82)
WHEN: 20:00 (75 min)
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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
Yes it is going to be our first time. We’re a little nervous. It seemed like a good idea to go to Edinburgh, because isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? This show has been evolving for two years now and I guess it seemed like a nice way to kill it off. You know, celebrate it’s due demise at the festival of all festivals.
We’ve done Brighton Fringe twice with this show, as well as Greater Manchester Fringe once. I guess it really brings home how lucky we are as a production and team to have the resources we do to make this work amidst the uncertainty of Festivals. That said, Manchester was an absolute blast. They were ludicrously supportive.
But they are wonderful places to meet fellow artists and explore new work. I love being shocked by art, and there’s no better place to find the weird and wonderful than at Fringes.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
I’ve learned not to take criticism personally. That said, I’ve definitely not absorbed it but I’m getting there. The show is highly controversial and we’ve had walkouts during a few this year. If that had happened in 2023 I think I would have changed my name and left the country. I don’t like upsetting people but I’m trying to tell myself that ‘good’ art is divisive.
I’ve also learned that Aptamil is a drastically underrated hair product. It’s better than salt spray. I couldn’t recommend it more for full volume curls. My hair has been living it’s best life since we introduced an Aptamil shower mid-show.
Tell us about your show.
The show is really difficult to explain and that isn’t on purpose. It’s a lived experience of madness on a stage, and ‘madness’ is hard to decipher else it wouldn’t be madness, right?
I wrote it a couple of years ago – and it’s a collection of different forms of ‘writing’ that I found easiest to express myself with at the time. I smashed together all these different individual skits – stand-up, sketch and songs – which all ended up working together to reject the personality disorder diagnosis.
I met our director, Jake, whilst working in a pub and we became anxious little friends. For some reason despite not knowing him for too long, I thought he’d get what I’d written. So I pretty much forced him to listen to me reel off jokes about my brain for an hour and the rest was history. Jake and I then started doing the show together on whims and changing it up every time we did.
On one of our runs I needed a technician last minute so I cornered my friend Scott (I have a habit of making people do things they don’t realise they want to) who is a landscape gardener and musician. I don’t know why I assumed he knew how to work a lighting desk, but I would be discrediting him if I said he didn’t because despite never using one before that show he smashed it. And he’s continued smashing it ever since. It’s kind of lovely in a way that we’ve all learned on the job and managed to make what we have and grow in our own right. The three of us called ourselves Covered in Jam because we realised that was how you get taken seriously in this life and got venues to reply to your emails. So the three of us (Covered in Jam) are the original creators and producers.
Along the way I happened to meet Stephen Bailey over at ASYLUM ARTS (Surfacing, It’s a MotherF*cking Pleasure) who wrote our Arts Council bid for us (successfully!) and took over producing the show from CIJ for the UK Tour this year. I was exhausted at this point & so grateful for Stephen taking the load. We wouldn’t be where we are without the help of ASYLUM. We’ve since performed the show around the Uk and Wales, selling out 7 venues respectively including The Camden People’s Theatre, Wales Millenium Centre, Brighton and Manchester Fringes. I’m grateful to have Stephen’s continued support during Edinburgh despite the fact CIJ now have the production reigns again.
We are also working closely with Brightmouth Production run by artists and collaborators Nathan and Theo who worked as Associate Producers on the UK tour and are helping us produce the show in Edinburgh too.
I feel so lucky to be surrounded by such cool people. It’s really crazy how the last 24 months have turned out.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
Okay top five from me to you:
ALL THE MEN ARE GOING TO HATE ME by Maria Telkinoff over at Underbelly. Saw it at Brighton, it’s like if Bridget Jones and Rupi Kaur had a love child with ADHD. Chefs kiss.
TESTO by Wet Mess at Zoo Southside (main hall) 11-25th Aug. It’s part of the Here and Now Showcase, sounds f*cking animalistic and mind bendy and I need it. Also though, wait – so You Heard Me by Luca Rutherford is also part of H&N and ALSO at Zoo – that’s another one I want to watch – it looks fierce and I’m slightly scared of it.
NEUROCHATTER by Sara Harvey (Agony Autie) at Surgeons Hall. It’s on from the 19th-23rd Aug. I haven’t seen the show yet but I know it’s about the construct of Dissociative Identity Disorder and brings to light the harm of Psychiatric trauma. Go and support more mad artists!
LOOK AFTER YOUR KNEES by Natalie Bellingham over at The Pleasance 31st Jul – 26th Aug. I have a significantly long list of things I regret during my life so far and one of those things is not looking after my knees.
MANIKIN by working-class theatre co Saltire Sky over at the Wee Red Cross. The show is a collab with the British Obesity society and seeks to challenge the stigma and call out society’s relationship with it. And basically, I think that’s really f*cking important and should be seen.
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