“eing one project among many and tapping into this collective experience is thrilling – we rarely get that in everyday life.”
WHO: Cleopatra Coleman
WHAT: “‘I became the Jeremy Clarkson of tits.’ In this tender off-beat comedy, a mother and daughter survey the changes in their lives while waiting onboard a plane. One is getting used to an empty nest, the other to adulthood. They both hold high hopes for the coming trip together but, with their flight delayed, reunion proves more turbulent than anticipated. Like passengers eavesdropping, we overhear a relationship in need of renewal between two women unsure of how to navigate change. Negotiating emotional crosswinds, they surprise each other with a mischievous, zigzagging honesty.”
WHERE: Paradise in The Vault – The Annexe (Venue 29)
WHEN: 11:40 (60 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
This is my first time at the Fringe, both as attendee and as show-maker, although various members of my company have participated in the festival before. What a revelation the Fringe is! Being one project among many and tapping into this collective experience is thrilling – we rarely get that in everyday life. It’s carnivalesque, varied, surprising; you never know what you will find or who you will meet. To quote a friend who regularly works at the festival, Edinburgh during the Fringe is ‘a sexy, pumped up place’. Agreed.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
As a 22-yr-old newbie to the scene, developing ‘Window Seat’ for EdFringe has surpassed the rigorous education I longing for. At every stage in the process, but particularly during the festival itself, there has been no other option but to learn and adapt – on the spot. This is hugely exciting and leaves me feeling very lucky.
It’s also great fun. Of course, there’s A LOT of work in putting together a show and finding a public, but fun is what makes it irresistible, to audience and performer. Both in what I have watched at the Fringe and what I have sought to bring to ‘Window Seat’: playful remains paramount.
Maud May and Helen Rose-Hampton, Window Seat’s two actors, have taught me so much. We’re at different ages and came to the project with various artistic, personal and professional experiences, but their openness and their willingness to be challenged has been inspiring.
Other golden advice I keep returning to:
– It’s about doing what you love, being courteous and open, and staying in the game.
– Without fear there can be no courage!
– Never be shy asking for advice. People love to help where they can, especially if you start with a manageable request…
Tell us about your show.
I first wrote and staged ‘Window Seat’ as a university production last spring, at the Burton Taylor studio in Oxford. We were on for 5 nights and were delighted by our audiences. Shout out to the amazing cast at the time: Avanthika Balaji and Marianne Nossair (who is currently at EdFringe starring in ‘Placeholder’ @roselaneproductions and ‘Bucket List’ @showdonttellproductions).
I wanted to tell the story again, to adapt and re-write it, this time casting an age-appropriate duo. The scenario still interested me – mum and daughter at a cross-roads in their lives, forced to sit next to each other – as did the tongue-in-cheek, ever-revolving and highly “fem” mode that ‘Window Seat’ tunes into.
I joined with Nick Yale just before Christmas, co-producer and a student here in Edinburgh, to form Swoop Productions. We held open auditions, and eventually found the wonderful Maud and Helen. The ball was rolling, fund-raising under way, and as rehearsals kicked off, my brilliant peers Hortense Duchemin and Comfort Maseko completed the team as co-producers/marketers.
We would love to bring ‘Window Seat’ to a theatre after the Fringe, to follow on from all the creative fermentation and insights gained here at the festival. It’s a simple (and highly portable) show: two airplane seats will do. The festival has brought us confidence in ourselves and in our audience. Thank you, Edinburgh!
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
Where to start!
Playfight – fast-paced and extraordinarily performed by three very talented women. Too absorbed to realise you are crying and then lights are up!
A Silent Scandal – emerging from Trinity College Dublin. Very well-written and Eoghan Quinn masterfully portrays a very conflicted headmaster.
Free Footlights – hilarious, dark, imaginative sketches devised by the young comedians themselves. Especially love Frankie Browne’s!
Dick. – Not afraid to tackle tricky issues and very well acted. We especially enjoyed the story about the sandwich.
Umbilical Brothers – Cerebral, whacky and mesmerising
With All My Fondest Love – a young man’s beautiful exploration into his grandfather’s life
Suitcase Show by Trick of The Light Theatre – timeless multi-media story telling about journeying
Mythos: Ragnarök – Epic norse mythology told through WWE wrestling
Carter Morgan: The Death of Cool – I haven’t yet made it to Carter’s show yet, but after standing next to each other in a queue for several hours, I say GO!
Same goes for Intelligent Bisexual Woman – some wicked comedy coming out of NYC atm!
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