Thursday 22 June 2017

Me & My Dramaturgy: Josie Dale-Jones @ Edfringe 2017

Me & My Bee
A new family comedy.
Co-produced by Pleasance.
Venue: Pleasance Courtyard
Dates: 2nd - 28th August (excl. 15th)
Time: 11.45am (1 hour)


Climate change is massive. Bees aren’t.

Our fuzzy little friends need our help and so we’re launching a political party disguised as a party party disguised as a show. There’s only one problem. The bees are dying and without them, we will too. Multi award-winning theatre company, ThisEgg, invites you to save the world - one bee at a time. A  new family comedy with live music. Plant the seed for change, join the Bee Party.

What was the inspiration for this performance?

The show is about bees going extinct and the impact that could have on us humans - in a way it is inspired by the dying bees but that seems too negative. I think the main inspiration is the hope that we can help raise awareness through making a family show about it so we can all work together to do something before it is too late. 

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas? 

It would be very sad if it wasn’t! That said, having too many hecklers might not get us anywhere… But in seriousness, theatre is all about ideas and trying to find ways of understanding them… Maybe?

How did you become interested in making performance?

I grew up in and around devised theatre. I watched it all the time. I wanted to perform and so I started making shows I could be in…

Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?

It is a family show. For us that means that adults will enjoy it just as much as children will. The main thing in approaching this show has been our target audience. Testing the material to different audiences in different contexts along the process has been really important.

Does the show fit with your usual productions?

It’s very accessible in style, we often speak directly to the audience. It’s often a bit ‘meta’…
It’s comic.
It has a DIY feel to it.
It plays with form.


What do you hope that the audience will experience?

A jam packed show with a host of slightly bizarre characters. We hope our audience will enjoy the story, learn some fun bee stuff and leave feeling empowered to make a difference (i.e. save the world)!

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?


Well, the premise of the piece is that it is a political party disguised as a party party disguised as a show. Show we are always functioning on different layers - the party party being key to the audience experience as we mainly want people to leave having had a good time (and loving the bees).


Me & My Bee is a show for children & adults, tackling a bigger issue in a more intimate manner. The show plays with how we can make what we imagine become real. It is about cause and effect. It is about humans as much as it is about bees. It is about doing more to help, before it is too late.

Devised and Performed by Joe Boylan, Josie Dale-Jones and Greta Mitchell, this is an imaginative piece of comic theatre charged with vitality and immediacy.







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