Show Me The Dramaturgy: Paula Varjack @ Edfringe 2017

Show Me The Money – Paula Varjack

Venue: Bedlam Theatre, Venue 49       

Dates: 2-13 Aug (not 5, 6)  

Time: 15.30 (55 mins)

What was the inspiration for this performance/show?

A few years ago, I came to a point in my career where I felt like I hit a wall. Six years ago I had given up my previous career as a production manager working in animation to pursue making performance. Months away from my 36th birthday with no savings a growing overdraft and no idea what I would be doing next for work, I began to reconsider the choice that I had made. Did I really want to continue living this way in five years, or five years after that? As much as I loved performing, was this really a lifestyle I could sustain long term. 

I then decided that rather than this being a reason for panic, it could be the source of material for a new show. I would go around the country interviewing artists of different ages, artforms and career stages about what they did to sustain themselves as artists and to support themselves financially, through their art or in order to make art. I felt like if I opened up the conversation to others I could share the different soloutions and processes, and at the very least find solidarity around what I was going through. 

Show Me The Money is the result of that journey, of all the conversations I had, and all the internal concerns I had and have. It paints a very clear picture of what the financial reality is for artists in the U.K. right now. 

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

I think it can be because it engages in a completely different way from essays, or talks, or conferences or even journalism. It can bring issues alive to make people think and feel about them, it can humanise questions and concerns rather than just raising them. 

It also can help show the nuances around these debates. My work tends to be interview based, it is born out of conversations, and I think this is my way of sparking further conversations that happen with audiences after the show finishes, after they leave the room. 

How did you first become interested in making performance?

The funny thing is my career has kind of been a full circle coming back to theatre in a way. I was very active in my high school theatre department from age 15, as a stage manager and then assistant director. I then went on to RADA to train in stage management and technical production, and then at London Film School in film production. I was always more interested in being back stage. 

The shift for me happened shortly before my 30th birthday. A friend invited me to perform a cabaret night she was organising. I don't even know if she meant the invitation seriously. But the event was happening on my 30th birthday, and I loved the idea of challenging myself on my 30th birthday, so I came up with an act and a 10-15 minute set. After that night it was all I wanted to do, and I have focused my energy on how to keep doing it ever since.

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

I knew I wanted the show to come from and involve all these interviews I would make. I also knew I wanted the interviews to be talking head documentary style. So the use of this video, and how to work with my own story and storytelling very much led the show. 

I work very closely and collaboratively with a dramaturg based in Sweden called Martin Bengtsson, and he had an integral role in making sense of all the material I collaed, and figuring out how to thread my story with it.

Does the show fit with the style of your other productions?

I think because my practice has evolved through

working in different disciplines, technical theatre, filmmaking, performance and spoken word, there is always something about it crossing and combining art forms, the multimedia element is very important, and a this moment I suppose very much my style. 

But then I also like to think that I am open to the form of something until I am clear on the subject and my thoughts around it. So in this way each show works with these elements a differently 

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

I hope they will come a way with a sense of what the human cost of the art they consume is, and with a passion for continuing to support it. For artists I hope they will come away with a sense of solidarity that no matter how hard what they are going through may be, others are going through the same. Another big theme in the show is transparency. I think we are so awkward in this country about talking about money openly, and I hope the show will inspire people to think about that in a different way. 

Show Me The Money - Trailer from paula varjack on Vimeo.

The Dramaturgy Curse: Pelican @ Edfringe 2017

The Cat Man Curse

Produced by Pelican

Created and Performed by Sam Grabiner, Jordan Mitchell & Guy Emanuel

Directed by Lucy Moss

Edinburgh Fringe Bedlam Theatre 3-28th August (not 9th, 16th and 23rd) 20:00 £8 (full price) £6 (concession)

The Cat Man Curse, a fast paced, surreal comedy, makes its Edinburgh Festival Fringe premier. TV actor Charles Heron has it all thanks to his career playing hot-shot lawyer, Harvey Hardtruth. However, when an old Hollywood curse turns Heron's life upside down he must join forces with Mark Swift, a real-life solicitor who suspects the curse is not all it seems.

What was the inspiration for this performance?

We’ve been making sketch shows for a while now and we really wanted to make something with a bit more of an overriding narrative.

We watched a lot of Scooby Doo episodes, as well as a bunch of really terrible 70’s law dramas. So in terms of inspiration, it’s been that kind of thing along with a lot of our favourite comedy from over the past few years. 

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

It probably is. But if you’re looking for the public discussion of ideas… Well, let’s just say that The Cat Man Curse is basically a surreal narrative comedy show. We hope you laugh and we hope you have fun. But we’re trying to tickle your heart more than your brain! 

How did you become interested in making performance?

We all met at university and started making stuff together pretty quickly. Each of us came to Pelican(our company) from quite different performance backgrounds, ranging from film to music to theatre. It’s been really exciting bringing those different experiences together and seeing what kind of thing we make as a group. As a result we think that The Cat Man Curse is a real mix: part physical comedy, part storytelling, part dance show.  

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

It tends to be a mixture of playing around and having a lot of fun in a room together and then repeatedly smashing our heads against an extremely hard and immovable wall. We’ve been lucky enough to develop this show over quite a long period of time so quite a lot of the writing has happened in front of audiences, which is a real pleasure as the audiences are such a fundamental part of The Cat Man Curse. 

We previewed the show back in January and have been taking it to festivals over the last few months. We really want this to be a show that keeps growing and developing as we take it along. 

Does the show fit with your usual productions?

Yes and No. In some ways we are doing lots of the stuff we usually do: fast paced physical comedy; lots of home-made props and costumes; a kind of organised chaos. In other ways, it’s really different. We are working with a coherent (we hope…) narrative rather than a disparate collection of sketches, and although there is plenty of multi-rolling going on, each of us has a character that we stick to for most of the show. That’s a real first for us and we hope that the result will feel like something between a play and a comedy show. 

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

We want them, first and foremost, to have fun! And we want them to feel included in the whole thing. To feel like they’ve been a part of an hour that is genuinely live and unique and couldn’t be repeated again in the exact same way the next night. 

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?

A lot of it is to do with the way we perform. We try and stay open and attentive to the kind of audience that happens to be in each night. But we also write the show with space for moments of improvisation. There are parts of The Cat Man Curse that are left open and flexible and others that are more strict and tight. It’s about walking that tightrope between a crafted show that obeys certain rhythms and a show that feels live and chaotic. We’ll see if it works!

Implicated in a series of bizarre, interconnected crimes, Heron and Swift must work together in this 1970’s noir mystery to unravel a nefarious plot.

Turning the mundane into the incredible, Pelican’s ingenious use of sets and everyday props coupled with their dedication to the absurd and joyful creates worlds this audience can get lost in and occasionally be a part of.

All graduates of the Cambridge Footlights and with training at L’ecole Philippe Gaulier, this trio is experienced in physical theatre and delivering surreal comedy. Sam Grabiner is both a graduate of the Royal Court Theatre Young Writers’ Programme and resident playwright at Papatango Theatre Company. Jordan Mitchell has directed two of Sam’s plays: STIFF! (Winner of the Footlights Harry Porter Prize 2014, judged by Tom Basden) and Amygdala Wonderland (Shortlisted for the Papatango New Writing Prize 2015). Guy Emanuel has a background in music and is the composer for The Cat Man Curse. Director, Lucy Moss was also the Assistant Director on 'Boris - World King' (4* The Stage, 5* Broadway Baby) at Edinburgh Fringe 2016.

Pelican combine intelligent sketch-inspired material with a clownish playful style that all shines through in The Cat Man Curse.

Dramaturgy in John: Britney @ Edfringe 2017

Britney

Charly Clive and Ellen Robertson

'Britney in: John'. 

2 August - 28 August (not 13 or 20), Bedlam Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe.

What was the inspiration for this performance?

The performance is based very much on the year which we spent together in 2011 when we were 18, travelling around America on Greyhound Buses attempting to make a documentary, based upon one of the lesser known founding fathers, John Hancock. 

Hopefully it'll be a heart-warming and hilarious show about two very naïve and cinematically untalented teenagers.

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

Yes, although during the actual performance it’s easier for us if public discussion is at least dulled to a soft whisper- it’s harder to perform to a debating audience.

How did you become interested in making performance?

Mrs Mason’s year 7 drama club was an ensnaring, glamorous preview of what a showbiz life could be: games of grandmother’s footsteps; intense devised pieces about bullying; and of course the many sessions in which Mrs Mason would be quite tired so we’d watch one of the schools many DVD copies of The Prince of Egypt.

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

There's been a lot of sifting through footage. Hours upon hours of footage, and pages upon pages of blogs, that we recorded and wrote whilst we were travelling back in 2011. So it's been a bit of a jigsaw putting it all together. A badly-filmed, poorly sound-recorded jigsaw.

Does the show fit with your usual productions?

We’ve only done one other together. Hopefully, this show is similar to everything that people loved about Britney and totally different to everything that people hated about Britney. 

We are using quite a bit of projection, which is both exciting and challenging, and we think it's a continuation of Britney as a sketch-duo, but with plenty of new and exciting variations. 

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

We are hoping - no, expecting - laughter, tears, gushing reviews on the Ed Fringe website, and post-show donations and drinks. They will experience a multimedia show like no other, with scenes of humour, of pathos, and of projection. Probably one person a night will experience not making it to the bathroom on time after one too many pints and a big old laugh, and we’re sorry for that in advance. 

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Bedlam Dramaturgy!

 BEDLAM  THEATRE  2017   PROGRAMME  ANNOUNCEMENT

     

It is with great pleasure that we introduce the acts that make up the 2017 core programme. Even now in our 37th year at the festival, we feel that we have brought something new to this hallowed space. Our acts play to the venue’s strengths.

Over the years Bedlam has become known for bringing refreshing comedy and new writing to the festival and this year is no exception. Our performers represent the most promising new talent of the festival. We believe in their work. We know that you will too. Below is a small preview of our mainstage companies.


Mainstays of the Bedlam stage, BABOLIN, return with their new play, PHOOLS. The story of Phools Mortalsby and the last song ever to be sung.

Exciting new playwright ÁINE RYAN brings us her play UP THE HILL JACKIE. Expect to laugh through your tears in this tale of two Irish sisters. 

 Award-­‐winning comedian SOFIE HAGEN returns to the fringe with her third and funniest show DEAD BABY FROG. PAULA VARJACK brings us SHOW ME THE MONEY. Is it still possible to be an artist in austerity Britain? Varjack sets out to answer this through a blend of interviews and live performance. 

The EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY THEATRE COMPANY bring us SUGAR & SALT. A piece of clever and insightful writing that cuts to the heart of the student experience.




Award-­‐winning Welsh theatre THE OTHER ROOM bring us SEANMHAIR (shen-­‐ a-­‐var); Set in Edinburgh, Hywel John’s story is a brutal tale of fated love and lives gone by.




BRITNEY go on a road trip to America in JOHN. The fearless comedians who tackled brain tumours and left us in stitches in their last show are in search of the typical American man.




Up-­‐and-­‐comers PELICAN bring us their latest offering in THE CAT MAN CURSE. Three ex-­‐Footlights tell the story of a TV actor, a solicitor, and an old Hollywood curse.

The positively regal, PRINCES OF MAIN, come to Bedlam to host NEW YEAR’S EVE. Bombastic characters and lightning-­‐quick punchlines set against the backdrop of an outrageous New Year’s Eve party.

Interview with Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller, Current President of EUTC.

1. How did performing at Bedlam shape your career/style?

Bedlam let me try everything I could think of! It showed me a place where if you have an idea and some drive you can find a glorious team of people and work together to make cool stuff for everyone. What better place than a theatre that encourages new collaborations and creativity each season, hell, each week?

My ‘style’ has become making something new, funny, entertaining, and pointed every time I can. No entertainment is without its implications, but no one likes a droning production do they? Bedlam lets me work with real, fabulous people who are honest and daring, whom I honestly trust to help me sculpt engaging and interesting productions that an audience can enjoy and think about.

I would not have explored my interests as a director or a playwright without the support and talent at Bedlam, and I am grateful every rehearsal for that.

2. Describe your style of acting with one adjective.

Loud.

3. What is it about Bedlam that makes it so gosh darn special?

At risk of repeating myself I’ll keep it brief. It encourages you. You can write a play, direct a play, act in a play, design some kickass tech for a play – or a reading, or an exhibition, or an ‘open rehearsal,’ what have you – and people will come and watch. And support you. Even if it’s not their thing. I love that. That’s pretty darn special isn’t it?

4. If you could summarize Bedlam in one word, what would it be?

Encouraging. Boom.

5. How did you end up working at Bedlam?

It was always in my mind when I was looking at the University that it was the home of one of the UK’s largest and most prolific student theatre companies. I took the tour in my first week in Edinburgh and met some absolutely unforgettable people, and felt so welcome. I fell right into the Bedlam vortex, and was so lucky to get parts and partnerships in my first months.

After I played Jesus Christ in the 2015 Panto my fate was sealed. Running for President was something I had thought about here and there, but I always felt like I could do more on the purely creative side. I realized after a while that it was the personal, societal side that made me feel so happy and welcome in my first experiences in this new city and with this new society, and I want to replicate that for as many newcomers, to the university and to theatre, as I can. So I’m sticking around to preside.

6. When you’re not completely consumed and enthralled by the world of theatre and stand-up, what do you get up to?

Films. I watch an unreasonable amount of films week to week. I’ve got a projector in my room, it’s that deep. I make films and take photographs when I can.

Music, as well. I’ve almost always got something playing, soundtracking my life minute to minute. So if I’ve got a crazy look in my eye walking down the street with headphones in then it’s probably an intense part of a song.

I ride horses and hang out with my cats when I’m back in my hometown of Washington, DC. They say hi.

7. Is there any particular act you’re excited about in this year’s lineup? You can see it here: http://bedlamfringe.co.uk/programme-2/

I’m looking forward to watching what the EUTC has put together! The Improverts, of course; I’m sure I’ll spend more than a few boozy evenings at Bedlam to watch them. I am most excited about original writing in general, and I’m very glad the EUTC is putting on an original play for its Fringe slot. I’ll be seeing Sugar and Salt for sure.

8. Between the coldbrew and the beer, which one will be your beverage of choice for this year’s Fringe?

I’ll probably sample all of them and more.

9. As a veteran Fringe-goer, what are your do’s and don’ts for the 2017 edition of the festival?

Forget sleep. Fringe is much more fun the weirder you feel.

And come see Mack The Knife at Bourbon ☺

This is Living @ Bedlam

One thing that the Fringe does bring: new playwrights. It is a question whether theatre needs them, but there are here in abundance.

This is Living is determinedly modern in its content - no old time kings hacking through their families, no star-crossed underaged lovers twisted to become a symbol of something.

My suspicion of the script aside, it is this wave of new writers who keep theatre relevant, and it seems necessary for a healthy scene. I just worry about the financial burden that they might incur. 

Fringe Fun with Fing Fang Foom (PART 1)

The foom continues his tips on the following page...