Dramaturgy in Human Skin: Nicole Henriksen @ Edfringe 2017

A Robot in Human Skin 

Presented and Written by Nicole Henriksen Award-nominated performer, writer, and producer Nicole Henriksen follows up her critically acclaimed theatre debut with a brand new piece. 

Known for tackling difficult topics with grace, wit, and tact, Henriksen's new work is no exception. 

A Robot In Human Skin is a fresh, truthful, and heartfelt look at mental health and the ways we treat and understand it. Come take a look into the Robot's mind. 

2 to 28 Aug, no show 15th Aug Time: 20:30 (60 mins running time) 

Venue: Daisy, Underbelly Med Quad, Teviot Place, EH8 9AG

What was the inspiration for this performance?

When I was touring my debut theatre show last year (Makin' It Rain, discussing my job as a stripper), I noted audiences really responded to a short moment in which I spoke about my mental health. And so, it felt that a show exploring mental health more deeply, but with the same balance from my debut theatre show, that of raw truth telling, and a whimsical cheeky voice in some moments, would create an important and beautiful show in A Robot In Human Skin.

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

I think performance will never cease to be the perfect space for public discussion of ideas. For me, the fact that a performance allows me time to plan out how I'd like to phrase a point, and form a connection with strangers in a room for an hour, affords me so much freedom and safety to be open and honest in a manner that might feel too daunting if it were an actual discussion, even with close friends. 

People can't talk back in a performance, they can leave never seeing me again, they can dismiss it because they see it as fiction. I have a freedom and a safety in performance, so I can discuss ideas in a manner I may never be able to in person, and so I can't see how it isn't the ideal place for that discussion.

How did you become interested in making performance?

I was about forty coffees and a mental breakdown away from being a novelist when I started watching The Mighty Boosh TV programme. It lit up my mind, entertained me, and made me feel I could make something like that. 

An exploration of melding art forms together to create something unique. And since comedy requires no formal training to get up on stage, I started performing stand up and writing alternative comedy shows. Then after five years, I created a theatre show about stripping and the frequently asked questions I receive as a sex worker. And from that reaction, I knew I had to keep creating theatre. 

I approach solo theatre with a different perspective than most because of those five years playing characters, creating music and multimedia, and learning the rules of timing, as a comedy performer. So that perspective creates something refreshing for audiences. And if that refreshing approach allows for more truthful discussion of topics such a mental health, I couldn't feel more proud to keep exploring theatre.

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

I think my process would give other theatre creators several stress-induced heart attacks. I never script a show completely. I allow a show to rattle around in my head for a few months or even a year, then I sit down and it pours out over a few writing sessions. 

During those sessions, I write notes and connect each section with dot points, but never lock down the content word for word, all while performing it in the process to ensure it flows correctly. I don't script because my shows need to feel open, vulnerable, and real, because they are. 

They're about my life and perspective, so I like to perform them fresh each time, knowing where I'm going, but allowing the wording to change as the moment requires it.

Does the show fit with your usual productions?

No. This is another departure from my comedy background, and not related to my previous theatre work, Makin' It Rain. A Robot In Human Skin stands alone as a piece on one person's experience of mental illness, though anyone who has seen Makin' It Rain, or even my previous comedy works, could see their influence in terms of structure and composition.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

The audience is actually my first thought. I work backwards once I work out how I'd like people to feel leaving the theatre, or picking up a flyer, or seeing a poster for the show. I'd hope the audience will leave feeling as though they've been held while being told a bedtime story that hit a slightly tender spot, but a very engaging storyline that kept them captivated, with a moral that left them asking questions of themselves and those close to them.

Makin It Dramaturgy: Nicole Henriksen @ Edfringe 2016

Makin It Rain, is a frank look behind the curtain of Nicole Henriksen "day job" as a stripper, as well as an examination of our society's relationship with gender, sexuality, and image. All while answering the frequently asked questions of the industry. As well as being given a slot in Underbelly this year, Makin It Rain is also part of the Underbelly Untapped programme.

What was the inspiration for this performance?
The main inspiration was every creative friend of mine asking "When are you doing a show about that?" when I'd mention I was working as a stripper to fund my comedy shows. So I thought, maybe I should write a show about my experiences, but also use the platform of intrigue about the sex industry to discuss issues of gender, sexuality, and self image within out society. I knew it would be a disservice to make this a comedy show, and I wanted to push myself outside of the comedy bubble I'd been performing in for four years, and into the theatre world I'd always been intrigued by.

How did you go about gathering the team for it?
It's a solo show written and directed by me, and I'm a good friend of mine, so I did the ground work for free as a favour, plus I was available to tour the show as well, what a win!

How did you become interested in making performance?
I've always been interested in artistic creation and it was all up in the air until The Mighty Boosh busted my brain open and I started performing comedy that became more and more alternative as the years and solo shows went on, and now, it's time to change things up and step into the theatre world with this show, while staying to my alt comedy progression with my other show Techno Glitter Penguins.

Was your process typical of the way that you make a performance?
Makin It Rain was different to any show I've written before, mainly because it's actually about my life, my day job, and my family. But also, it's a theatre show and I was hesitant that I wouldn't do the genre justice. So, when it came to writing this show, it was different to a comedy show where I can write bits on the road and try them out, I wrote draft after draft and performed a sort of preview with close friends as a sounding board. Then of course, I had to story board when I was gonna get naked.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?
The reactions so far on the Australian tour have ranged from whoops, cheers, and applause breaks, to couples holding hands and quietly wiping away tears, so my main aim is to have people connect with the show and take something away, which ever form that takes, I'm very happy.

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?
My main strategy is to create a relaxed feel to the show, to have the audience feel I'm an old friend sharing stories, rather than a performer on a stage. And really, I am sharing stories and reliving them as I go, so there's not a whole lot of strategy to the show, I just need to be ready to share, and everything else flows.

Do you see your work within any particular tradition?
Maybe I lack a knowledge of theatre and storytelling, but I don't really see my work within a tradition of sub genre of anything. It's some very candid stories, on a stage, and some commentary on on society, so I'm sure it fits in somewhere but maybe that's for the audience to decide.

Techno Glitter Dramaturgy: Nicole Henriksen @ Edfringe 2016

Techno Glitter Penguins is a new chapter of absurd, high-energy, pro-femme comedy. It's deranged characters and witty stand up comedy elements are an unapologetic antidote to the digestible monotony of the white and male mainstream. No jokes about toasters, tinder, and almond milk. 

What was the inspiration for this performance?
Techno Glitter Penguins is inspired by my disdain for the monotony of the straight, white, and male mainstream of comedy, and my burning want to provide an alternative to that. Shouting in my the poncho my mum made for me is what this world needs. Alternative comedy at its finest, obvs babes.

How did you go about gathering the team for it?
The team is just me so luckily I was available for the gig.

How did you become interested in making performance?
Many a moon ago, when I was a wee lass, my mind was busted

open by The Mighty Boosh, and I realised comedy didn't have to be complaining about petrol prices. And the more I became part of the comedy world, the more I wanted to create shows for those who didn't feel mainstream comedy was for them, and of course allow me to sing songs about the inevitability of death.

Was your process typical of the way that you make a performance?
In terms of my comedy shows, I write down ideas as they come to me throughout the year or so, trying out new material as I get the chance, and I smush the best bits together into a show when the time is right, and the air is thin, on a mountain top in the spring time.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?
My favourite response to Techno Glitter Penguins is people feeling that it was a truly original show and something that made them feel heard and included. So if it's not too grand, I'd love everyone to walk away feeling some of that.

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?
I'm always working to be more considerate of the audience and people's boundaries, if someone seems keen, then I'll work with them to create a unique moment, but if they're not up for involvement and I sense that, I often won't engage them outside of a compliment to let them know they're welcome in this space and I won't make them uncomfortable. Like any good art I want to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.

Do you see your work within any particular tradition?
I'm aware of the history and tradition of alternative comedy, but that doesn't really inform my work. I'm often more inspired by works of live theatre, TV drama, visual art, or simply having to sit through someone else's mediocre comedy show.