Archive for the ‘Interviews’ Category

10 Questions: An interview with Delete the Banjax

Monday, August 15th, 2011

Today we chat to Delete the Banjax.   Gaz, Sam, Dan and Caz return to the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe with their animated and spirited sketch comedy.

Delete the Banjax 3 Credit Andy Hollingworth

Delete the Banjax: Pigs & Ponies
Pleasance Courtyard
3rd-29th August (not 15th)
18.20 pm

1.   Describe yourself.

Delete the Banjax – Gaz, Sam, Dan and Caz – three men and a little lady. Doing sketch comedy.

2.     Tell us about your show/s at this year’s 2011 Edinburgh Fringe?

Sam – it’s called “Pigs and Ponies” (6.20pm Pleasance Courtyard). It’s our fourth Edinburgh show, full of fast-paced and slightly surreal comedy sketches, characters and songs. We’ve pulled out all the stops this year. We’ve got a box on stage. No pigs or ponies were willing to accompany us to Edinburgh though, so don’t expect to see any of them.

3.     What lasting image can be captured from seeing one of your shows?

Dan – Sam in his pants. Honestly, no matter how hard we try, we can’t shake that horrific image from our minds.

4.     What’s your catchphrase?

Gaz – Think it’s time for a drink.

5.     What inspires your creative processes?

Caz – That makes it sound like we actually have a process. And creativity. And inspiration.

Sam – I suppose, anything that’s funny, really. There are a lot of acts on the circuit we think are great and seeing them always makes us think we should be working harder.

6.     How would you describe the perfect “Review”?

Gaz – For the last few years we’ve always assumed the perfect review would contain the following lines:  “This is the greatest show in the world. The writing was gold. The acting was the best acting I’ve ever seen”.  No matter how good a review, it’s always disappointing when those sentences aren’t included.

7.     What really bugs you travelling from show to show?

Sam – the travelling.
Dan – the show.
Gaz – the bugs.
Caz – you.

8.     Have you ever thought of leaving the arts and pursuing a so called, “steadier career”?

Gaz – We’ve all thought about it but I doubt we’ve ever considered it seriously as an option. None of us like making money or going on holiday or being able to afford food, so it would be a pointless career change.

9.     You’re ruler of the People’s Republic in your local area.  What’s the first law you would enact?

Caz – free crisps.
Gaz – free beer.
Sam – remove all height restrictions on theme park rides.
Dan – mandatory public nudity.

10.    A film is made of your life.  What would it be called and who would you choose to play you?

Title: What does Delete the Banjax mean?
Actors:     Gareth – Stephen Merchant or one of The Proclaimers
Caz – would probably refuse to be featured in it. Or Sheridan Smith
Dan – Peter Crouch
Sam – Danny DeVito

Flick Morris

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The “Terribles” Award – Interview by Hannah Van Den Bergh

Sunday, August 14th, 2011

Terrible Infants 'Beatrice' - Graham LewisCroppedSmall

To celebrate ten years worth of Les Enfantes Terribles (L.E.T) here in Edinburgh, what better way to celebrate than to launch their new award of the same name in the city that has become their home? Hunting for new script writing potential, I speak to James Seager, partner of L.E.T, to discuss what’s in store for the company who’ve hurdled from strength to strength over the past few years.

“Everything we’ve learnt has been down to trial and error; we’ve discovered what to do and what not to do in Edinburgh, and without sounding too worthy, we want to give something back.” Seager goes on to demonstrate how L.E.T will use their acquired knowledge to prevent the irrefutable winners from making the same mistakes. With Pleasance also jumping on board the project by preserving a performance space for the winners cum 2012 (a prestigious slot here at the Fringe), and with Anthony and Caz (brain team behind the organisation of the Pleasance) forming a respectable half of the judging panel, they are in search for the pinnacle of new script writing.

Terrible Infants Tilly loved telling tales - Karen Scott PhotographySmall

Seager announces that alongside the personal mentor the winner will find in Oliver Lansley and himself as producer – offering a pragmatical approach to topics such as how and where to spend money – they will also receive a £1,000 grant to help toward their 2012 Fringe journey.

To apply, writers are requested to submit scripts for new work and, if shortlisted, will be asked to culminate in Islington, London to perform a ten minute slot of their piece for the judges’ perusal. Seager himself highlights that he is looking for a strong, well written script that oozes the enthusiasm and passion that he thinks L.E.T embodies. Although, don’t think L.E.T are looking for something that mirrors their repertoire; they’re trying to find something worthy that they enjoy, and if it matches the absurdist tones of their work, then that’s just an added bonus.

More details will become available on their website later this month, after the greatly anticipated premiere of L.E.T’s written work at their first book launch (to be confirmed between 20-24 August 2011). The Pleasance Dome are housing the event which will involve members of the cast from the original Terrible Infants production, and those performing in the running stage show of The Infant, which is currently playing at Pleasance Courtyard at 14.35 daily (page 271 in the fringe programme).

The book itself is a collation of L.E.T’s past three Edinburgh shows – The Terrible Infants (that ran for three consecutive years at the Fringe), The Vaudevillains (a macabre musical that ran for a month at The Charing Cross Theatre) and Earnest and The Pale Moon. A massive step away from a sensory and visual, stage extravaganza, the books risk losing many of the elements that make them such a joy to watch on stage – Seager should know, having seen The Terrible Infants 120 times to date. But ultimately, the success these pieces exude highlights the talent and finesse of their writer, Oliver Lansley, who’s made them work as stand alone stories.

There is similar talk of a picture book on the horizon, embodying the Tim Burton-cum-Roald Dahl features that makes L.E.T so unique. Sam Wyer, designer, has crafted potential mock-ups based on the original stage designs for the production, but any further developments wait to be seen. Furthermore, the potential opportunity from Lansley’s talks with the West End for a run of Vaudevillains, speak of touring in Australia and interest from animation and film producers for The Terrible Infants flags the excitement and success that could see L.E.T’s repertoire grow even bigger still. But the gross costs and current economic climate stands in their way without remorse, particularly with a large cast of twelve and band. Money is inevitably a serious obstacle for an un-funded company who wishes to bring the arts to the masses; one that Seager mentions is having a negative impact on the touring circuit and depriving the quality and risk of the performances that are brought to the forefront of public attention. Convincing people to get off the sofa and pay for a show in their hometowns can be an exceptionally difficult task to undertake, however with backing from Dame Judi Dench, who offered her support after seeing an original performance of The Terrible Infants at a charity event in 2007 and recorded the voice for the fifth story, Beatrice, the burden is somewhat eased.

Terrible Infants The Infant-90SmallThe unrivalled success of The Terrible Infants is to see the potential incorporation of a sixth story – Finbar, the boy who wished to be a fish – is a prose extension of the other well-loved fables from Thingummyboy who has a face even his mother forgets and is ignored to the point of non-existence, to Meet Tumb, the boy who ends up eating his mum. The accessibility and, often touching layers of these stories offer them a wide demographic. And although Seager can’t pick his favourite L.E.T piece, telling me that would be like “picking his favourite child”, the joy in his expression captures the mixture of macabre and childhood innocence across the three original pieces that have staked claim in the book compilation.

L.E.T’s current play, The Infant – an absurdist fascination into the paranoid reactions to terrorism when a picture depicting the plans for destruction of civilised society is found and claimed to be the work of a four year old – is a shock to audiences who know their three original works well. This Rosencrantz and Guildenstern approach to apply is, however, far form a departure of the typical L.E.T style, but merely an extension to their beautiful works. With eyes on the horizon for a potential reinterpretation of Immaculate, a laugh-out-loud comedy farce that has established quite a student following, pinpoints the chameleonic nature of Les Enfantes, who are constantly adapting to bring new, exciting pieces of theatre to stages across the world, from England to Asia, and well recognised by critics’ choice nominations in The Times, Time Out and The Telegraph.

Seager, hoping to see a new production that really blows him off his feet this year at the Fringe, is at least finding some time to appreciate the vast array of sweet theatre treats on display this August. With praise for Blind Summit Theatre’s production of The Table at Pleasance Dome things are already looking hopeful… but either way, Seager is prepared with his list and keeping his eyes peeled.

Don’t forget to check Les Enfantes Terribles website to make sure you don’t miss their book launch this August…..

Hannah Van Den Bergh ReviewerMini

Interview by Hannah Van Den Bergh

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10 Questions: An Interview with Juliet Meyers

Saturday, August 13th, 2011

Into the gladiatorial ring comes the exceptionally funny, gag-driven Juliet Meyers.  Juliet has travelled extensively playing in the US and Europe and has written for Channel 4’s 8/10 Cats as well as Radio 4’s Newsquiz.  So let’s hear from Juliet…

Juliet Meyers-2Small

Just The Tonic @ The Store (formerly the GRV)
Dates: 4th-28th August (not 16th)
Time: 5.40pm
Tickets: www.edfringe.com
Box office: 0131 556 6550

1.      Describe yourself?

Comedian, micro-revolutionary, sometimes sweet, sometimes sour…apparently would taste of chicken but not sure fringe-goers need to know this.

2.       Tell us about your show/s at this year’s 2011 Edinburgh Fringe?

It’s about Spartacus (loosely), and wanting to protest and save the world but not massively bothering and being a wimp, but feeling passionate, and hating magicians. It’s confessional too and the audience get to vote about various things.

3.      What lasting image can be captured from seeing one of your shows?

Either my dad’s ‘medical complaint’, or my emptying washing machine (you’ll see).

4.      What’s your catchphrase?

I’ve digressed’ and ‘high cockalorum’.

5.    What inspires your creative processes?

Fury, procrastination, the news, my crazy neighbour, paranoia and deadlines.

6.       How would you describe the perfect “Review”?

People weeing themselves laughing… or of course from a reviewer, a ‘McDonald’s Manager badge’ (5 Stars).

7.       What really bugs you travelling from show to show?

On trains: people can’t seem to work out what seat is theirs. Jesus. Maybe musical chairs should include seat numbers so people can do it when they grow up.’ In Edinburgh: I get rained on and my flyers pulp together in my bag and make papier mache monsters.

8.       Have you ever thought of leaving the arts and pursuing a so called, “steadier career”?

Nope. When I was 13 I wanted to be a dentist but only for the shiny gold sign outside.

9.      You’re ruler of the People’s Republic in your local area.  What’s the first law you would enact?

That the scary gang members in my area stop using knives and get an acerbic, nerdy, bookish sidekick to deliver verbal blows for them.

10.     A film is made of your life.  What would it be called and who would you choose to play you?

Hmm. Looks wise, I guess Jerry Sadowitz or the woman who played Darlene in Roseanne could do it (she’s a slightly upgraded version of me). But I might like the film to be Japanese animation with high voices.  I’d like it to be called “Attack of the 5ft 6 Woman’( I’m only 5’5 ).

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10 Questions: An Interview with Pistol & Jack

Friday, August 12th, 2011

Pop Princess and Cockney renegade rocker, Pistol and Jack imbue “new” cabaret at this years 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.   These lively lookers with their engaging banter and musical zing whisk the audience away on a lively journey of how they met and made sweet music together…..

Pistol & Jack credit Rosie CollinsSmall

Photographic credit: Rosie Collins

Assembly George Square

Wed 10th Aug – Sun 28th Aug
@ 21.20 each evening

1.         Describe yourself?

Jack’s a depraved Cockney rocker with a raging libido.  Pistol’s an American pop princess with daddy issues.  Although a seemingly unlikely combination, together our different styles mash together to make pop pastiche rock.

2.         Tell us about your show/s at this year’s 2011 Edinburgh Fringe?

The show is our inspirational ‘Behind the Music’ story.  Our individual histories are explored, and how we came to make music together.  There are plenty of our famous rock vs. pop mash-ups, but there are also a few twists and some honest and dark moments.   See fancy press release copy here for more info:

“Preaching the filth and mashing up hits from Beyonce to Bowie, Pistol & Jack will grope your soul and bring you to your knees…

Making their Edinburgh Fringe debut in SMASH«GLAM«SEX«MUSIC, cabaret artists Pistol & Jack perform their own special brand of mashed-up pop songs and share stories of super-injunctions, Jewish pop groups, ex-Presidents, jackals, and stage dads they’ve encountered clawing their way towards celebrity as the world’s only Anglo-American Male-Female Pop-Rock Mash-Up Cabaret-Comedy Double-Act.

Pistol & Jack’s, twisted co-dependent relationship might seethe with hurt and betrayal, but their shared religion of zeitgeist idols and a cut-throat desperation for superstardom keeps them together.  This Is Spinal Tap meets Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, SMASH«GLAM«SEX«MUSIC explores the ruins left behind when the glitter and champagne run out.  Most light entertainment is just a blow job in an alley.  Pistol and Jack are proper sex with cuddling and crying.  Tonight, you’ll get lucky and experience both.”

3.         What lasting image can be captured from seeing one of your shows?

Jack semi-naked straddling a willing audience member, whilst Pistol begs an unwilling homosexual to listen to her sing.

4.         What’s your catchphrase?

JACK: “You’re never homeless if you’re promiscuous with flexible standards.”

PISTOL:  “Look at me.  Look at me.  Look at me.  Love me.”

5.         What inspires your creative processes?

Smash, glam, sex, and music.

6.         How would you describe the perfect “Review”?

Pistol and Jack are supremely talented musical comedians who deftly satirize the absurdity of modern celebrity. Scratch beneath the surface though, and you’ll find two perfectly realized, honest depictions of the best and worst that life can hold. The show features side-splitting laughs and innovative, foot-stomping, musical mash-ups that leave you buzzing when you walk out the door, but it also leaves a dark and disturbing imprint that keeps you thinking about it the next day. The most important show in 30 years.

7.         What really bugs you travelling from show to show?

PISTOL: Getting my heels caught in the homeless.

JACK: Swans.

8.         Have you ever thought of leaving the arts and pursuing a so called, “steadier career”?

PISTOL: My father’s been grooming me to be a star since I was in his womb. There was no other option for me. But I’ve always thought it would be nice to try being a war correspondent.

JACK: Well, I was a pickpocket and a grave robber in my formative years. But since then my guitar’s always kept me in girls and smack.

9.         You’re ruler of the People’s Republic in your local area.  What’s the first law you would enact?

PISTOL: I would abolish the military, sell all of my oil on Ebay, make Lady Gaga Minister of Fabulous, and ensure universal health care for all citizens.

JACK: The law is this: Do the funnest thing you possibly can every moment. And the only crime in my state is making people feel bad for the horrible things they’ve done.

10.        A film is made of your life.  What would it be called and who would you choose to play you?

PISTOL:  The movie about my life is going to be called the same thing as my personal memoirs: ‘Pistol: Fully Loaded’. I will choose Beyonce Knowles to play me, because not only can she sing as good as me, she can also act.

JACK:  The movie would be called JackPot and I’d be played by Sir Michael Caine.

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We’re just not trying to be a RomCom….

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

To Have and To Hold-2Small

To Have and To Hold
6-29 August
3.05pm
Paradise in Augustine’s
£5-£7

Footlights’ new baby sister allows a more generic stage for a number of stand up comics turning their hand to acting which, Joey Batey (writer and director of To Have and To Hold) says allows the piece to constantly develop, slumping ever closer to a finished (and, fingers crossed, hilarious) performance given their backgrounds.  Holding his hands up to the bits that were written at 3 am in the morning when blind drunk, Batey relishes the “cut and change” process being seen in his own work, from the ad lib to improv, something he claims opportunistic when compared to established pieces such as Shakespearean art where change is unthinkable.

Unlike Batey, Ingrid Jendrzejewski, fellow founder of Ribbon, has less of an acting background, coming to the fore as producer and brains behind the organisation. Deemed “the overlord of the operation, constantly on the phone telling us what to do out in the field”, Jendrzejewski is not dissimilar to M from James Bond, Batey tells me. She’s the producer out printing flyers, finding sets and playing mum on two hours sleep a night. Primarily working together on a charity fundraiser in-between studies at the reputable university, sparks flew on a last minute production of The Alchemist by Ben Johnson, Batey playing Face and Jendrzejewski pulling together a ramshackle set on a shoestring budget, including a life size portrait of King Charles and a dead sheep. History, they say, being written with the premiere of Imogen Stubbs’ “bonkers play” Not About Angels at the ADC Theatre under the Ribbon brand.

To Have and To Hold-1Small“It’s incredible how much stuff you can do on a pound”, Jenrzejewski says through laughter.   With wedding dress and tails provided for by their Assistant Director’s parents in To Have and To Hold, she mentions how things just “seep out of the woodwork when you become creative about chasing money”.  With a grant for £350 from the Royal Society of Chemistry to subsidise wigs for a period play loosely based around the discovery of oxygen a few years back, I don’t know whether Jendrzejewski’s alleged skills proceed her, or it is the prestige and wealth of a Cambridge University production that makes the seemingly impossible come to life almost effortlessly.

With high aspirations and already some small recognitions, such as a shortlisting for the Cambridge Footlights Harry Porter Prize – a prestige for new comedy writing within the university but relatively unknown outside school walls – where the enthusiasm of Ribbon will lead this young duo is unclear? Batey, sitting his academic year abroad come September at L’Ecole International de Theatre Jacque Lecoq in Paris he has ambition to experiment with the likes of Factory Hamlet – famous for performances in the woods, bathrooms and supermarkets, taking theatre back to the masses – and PunchDrunk, hoping to ship an audience of 40 across to a National Trust ancillary in Birmingham, one of three houses in the World holding Shakespeare folio.

And, with a claimed 97 of 100 seats filled on opening night, there is no reason to believe these young start-ups, both thriving on an impulse for challenge, shouldn’t succeed as their Cambridge counter-parts have done so frequently before them.

Hannah Van Den Bergh ReviewerMini

Article by Hannah Van Den Bergh

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