Today we interview Chris Hislop, director, producer and co-writer of  A Fistful of Snow.  This one-man Western is set in the cold climes of arctic Norway where the star has been posted on a mission.  It is co-written and played by Danny Alder .

As one of the UK’s up and coming directors Chris Hislop’s, A Fistful of Snow is showcasing at C Soco after their successful run at the Brighton Fringe.  A Fistful of Snow is on from the 7th to the 31t August.  So let’s catch a quick word with Chris..

1.    What inspired you to become an actor/director?

I was recently reminded of my fascination with marionettes when I was younger, so there was always an interest of sorts. I love the process of directing a show, of molding what will be seen on the stage, and working with exceptional actors!

I also enjoy acting as a chance to switch off, and not be too heavily involved in a project. It is almost like a mini-break from directing, which is good every now and again.

2.    What’s your show about and what should the public expect from your show at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival Fringe?

A Fistful of Snow is a one-man show about a famous author, a cult novelist gone into hiding in the Arctic Circle. We pastiche cowboy novels and existential dramas with silly wit, including talking moose heads and song/dance routines! Danny Alder plays Chester James, and the show features voice overs from Chris Hislop (me!), Harley Breen, Simon Mallory, Tim Minchin, and other notorious Aussies!

3.    What was the last Fringe or Festival you performed at and what was it like?

We performed A Fistful of Snow at the Brighton Fringe Festival 09, to rave reviews, awards and sold-out houses… So it was brilliant! I was also directing an outdoor production of Oedipus, which was also a great success, so I had my hands a little full…

4.    What are your funniest and worst experiences performing in front of an audience?

I’ve performed naked twice, one being hilarious and the other being really quite terrible. The first time I was in a production of Sarah Kane’s “Cleansed”, and the sex scene at the end of the piece was truly horrible. It looked brilliant, and the emotionality was great, but being involved in it was harrowing, as was watching it apparently!

The second time I was in a production of Howard Barker’s “The Possibilities”, and was undressed and spent a good 10 minutes strolling around and talking in a nude state. The stage was quite intimate and close, and, at one point I had to sit on a bucket on the very edge of the stage, directly in front of the first row. Seeing everyone’s eyes do the down-up shuffle, almost in unison, was quite a sight!

5.    What’s the best and worst advice you have ever been given? And did you follow it?

I was once advised to ‘give up on theatre, there’s no money in it’, which was actually quite good advice, but I still maintain it to be bad…

After a poor run of a show, when I was down in the dumps, a close friend quoted some Shaughnessy at me: ‘We are the movers and the shakers, and we are the dreamers of dreams’, which has become almost mantra-like to me over the years. Not sure if that’s really advice so much as poetic.

6.    What are you most proud of and what dreams or goals would you like to fulfill?

I am exceptionally proud to be where I am with my career at the tender age of 22, and hope to keep pushing my self above and beyond what is required to become a professional director before too long. I’d also like to develop my writing, but this is more of a long-term goal, it’s something that I believe should take your whole life to perfect.

7.    Which three famous people would you invite to dinner and why [dead celebrities included]?  And what culinary dish would you prepare?

Dario Fo, Brian Blessed and Hunter S Thompson… And I’d prepare a massive amount of alcohol, and order in something tasteless and uninviting.

8.    What is the best book or books you have read and why?

Yoshi Oida’s The Invisible Actor and Howard Barker’s A Style and its Origins have inspired me greatly, as has Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, and Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea books.

9.    Tell us 5 interesting and unknown facts about yourself?

I was born and raised in Germany; everyone thinks I’m older than I am; I have three tattoos; I’m horribly torn between country and city life; and I write nearly everything on Post-It notes.

10.    If you could change one thing about the world what would it be?

I’d make the sky purple instead… just to see what would happen!