Oxfringe Interviews 2010

Welcome to FringeReview's Oxfringe Interviews Page. Scroll down and read about some of the terrific theatre that was on offer in the theatre-makers' own words.

You can also access our Oxfringe audio interviews here.

Alarum Theatre's Kate Saffin talks about Now is the Winter, a new take on Richard the Third

What's the theme of the show?

Bess is a loyal servant in the household of Richard of Gloucester. She gossips about events around her with an endearing blend of warmth and waspishness. She watches as her beloved Richard rises to power, only to see her world unravel as naked ambition takes over and she no longer knows who to believe.

Shakespeare dramatized the only Richard III he could at the time. Elizabeth I, whose grandfather Henry VII had defeated Richard at Bosworth, was on the throne and every contemporary account of Richard presented an ambitious, usurping and deformed fiend who murdered his own nephews, the princes in the Tower. Many have since challenged this view, suggesting a man who, amongst other traits, inpsired great loyalty.

What's new and different about Now is the Winter?

‘Now is the Winter’ is not a potted version of Shakespeare’s play. It uses Shakespeare’s own text to tell Bess's story and through that story to take a very  different look at an enigmatic, perhaps maligned, but definitely significant historical figure.

What's the show's history?

The origins lie in a moment at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe when I thought: ‘That soliloquy is such a wonderful speech, it’s a shame only men ever get to do it’… and it set me wondering how it would sound if delivered by a woman. And who that woman might be, and why and where she might be saying those things….

What's your favourite show of all time?

So many to choose from! I think Arcadia (well anything) by Tom Stoppard, because of the way he tells a story that spans two centuries in a way that is almost seamless - characters from different periods occupy the same space, sometimes at the same time; props from both periods accumulate... but it works because each ignores anything or anyone not of their period, so we believe in them.

Check out their web site (under development) at: www.alarumtheatre.co.uk

Now is the winter played at The Old Library, Radcliffe Sq, 7th-10th April, 6.15 (ends 7.15)

A Quick Interview with Oxford's own Resident physical theatre company, Point Zero

Tell us about the theme of the show.

An evocative, humorous, deeply touching, yet delicately challenging solo physical-theatre piece.

Portrayed through tender and compelling movement-theatre expression;  the piece opens to find ‘the philosopher’ reflecting, pondering and deliberating on the question:  “What is a Man?”

It takes us on an evocative journey through the lives, endearing personal identities, and tangible experiences of a small handful of different characters, all of whom offer a rich physical-dialogue and delicate insight in the pursuit of an answer to the initial question: “What is a Man?”

What's new and different about the show?

'Reflections of a man' is a skilfully crafted fusion of movement, theatre, poetry, mime, vocal, symbolism and physical-theatre.

What's the show's history?

PointZero is Oxford's new resident physical theatre company. Oxfringe is the perfect opportunity to share our work and to be an active part of Oxford's cultural life. We are delighted to be involved in Oxfringe.

What kind of theatre do you love most?

We love fringe theatre shows. Peformances with an edge, that challenge and impact.

Check out Point Zero's web site here: www.pointzero.me

"Reflections of a man" played at Moser theatre, Wadham College, Parks Road, Oxford 7-10 April 2010 at 6.30pm

FringeReview talks to The Noise Next Door

We have reviewed this group on many occasions and they consistently score highly making them a FringeReview must-see at Oxfringe, if you are a fan of fast-pace improvised comedy.

What's the theme of the show and who are you?

The Noise Next Door is an improvised comedy troupe and in our show we transform audience suggestions into fantastically funny scenes and songs in the blink of an eye. We promise we will have you in stitches with a perfect blend of ludicrous characters, witty one-liners, epic stories and explosive physicality.

This show has the potential to be about literally anything. It all depends on what the audience wants to see! This may sound daunting but you are in safe hands; As The Noise Next Door, we have been touring venues around the world with our distinctive brand of off the cuff comedy for two years and have strings of sell out shows and five star reveiws under our collective belt.

Every night is totally unique and totally hilarious. Come and see for yourself!

What's new and different about the show?

Improvised comedy is, by it's very nature, 'different and new' every time it's performed! However we are constantly trying to push the boundries of what can be acheived with improv by developing new games, new set ups and new formats to play with all the time. We will be premiering a few new ideas at the OxFringe including a great new song game that we are really excitied abouit.

Progress is all well and good but our aim is to always make sure that the comedy comes first. There is some very accomplished improvisation out there that is not always hilariously funny, whereas we really strive to make sure with whatever new ideas we're coming up with that first and foremost they are going to make people laugh. Comedy that is improvised, rather than improvisation that is funny.

How did the show come about - what's the story?

We were lucky enough to perform at the OxFringe last year for a couple of evenings and we had a great time! When the chance arose to perform there again we jumped at it! Part of the fun of this job is getting to perform all over the place and Oxford is really lovley place. Very friendly audiences.

What's your favourite show of all time?

Wow! Now that's a question! I can only answer that one on a personal level. The rest of the guys, I'm sure, would have very different opinions. 

There are performers and groups I find inspirational like The Penny Dreadfulls and Hugh Hughes... There are shows that I've completely adored, A Day In Dig Nation by Flying Carpet Theatre in 2007 or Crocosmia by Little Bulb in 2008. But a favourite show ever...

I think I'd have to go for the one that has left me with the most lasting impression. Fuerzabruta. I think the show is still touring somewhere but I saw it at the EdFringe in 2007 and it was just spectacular! No plot to speak of but it just contained some of the most amazing images I've ever seen, happening all around me. It was a truly epic theatre experience... But then they didnt have to make it up as they went along!

Interview with: Tom Livingstone

Check out their web site at: www.thenoisenextdoor.co.uk

Interview: We get intimate with the Intimate Strangers

What's the theme of your show?

This is our latest comedy sketch show. We have sketches in it ranging from Emo Hamlet to Bill and Ben as you've never seen them before and we end in a spectacular James Bond musical 'Casinos Are Forever', set to the music of Wham. Some of the sketches are midly satirical, some of them have a slightly darker tint but most of them are just very silly. We have a lot of fun doing the show and hopefully that comes across.

Our last two shows were described as being "a thing of beauty, smart, funny and original" by Remotegoat and "great material...enjoyably silly" by Fringe Report so we're aiming to spread even more laughs across Oxford's dreaming spires this time round.

What's new and different about the show?

Surprisingly for the time slot we're at, it's a family friendly show. We regularly have people in the audience aged from 10-70 and we seem to get them all laughing, although not always at the same bits! We also have quite a range of comedy styles and the sketches differ quite dramatically. However, there is loose narrative arc tying it all together.

What's the show's history?

We really loved coming to Oxfringe last year and it is now a regular fixture in our touring diary. Everyone in Oxford is so welcoming and we had some great responses from audiences there to last year's show.

What's your favourite show of all time?

Definitely 'Theatre of Blood' at the National Theatre. It was about a failed actor who killed off all his critics in different Shakespearean ways. It hit just the right note between camp humour and gothic horror. It was like Carry on Shakespeare!

You can check out their web site at: www.intimatestrangers.net

The Intimate Strangers Want You played Burton Taylor Studio, Oxford. 9.30pm, 7th-10th April. Running time: 1 hour.

Zemblanity Interview

Photo by Dom Bower at www.dombower.com

What's the theme of your show?

"After our massive success for both of their two shows (Serendipity in 2008 and Zemblanity 2009 ***** – Three Weeks & British Theatre Guide) at the Edinburgh Fringe, award winners Le Navet Bete hit Oxford with their second show, Zemblanity. Join Hans and the bouffons as they propel you into an absurd and bewildering world of musical comedy and physical chaos."

With a completely original musical score, this all male company invite you to join them in their high energy journey of mystery and wonderment or will they inexplicably discover more than they ever expected?

This rambunctious, acrobatic comedy has been developed through play and improvisation, with influences from Jacques Lecoq and Philippe Gaulier.

Zemblanity will leave you with a deep thirst for more and laughing harder than you ever thought possible!

What's new and different about your show?

Zemblanity is fun, it's fresh, it's exciting, it's visual, it's musical, it's bizarre, it's emotional, it's quirky, it's impressive!  We aim to make our audiences feel as if they're a part of the show too!  As well as the performing, writing and directing, all of the music heard is written by us as well.  Our style is a take on modern day clowning and physical theatre but (of course!) with our own Le Navet Bete twist added to it!

How did the show come about?

Sarah (one of the organisers of OxFringe) came to see Zemblanity up at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2009. She loved it, got talking to us after the show and invited us to take part in this years Oxford Fringe.  We gladly accepted her invitation!

What's your favourite piece of theatre of all time?

It's very hard to categorise what our favourite theatre show EVER is. Theatre is so vast and every style is unique.  Having trained in many various areas of theatrical styles we can all appreciate the different forms (dance, site-specific, political, cross-cultural performance to name a few).  Saying that, we'd probably enjoy anything that follows a similar style to our work (clowning / physical theatre / improvisation / musical) etc.

Check out their web site here: www.lenavetbete.com

Played at The Old Fire Station, Oxford from March 30th - April 3rd 2010 at 7.30pm every night

(Interview 22 March 2010)

INTERVIEW with Peter Antoniou who tells us about Thought Thief

What's your show about?

From the moment you open your eyes in the morning to when your head hits the pillow at night powerful forces are trying to control you, your actions, even your thoughts. By using the complications of the human mind against itself big business, the government and shady operatives of the criminal underworld bombard you daily with cleverly constructed images, messages and signals all designed to make you think, feel and behave the way they want.

What's the publicity blurb?

"In his brilliant new show, thought thief, mind reader and mental marvel Peter Antoniou asks: is your mind safe? With his trademark blend of psychology, psychic techniques and devious weirdness, Peter takes the same techniques used against us every day and pushes them to their incredible, impossible conclusions."

"Thought Thief is a startling hour of genuine amazement which will leave you wondering exactly how safe your mind really is."

What's new and different about your show?

It is not only a show that allows the audience to interact, but takes them through the history and hidden techniques being used by a variety of shady people. Audiences learn, interact and have a good time with britian's leading expert of being a psychic conman.

I've been showing the show around the variety of place, and when I heard about the Oxford Fringe, I thought that it would be a perfect location to come along and show the show.

What's your all time favourite bit of theatre?

I think my favourite theatre show I've seen was the most recent one, which was 'RETURN' by the spoken word artist PolarBear. It was just one man standing on stage 'speaking a movie' as he descirbed it. It was minimilst, moving and engaging.

Peter's intriguing web site is here:  www.isyourmindsafe.com

Thought Thief played Sunday 28th March 2010 20:30 - 21:30 Upstairs @ The Copa

(Interview 22 March 2010)

INTERVIEW with Alexander Winfield of All Hail Ye Mighty Lords of Nowhere

What's the theme, what's the story?

Within the ruins of an ashen, blasted Earth two Demons brood. The cat-like, playful Tibs remembers fondly the days when the world was alive with the sounds of Mankind, and mourns its passing. The monstrous, bitter Tattoon revels in the silence of Mankind's extinction. Both are terribly bored.

Finally, Tattoon hits upon an idea - using their powers the Demons will resurrect a very special present for themselves - a live human audience. But will this encounter with their former victims be an evening of pleasure - or will the demons find themselves at the mercy of their own devilish natures? A grotesque, surreal and blackly funny puppet show.

Tell us about what makes your show different. You're using puppets in an adult theatre context?

Puppets are traditionally considered strictly children's fare; personally, I feel that puppets represent a great untapped medium for a theatre for adults. The puppets, exquisitely crafted by Montreal artist Mathieu Rene, are here used to tell the story of two truly inhuman creatures in a manner that would be impossible for human actors. 'Lords of Nowhere' is a dark, minimalist story with its roots in Eastern European methods of theatrical performance and puppetry, presenting a kind of experience rarely seen in the UK.

How did the show come about?

As a Canadian/UK writer and puppeteer I have been residing  and working in Toronto for the last several years. I was invited to collaborate on a new production of my show 'Lords of Nowhere' for the Oxfringe by Oxford artist Stella Shakerchi, whom I met while living in Bermuda. Stella is an excellent painter and musician, and she offered to perform live music and help design a new set for the show. This represents my first professional performance in the UK, my family's homeland.

What's your favourite piece of theatre of all time?

Of the theatrical shows I have seen, my favorite would have to be the Joe Louis Theatre's production of 'Mayarap' in Bangkok. Using traditional Thai puppet technique the theatre's troupe created a bright, loud, gaudy world with minimal budget and limited means, fully succeeding in transporting the audience to a land of ancient legend and living myth. In sheer technique and directness of intent, I have not seen its equal in any western theatrical venue, puppet-oriented or otherwise.

Check out their web site here: www.lordsofnowhere.weebly.com

All Hail Ye Mighty Lords of Nowhere played at theOld Library (25 High street), 7-10 of April, 7:45pm

(Interview 22 March 2010)

FringeReview interviews Morgan and West: Time Travelling Magicians

You can also listen to our audio interview with Morgan and West here.

What's the theme of your show?

Morgan and West: Time Travelling Magicians marks the triumphant return of the magical Victorian duo to the stage, and to the future. Revisiting their roles as the 19th century’s finest magical duo, Rhys Morgan and Rob West present another hour of baffling magic, mind-reading and their totally genuine ability to travel through time. As ever, the mustachioed duo present a show suitable for all laced with their trademark wit, whimsy, and utterly remarkable feats of magic.

What's new and different about the show?

New? `Morgan and West: Time Travelling Magicians' is a brand new hour long magic show, as the dashing duo of deception deliver feats of impossibility never before seen by human eyes.

Different? What could be more different than two 150 year old Victorian magicians presenting you with an hour of comedy and magic pulled straight out of the nineteenth century.

How did the show come about?

The problem with being Time Travelling Magicians is that  Morgan and West often get a little confused about when their next engagement is - or was, or will be. Chronology gets very confusing when not treated linearly. Still, if Morgan and West are booked to perform at the end of March in the year 2000 then they shall.

This *is* the year 2000, isn't it?

What's your favourite show of all time?

Ever? It's probably a toss up between the production of "Oops what's that in the parlour?" we saw in 1884 at the Hackney Empire, or the Phantom of the Opera. With the 1997 cast. Both were hilarious.

Check out their web site here: www.morganandwest.co.uk

Morgan and West: Time Travelling Magicians played just two nights at Burton Taylor Studio, March 31st and April 1st, 8pm

FringeReview meet's "LOL" and "Jubilate!" creator, Ros Adler

With acclaim from the likes of Barry Humphries and Libby Purves, Ros Adler is a welcome addition to Oxfringe. Ros, you are bringing two shows to the Oxfringe this year, tell us about Jubilate!

JUBILATE! is on at the New Road Baptist Church March 24 -27th at 6.30 p.m.  It runs at about 50 minutes.

ANNA the vicar's wife has it all:  ANNA has sex 2.4 times a week. ANNA has charisma.  ANNA has all the answers....

Everyone knows someone who thinks they know best. In Jubilate! that someone is Anna, vicar's wife and radio personality. She has her own life sorted out - apparently - and now thinks it'd be a good idea to sort out everyone else's......oh dear.

How did the show come about?

JUBILATE! started life as a 4-minute monologue written for The Comedy Rep at the Soho Theatre.

I was fascinated by the terrifying certainties aired by various commentators in the media - some of them self-styled counsellors.

I wanted to explore how the unshakeable self-belief of someone who was always right (!) might affect those around her. By interweaving several stories the play became what you can see in Oxford this week

The show comes to Oxfringe with a lot of good reviews, doesn't it?

Yes, JUBILATE! won two Gold Standard awards at the Henley Fringe Festival in 2008 and has had some lovely reviews

 Ros Adler

You're also bringing another show as well.

I'm also bringing LOL  - my play about internet dating - to the Burton Taylor Studio.

A painful and joyous rollercoaster ride through the lives and loves of three apparently unconnected women, and interspersed with delicious extracts from real online profiles, LOL revels in the fast-expanding phenomenon that is internet dating in the 21st century:

Lucinda eats men for breakfast - if they're lucky; Sarah's ready for commitment - and even married Mags is curious. 

How did that play come about?

I wrote LOL because I've experimented with internet dating - with happy results: I'm now with a wonderful man - and have interleaved the play with real-life excerpts from men's (very revealing) online profiles.  It feels like everyone I know has tried internet dating - or knows someone who has.......

LOL won two Gold Standard awards at Henley in 2009 and Remotegoat called it: "Short, funny, bitter and sweet - laugh-out-loud funny."

Check out Ros Adler's web site here: http://www.rosadler.com/

JUBILATE! is on at the New Road Baptist Church March 24 -27th at 6.30 p.m.  It runs at about 50 minutes.

LOL played at the Burton Taylor Studio from April 7-10th. It's at 6.30 p.m. and also runs at about 50 minutes. See her at Brighton Fringe.

An Interview with Act-IV about Tutti Frutti

What's the show about?

Richard Cleghorn-Brown tells us: "From the four-hander team that was awarded the coveted ‘Sell-out Logo’ at the Edinburgh Fringe 2007, Act-IV’s ‘Tutti Frutti’ is a whizz-bang roller-coaster romp through human appetites at 100 gags an hour."

The show is about trying to make some sense of what we hunger for, ‘Tutti Frutti’ looks askance at the ‘stuff’ and ‘staff’ of life itself!

And the blurb: "Totally digestible, it serves up to the discriminating sampler of the feast of life an hour-long menu of original sketches, songs and comedy morsels. By combining a lightness of heart with ‘food-for-thought’, the cabaret offers a smorgasbord of satirical and saucy observations punctuated by pointed musical numbers."

"It enables one to get to know oneself a little. But you have to be quick to catch it all. Some say it separates the ‘quick’ from the ‘dead’! Three of the performers have learned about life and are enjoying it. And the other one? Who is he? Who is he? Surely, he’s old enough to know better? And, as for that

Greatengermanwurstenfleischenschnappencrappen-

linkentwistensliptengriptenfixenangebracht Machine…..Well, it has to be seen to be believed! Doesn’t it?"

What's new and different about your show?

The carefully integrated and seamless flow from one skit or song into the next.

What's the show's history?

Act-IV have performed at the Edinburgh Fringe three times and at the Buxton Fringe twice.

And then, of course, being a Cambridge man, one of the number (Who is he? who is he?) was with the Footlights in his day at the University. But he's always been curious as to what an Oxford Fringe audience might be like....

What's your favourite show of all time?

Probably the original Drury Lane production of 'South Pacific' because of its integration of supurb musical numbers with a highly dramatic story line.

Tutti Frutti played at the Old Fire Station Studio Theatre, 40 George Street, Oxford, at 21.00 hours on 24-27 March 2010.

INTERVIEW WITH Rob Bailey, the ‘Psychic’ Psychologist, about   "Choose the Circle"

What's the show all about?

Prepare to be bamboozled and entertained as Rob Bailey, psychologist and illusionist, demonstrates the amazing powers and delightful errors of the human mind. See supposed acts of mind reading, strategies for influencing others, predictions of future events and learn techniques for unnerving feats of memory. Funny ha ha and peculiar!

What's new and different about the show?

Many performers of Mentalism use psychological techniques to achieve the things you see in their shows. Some of them dress up their routines with the macabre. Few, however, are the real Macoy – I AM a psychologist, with a career that spans working in prisons and secure psychiatric wards, businesses and in the health service.

More interviews next year!

Go back to our main Oxfringe coverage here.