Liam High has caught up with me to chat about the two-hander play going to the Edinburgh Fringe this August. I will leave Liam to tell more about it.
Where did the inspiration or ideas come from for your show?
We don’t want to spoil the show’s big twist by revealing the exact inspiration, but the idea came from taking one of the biggest and most unique crimes in modern memory and looking at it through a queer lens. We’re going into the heads of this specific type of criminal and asking ‘What exactly could lead someone to want to do something so horrible to someone else?’

What do you plan on doing to relax and get some “time out” during the Fringe?
We’re hoping to see lots of other shows, especially lots of other shows that are part of our venue’s Greenside Family, but we also want to find lots of unique and budget-friendly places to eat and drink, so please share them in the comments!

How do you deal with stage nerves before each performance, if you have them?
Mostly, we focus on immersing ourselves in our characters and the setting they are in at the start of the show. Luckily, nerves are very much a part of the
scene’s energy, but in terms of staying calm and collected we mostly focus on the journey of the story and the fact that it’s the audience’s first time seeing it,
and everything we do is brand new.

Where are you staying during the Fringe? Did you find accommodation quite easily?
We’re staying at a flat in Kirkcaldy which we’ve booked through Theatre Digs Booker. It’s about an hour out of Edinburgh, but it’s a lot more affordable than finding somewhere in the city centre and the commute in and out of Edinburgh will provide some much-needed recharge time at the start and end of each day.

What obstacles have you faced preparing for the Edinburgh Fringe this year?
Our biggest obstacle, as I’m sure it is for many artists, is money. This is our first Fringe so we don’t have a built-in audience yet – people don’t know who we are and so it is a challenge getting people through the door! But we are extremely grateful to have been supported by the Keep It Fringe fund, which has really helped alleviate some of that financial pressure.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Russell T Davis came and saw one of our preview performances. He told us
afterwards that he actually said ‘oh my god’ out loud at the twist – as a team of Doctor Who fans, that was a pretty huge deal!

Why did you decide to the Venue you are using?
When we jumped on an initial Zoom call with Greenside Venues, we knew they
were the right fit for us. Extremely kind and helpful, we couldn’t have asked for
more from a venue. They’ve been with us every step of the way.

Favourite and worse thing about performing?
The worst thing about performing, in our opinion, is just anything that takes you
out of the moment in the scene, i.e. audience phones going off, set falling apart or props just not co-operating. But without a doubt, our favourite thing is taking an audience on a journey, telling a relatable and human story even in the incredibly strange circumstances that we find our story set in.

In one sentence why should someone come to see your show?
It’s hilarious, it’s shocking, it’s original – we guarantee, you
won’t see another show like this!

Name one other show that you plan on seeing at the Fringe?

Wenches! By Hysterie Theatre, an absurd dive into the price of inaction set in 1432 Berlin.

Where are you taking your show next?
We don’t have any plans yet but hope that a tour around the UK is our next step – watch this space!

Photo credit

https://www.instagram.com/kelsea_knox_?igsh=MWRjZGw5MTFjYjkwNw==

Show Title, time and Venue.
Some Masterchef Sh*t, 1st-9th August, 17:15, Greenside @ George Street,
Jade Studio.

https://www.instagram.com/somemasterchefshit/