Stewart Taylor is heading to Lambeth Fringe this year and has stopped by to have a chat with me about the show he is taking there.

Name of show and Venue details.

Virtually There, The Bread and Roses Theatre, 5th October, 7pm

 

What was the inspiration behind your show?

Originally the lack of genuine contact through Lockdown which provoked questions such as What is genuine contact? and further, How can we be truly present in a world that makes it so easy for us to fantasise and pretend?

 

How long has your production been in progress?

First ideas began in 2022, with workshopping in 2023 but the first scratch performance was in June 2024. I fit my artistic life around full-time work commitments. Hence the long development period. 

 

Where are planning on taking the play next?

I’d like to take the show to other fringe events, with Brighton, Buxton and Colchester being prime candidates for application. 

 

What would you like audiences to take away from your show?

The feeling of having been entertained, stimulated and provoked but also of having been on a journey through struggle and despair to a more hopeful place, accepting self and others. 

 

What are you looking forward to most about performing your show?

Seeing and hearing reactions from an audience that does not know me or my work. Previous performances have been in areas where I regularly perform so I’m really looking forward to presenting my work to people who have no idea what to expect from me. 

 

Why did you choose your particular Fringe venue?

I needed a venue with end-on staging to set up a key element of dramatic tension within the piece. To say more would start to give spoilers, which I’d rather not do. The Bread and Roses Theatre, at the heart of the fringe, ideally suits my staging needs. 

 

Which shows at the Fringe are you planning on watching?There’s so much to choose from! I know I’ll be drawn by anybody doing a solo-show or anything clowning or Spoken Word based. It also can’t be too late as I need to get a train back to the South Coast! 

 

Have you had any major hurdles to overcome to get this production on the stage?

I can’t say there have been major hurdles for me. My local arts centre, The Point in Eastleigh, has been great at facilitating workshop and rehearsal space for me, without which I would not have been able to make the show a reality. The only real hurdles are the ones I create myself as a solo worker on the project – there can always be something more pressing in life than getting on with a big project. I’m grateful to my wife, Sarah, who has helped focus me on completing this work. 

What other productions have you previously been involved with?

My previous solo show, Spillage, was performed at the Brighton Fringe in 2020 and gained extremely positive reviews from A Younger Theatre, Brighton Source and five stars from The Reviews Hub. 

After working in touring Children’s Theatre and Theatre-in-Education in the 2000s, I have concentrated on performing as a Spoken Word artist, appearing as a headline or feature act at events across the South and at festivals including Victorious and WOMAD. In 2016, I won the national Anti-Slam, in the guise of archetypal pretentious poet, J Arthur Prufrock. I have also had recent commissions to write and perform from Opera UpClose and Mayflower Theatres, Southampton. 

Website:

https://wordmeatmoshpit.wordpress.com/about-2/

FaceBook:

https://m.facebook.com/StewartTaylorsWordmeatMoshpit/

https://www.instagram.com/stewtaylorpoet?igsh=MW1remh3d2c2ZXZwOA==