Scott Manley Hadley has taken some time out before heading to the Lambeth Fringe to talk about BALD PERSONALITY DISORDER (WIP). Which is being performed at Vaulty Towers, October 13th at 7.30 pm.

https://lambethfringe.com/events/bald-personality-disorder

 

 

What was the inspiration behind your show? 

I am a poet and essayist who has recently become a performer, though mostly in alterative comedy. This show will be a weaving together of the two strains of my recent artistic practice – bringing some levity to the more serious discussions of mental illness, body image and gender identities my books have discussed, while adding heft and weight to the strange silliness I’ve been performing for the past year or so on the London comedy scene.

 

 

How long has your production been in progress? 

This will be the first work in progress performance of the full show, though it contains some elements that were written almost ten years ago, and many of the ideas echo even further back than that through my creative practice. 

 

 

Where are planning on taking the play next? 

I’m hoping to take the show to more fringe festivals in 2026, though will see how the show works in this format as the next version might be significantly different!

 

 

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

A little bit more of an understanding about the purpose of Art and culture… that we need to have these outlets and these conversations and these experiences to be human…

I’ve also been exploring in my most recent work the idea that not being depressed is not the opposite of depression. Which “they” (I don’t know who I mean by that) kinda tell you is the case when you’re at your lowest.

 

 

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

The opportunity to spread out my work and practice over the full length of a show. To use a variety of ideas and images and, hopefully, connect with other performers!

 

 

Why did you choose your particular Fringe venue? 

Vaulty Towers is a perfect setting for this show – it’s a bit kooky, it’s a bit fun, it’s a little bit rough around the edges but still charming – all things (I’m hoping!) audiences will say about Bald Personality Disorder!

 

Which shows at the Fringe are you planning on watching? 

There’s so much great stuff! I’m particularly excited about Be Not Afraid by Camilla Borges, The Vampire Run by Jonathan Laury and Roger Prick: The Book Tour by Han Whyte. 

 

 

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

Not yet! But there’s still a few weeks to go for something to get in the way!

 

 

What other productions have you previously been involved with? 

A lifetime ago I produced and performed in some student theatre at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, but then didn’t do anything performance-y for about a decade and a half. I’ve mainly been focused on writing for the majority of my adulthood – my long-running blog

TriumphOfTheNow.com has been quoted in the New Yorker and work from my debut poetry collection, Bad Boy Poet was ‘Highly Commended’ in the Forward Prizes for Poetry. My other books and pamphlets include my father, from a distance, the pleasure of regret and hip-hop-o-crit. The first two were published by now-shuttered small presses, but the last two are still available from the excellent Wales-based indie publisher, Broken Sleep Books. 

 

 

 

 

YouTube: @scottmanleyhadley

Instagram: @scottmanleyhadley

Blog: www.triumphofthenow.com

Archive: www.scottmanleyhadley.com