The Edinburgh Fringe is almost upon us and to get prepared for another Scottish summer Read About Stuff is running a ‘Five From The Fringe’ interview series, where creative teams answer five questions about their upcoming Festival shows.
In this interview, I chat to writer and performer Donna Oblongata about their show ‘The Van Gogh Shogh’.
Can you tell me a little about your show and what audiences can expect?
The Van Gogh Shogh is an immersive solo clown show where I play Vincent Van Gogh. There’s a “sip and paint”, some karaoke, and a whole bunch of messy surprises. It’s a very fun time. My biggest priority is making sure the audience and myself have a blast. The show is super heavy on audience interaction and participation, so every show is different, and I’m always kind of at the mercy of whatever people decide to bring to the conversation. Whether you love art and love Van Gogh, or are just being dragged along, I promise you will have fun at this show.
What drew you to this specific story, and why does it belong at the Edinburgh Fringe?
Mostly, I was thinking about the absurdity of “The Van Gogh Immersive Experience” that seemed to be everywhere a few years ago. As an actual broke-ass artist, I was thinking about how crazy it would be if Van Gogh could see what his work has become since his death. I was thinking about how people who would (I’m sure) cross the street to get away from this dishevelled, crazy-looking lunatic if they passed him on the sidewalk, are now making tens of millions of dollars off of his work, when all he did during his lifetime was suffer and die poor. It’s a premise that sounds pretty bleak of course, but the job of the clown is to make it fun, so that’s what I’m always interested in.
If someone doesn’t understand why a show about the futility of trying to make money as an artist while so many other people profit from their work belongs at the Edinburgh Fringe, they need to sit down for a pint with a Fringe artist (and definitely be the one buying the pint, ha).
What has been the biggest challenge in bringing this production to life?
Convincing venue managers that I will not get paint on their curtains, floor, seats, or staff. The show inevitably makes a giant mess. There is paint, beer, and (spoiler alert!) a cut off ear. It’s super fun if you’re in the audience, but I definitely see the terror in the eyes of technical directors and theater managers when they read my rider.
How does the design of your show (set, sound, or lighting) impact the presentation of your story?
If I had all the budget in the world, I’d have fully immersive, 360-degree projections like in the actual Van Gogh Immersive Experience. As it is, I’m confined to part of the upstage wall. Alas. But projections and sound are a large part of the show. Something that I do that’s pretty unique is I run all of my own lighting, sound, and projections cues myself from the stage, via a remote control. Often times, the audience doesn’t even notice that I’m the one doing it. But it means I can be in complete control of the timing of certain things, which in comedy and improv is so important. I love having that kind of control, rather than relying on someone in a booth who I can’t see to nail it every time.
If you could sum up the show in one word or phrase, what would it be and why?
The REAL Van Gogh Immersive Experience.
The Van Gogh Shogh runs at Front Room at Assembly Rooms (Venue 20) from August 6th – 30th. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-van-gogh-shogh
