The Camden Fringe is almost upon us, providing one of the best times in the capital to get into Fringe theatre, and the stories it can tell. To get prepared for the festival, 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 Four Face Theatre about their new show Mates.
Can you tell me a little about your show and what audiences can expect?
Mates follows four old friends who reunite to make a play together after years apart. The venue is booked. They’ve got the props. They even have huge financial backing. All they need now is… well, the play. What begins as an exciting creative reunion quickly spirals into plays-within-plays-within-plays, exposing old tensions, bruised egos, and uncomfortable truths. This play is meta, funny, chaotic, and painfully familiar to anyone who has ever tried to collaborate with friends. Mates explores the desperate urge to create something meaningful before it’s too late and the uneasy realisation that you might just be a bit ordinary.
What drew you to this specific story, and why does it belong at the Camden Fringe?
We’re all friends in real life and have been for over ten years. We wanted to put on a play together but couldn’t decide what to do, so we decided to write a play about four friends who can’t decide what play to put on. So the play is very meta. Two years later and the we’ve built the show through recorded conversations, improvisation, character development and plenty of trial and error before shaping it into the final script. The characters and scenarios borrow from our own friendships, shared stories and sense of humour, but we’ve turned everything up to eleven to create exaggerated, larger-than-life versions of ourselves. Camden Fringe feels like the perfect home for Mates. It’s ambitious without taking itself too seriously, full of energy, and, above all, a lot of fun. We hope audiences leave happier than when they arrived and maybe a little moved along the way.
What has been the biggest challenge in bringing this production to life?
Honestly, finding the time. We’ve been working on Mates for nearly two years, entirely alongside our jobs and personal lives. None of us has been paid to make it, we’ve been fitting rehearsals, writing sessions and production meetings around trying to earn a living. Making independent theatre is incredibly rewarding, but it’s also a huge commitment. Like so many artists, we’ve had to balance the realities of everyday life with the desire to create something we’re genuinely proud of.
How does the design of your show (set, sound, or lighting) impact the presentation of your story?
The sound and lighting are vital because the audience is constantly moving between reality and the different plays-within-plays. Those shifts need to be immediate and clear, so the technical design becomes part of the storytelling, helping the audience navigate the increasingly chaotic world of the play while keeping the pace fast and the comedy sharp.
If you could sum up the show in one word or phrase, what would it be and why?
Bonkers.
Mates runs at The Courtyard Theatre from August 11th – 23rd. Tickets can be purchased here: https://camdenfringe.com/events/mates/
