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 Emily Hooley and Emma Graveling about their new show The Little Woman In My Head Must Die.
Can you tell me a little about your show and what audiences can expect?
The Little Woman In My Head Must Die is a fun, surreal comedy-drama about a pragmatic 30-something woman, Emmeline, whose pesky childhood imaginary friend refuses to leave unless she agrees to be taken on a journey back through time. You can expect comedy, silliness, nostalgia, surrealism, plenty of self-doubt and self-flagilation as well as just a dash of horror.
What drew you to this specific story, and why does it belong at the Camden Fringe?
We’re at a very unique moment in time, where AI is becoming more and more integrated into our daily lives. It’s throwing up a lot of questions at the moment about creativity and creative expression – is AI art actually valuable art that we should consume? And if AI can create for us, then what’s the point in trying ourselves? This adds pressure to an already pressurised subject around being an artist in today’s day and age – with social media inviting comparison and generating images of ‘success’ and what a ‘successful life’ looks like – artists that have not yet ‘Made It’ are always at risk of being discouraged from creating. We ourselves started in ‘successful’ media careers earning steady money, and started our acting/creating theatre careers only within the last 5 years. The subject of finding creative expression in a capitalist society is very close to our hearts.
What has been the biggest challenge in bringing this production to life?
Our biggest challenge, which is a very common challenge for a lot of creatives and particularly theatre-makers, has been taking the time to create while also making ends meet. Alongside writing, producing and rehearsing our show, we’ve been working other jobs to make money. However we’ve had lots of people donating to our fundraiser which has really helped us as our show is self-funded – very grateful for that!
How does the design of your show (set, sound, or lighting) impact the presentation of your story?
Although our set is simple, our sound and lighting is vital to our show. The genie-like character of the Imaginary Friend has to be able to bend time and space, and take audiences into Emmeline’s imagination, as well as their own. Like the genie, the Imaginary Friend’s powers know practically no limits, and our lighting and sound will be helping to showcase this as vividly as possible!
If you could sum up the show in one word or phrase, what would it be and why?
Surreal and silly self-exploration, with a warm-hearted centre.
The Little Woman In My Head Must Die runs at Etcetera Theatre on 6 – 8 August. Tickets are available here: https://camdenfringe.com/events/friends-help-you-move/
