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 Director/Producer Inge Crafford-Lazarus (ICL) and Performer/Producer Larissa Crafford-Lazarus (LCL) about their new show A Girl Called Owl.
Can you tell me a little about your show and what audiences can expect?
LCL: A Girl Called Owl is a 75 minute solo show featuring 12 characters and 1 actor. Set in a small town in South Africa in the 90s, it’s nostalgic and very specific to its time and place; while addressing themes like growing up and falling in love with the wrong people which is universally relatable. At times really funny and also deeply moving, it goes to some dark places but it holds your hand all the way through.
What drew you to this specific story, and why does it belong at the Camden Fringe?
LCL: I find the protagonist so relatable – she’s a bit of an outsider, figuring out who she’s becoming and what she wants her life to be. We’re angry about a lot of the same things, so it’s easy to step into her and connect to how she’s feeling. This play subtly shines a light on topics that are difficult to have outright conversations about, it forces us to question things we’d rather turn a blind eye to. This show feels fringe-friendly because the set is essentially a single suitcase and a few piles of cardboard boxes, so it’s portable in that sense. But we’ve been working on the material for two years now so there’s a depth in the work that balances out the scrappy nature of the design. I love all the culture-specific references that South Africans will spot, and that’s why I’m so excited for it to go up at the Camden Fringe. I’m eager for more South African stories to be seen on international stages.
What has been the biggest challenge in bringing this production to life?
ICL: Logistics: scheduling, paperwork, marketing. The creative side of making this show was a process that flowed, and no one thing was a greater challenge than the rest because every single choice is a small stepping stone toward the next.
How does the design of your show (set, sound, or lighting) impact the presentation of your story?
ICL: The set hasn’t been designed so much as gathered and placed. Everything you see is activated in some way in the telling of the story. Nothing is purely aesthetic. Light, sound and choreography serve as a bridge for the audience’s imagination between realism and something more minimalist, playful, dream-like.
If you could sum up the show in one word or phrase, what would it be and why?
ICL: Captivating. It takes you by the hand and doesn’t let go.
A Girl Called Owl runs at The Courtyard Theatre on 13 – 15 August. Tickets are available here: https://camdenfringe.com/events/a-girl-called-owl/
