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 Katy Murphy about their new show (No Refunds).
Can you tell me a little about your show and what audiences can expect?
(No) Refunds is an interactive gameshow play hosted by the dazzling, delightful, and only occasionally dastardly Tiffany Gold, an old-school American gameshow host and model presenter all-in-one who quite literally depends on your entertainment.
Each show, one premium ticket holder (dubbed the “Star Player” for the evening) competes in three of nine possible games designed to amuse the audience and showcase their talents. Only those best-suited to handle the demands of STARDOM will walk away with a full refund. No two shows are ever the same!
What drew you to this specific story, and why does it belong at the Edinburgh Fringe?
This all began as an idea back in quarantine, March, 2020, when I lost three jobs in one day and was terrified by my sudden and complete financial dependency on friends, family, and the state as an out-of-work artist. I was angry and in shock at how what I thought was a carefully crafted system to sustain myself independently as an artist had crumbled in less than 48 hours. (No) Refunds interrogates what it means to create art under capitalism, the direct responsibility of audiences to compensate artists, and what a day’s work as an entertainer really feels like for our Star Players.
As to why it belongs at Fringe, it is one of the only shows that gives audiences a personal understanding of why creative labor is important, whether or not you end up being adequately compensated. Each night, our Star Player gets to decide for themselves how much they’re willing to spend to be a Star, even if the most they can win back is a refund. It’s thrilling. It’s new every night. It surprises ME! Not only that, but as Fringe itself becomes more and more expensive and sometimes inaccessible for artists, perhaps a show about paying to play is the Fringiest show at all.
What has been the biggest challenge in bringing this production to life?
This is very on-theme for the show: money. Each person involved in this production (me, our producer, our director, stage manager, and co-star) is an artist with at least one other day job and actively working to stay employed to make ends meet between shows. We have been fortunate to have successful crowdfunding campaigns from friends, family, and fans of the work after a few NYC runs, which is making it possible for us to go to Fringe for a full month this year, but we still lack the significant financial boost of a more established production house. That’s showbiz, though, baby. So far, with each iteration of our show we have been able to grow our budget and fundraising efforts more.
How does the design of your show (set, sound, or lighting) impact the presentation of your story?
What we lack in a budget for a significant set, sound, and lighting design, we make up for with extremely intentional costuming choices. Tiffany Gold, the show’s host, is an artifice upon artifice – imagine Dolly Parton and Vanna White all rolled up into one. The armor she gives me as a performer when I put her on each night is exquisite. She shines (literally, thanks to about a million sequins).
If you could sum up the show in one word or phrase, what would it be and why?
STAR-POWERED.
(No) Refunds runs at The Penny at Gilded Balloon Patter House (Venue 24) from August 5th – 31st. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/no-refunds
