Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
My name is Scott Organ and I wrote the play 17 Minutes, which will be playing at the Gilded Balloon Teviot Wine Bar on August 2-28 (Not 14,21) at 14:15. 17 Minutes is the amount of time Sheriff’s Deputy Andy Rubens stood outside of a school while shots were fired. This play explores the residual and communal effects of the tragedy – what happens after the news vans leave. It also asks questions about responsibility. I’m reminded of the quote by Abraham Joshua Heschel: “Few are guilty, but all are responsible.”
Tell us about the creative team and process involved?
We are fortunate that we all know each other very well and have worked together over the years at the Barrow Group. The director Seth Barrish and I have worked together many times and I think there’s an implicit trust there. Same with the actors and stage manager. We’ve all known each other for years and we love working together. I’m so proud of this ensemble. Additionally, there are three married couples within our group and all of us raise children in a country where the leading cause of death for children and teens is guns.
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
None of the actors have been to the Fringe and we are all incredibly excited. The Fringe has such a great reputation here in the U.S. It’s a bucket list item for all of us! Just scrolling through the shows in the EdFringe app is very exciting!
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
When this show ran Off-broadway in NYC, we knew we had something special. Audiences were consistently moved by the show, critics raved, and we had to extend our run. And though the show is about a serious subject, there is hope there. Furthermore, this is a company of actors who know each other very well, most of whom teach acting at The Barrow Group School in NYC. As playwright, I can’t imagine a more talented, grounded and real ensemble. Director Seth Barrish has just come off a very successful and extended run of the show he directed on Broadway – The Old Man and the Pool with Mike Birbiglia and brings his masterful touch to this production.
Is there anything specific you’re hoping for the audience to take away?
We have an epidemic of gun violence in the United States. This play is about what happens when we fail to protect our most vulnerable. And though there is an issue in this play, I don’t consider it an “issue play,” but rather a play about real people coping with their own complicated humanity. I hope the audience will leave the show moved by the story and perhaps thoughtful about how to work toward a better future. In some ways, I think the protagonist Andy’s journey mimics our own as citizens, with its cocktail of denial, acceptance and occasional hope. Again, few are guilty, but all are responsible.
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t there…
All are welcome and encouraged to attend! My hope is that we have audiences who love story and are open to investing in this community of characters, all of whom are struggling to make sense of a horrible tragedy. I continue to find it absolutely vexing what is going on in my country with gun violence, and I know we need to talk about it.
It’s an intense month, so where you’re able, how do you plan to relax, and are there any other shows you intend to see or want to recommend?
I will be seeing the play by the amazing Barrow Group writer Arlene Hutton – Blood of the Lamb, B Street Theatre at The Assembly Rooms and Shortlist, by two-time Fringe First winner Brian Parks at Assembly George Square. I’ve also just downloaded the EdFringe app and have begun perusing shows. Personally, I just read about a footgolf course in Edinburgh and I need to go! And if I can manage it between all the theatres, I’d like to see a Scottish Premier League match and perhaps take a train down to Leeds for a Championship match.
In your ideal world, how can we improve the world of the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
This will be my first EdFringe, so I don’t have a lot of experience, but it does seem that many companies and artists are being priced out of the festival, which saddens me. Perhaps this is just part of a greater trend where art and artists are marginalised (as seen now by the strike of the Writers Guild and the potential strike of the Screen Actors Guild here in the U.S.) I was a part of the first two New York International Fringe Festivals and I know the value of festivals for bringing new work to the stage. I just hope society continues to value and lift up theatre-makers.
