From internationally acclaimed poets Carrie Rudzinski and Olivia Hall of How We Survive Productions comes Hysterical – a revolutionary feminist poetry theatre show that aims to reclaim emotion and push back against the negative stereotypes and limitations systemically forced upon women. Their Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut, Hysterical is a fierce and delightfully funny performance that questions the idea that women are too emotional or hysterical to be taken seriously – to be leaders of countries and companies; to be listened to and valued; to be believed when pointing to their own hurt.
Meshing both duo and solo poetry with theatre that confronts systemic sexism, body politics and weeping uncontrollably in the supermarket, Hysterical seeks to empower the female voice. A fresh and intimate performance concerned with emotion, bodies, and connection, Carrie and Olivia challenges the idea of the ‘hysterical woman’.
Their first international season since winning Best New Aotearoa Play at the Wellington Theatre Awards and Outstanding Performance Poetry at Auckland Fringe, Carrie Rudzinski and Olivia Hall’sHysterical delivers powerhouse performances and creates a deep audience connection.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
Kia ora! We’re Carrie Rudzinski and Olivia Hall of How We Survive Productions, coming to Edinburgh all the way from New Zealand. Our show Hysterical is a poetry theatre production that weaves together 16 poems along with voice messages, personal stories and banter. It is a fierce, feminist and fulfilling show that reclaims emotion as a powerful tool of connection.
Tell us about the creative team and process involved?
The creative team is just the two of us! We’re the writers, performers and producers of Hysterical and have been collaborating for six years. We went through an extensive development process for this show, as Hysterical contains both duet and solo poems, and then we toured it across New Zealand in 2022. We were super honoured to win Best New Aotearoa Play at the Wellington Theatre Awards.
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
This is our first-ever Edinburgh Fringe and we are so excited! Performing at the Fringe has been a dream of ours for a number of years and it feels a bit surreal that it’s finally possible. We can’t wait to meet fellow creatives and bring some New Zealand poetry to the UK!
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
Poetry theatre is such an exciting artform that really blends genres; it blends writing and performance, poetry and theatre, comedy and spoken word. Hysterical as a poetry theatre show is sharp and real – it will have you laughing and crying all within 60 minutes. We love everything about performing our show but what really feels unique is that we perform multi-voiced poems together that are incredibly complex in their scripting. The duets pack a punch and really set this performance apart from anything else you will see at Fringe.
Is there anything specific you’re hoping for the audience to take away?
One of the great things about Hysterical is that while there are weaving narratives throughout, there are also a significant number of individual poems and it has been amazing to find that different audience members find a particular connection with specific poems or ideas. We hope people feel permission to engage emotionally with the content of the show and go away questioning why we’re made to feel like emotions should be hidden or shameful.
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t there…
We love an audience that can get really engaged and hyped about poetry! In terms of the content of the show, it’s also great to have people who are invested in social justice and equality. We’ve also found that we have very broad and diverse audiences, all of whom find joy in the show! Not in the audience? Maybe J.K. Rowling. There’s a whole poem about her…
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?
Oh, we intend to eat pizza and watch a lot of reality TV to wind down after shows! We also hope we can go see other shows and are really excited to support the other incredible work on at Summerhall. We want to check out Help Yourself and iCON, both of which look really cool and are on at Summerhall!
In your ideal world, how can we improve the world of the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
It has become really clear through the process of The Fringe that there is a huge upfront cost, meaning that even if a show is a big success, there’s a long delay before getting paid. It’s a very privileged position to be in to be able to pay those costs and attend the Fringe, and it also means that there are great things we’re not seeing at the Fringe and that there’s work to be done to make the Fringe more accessible.
