Arty is a day-dreaming, inquisitive young polar bear who was born in Scotland but longs to see the world. When he inadvertently ends up on a voyage far from home, Arty discovers more than he bargained for.
This new musically scored, visually illustrated spoken-word show from critically acclaimed trio Stuart Kenny (poet), Grant Robertson (musician) and Lewis Gillies (illustrator) takes the audience on a rip-roaring adventure across heather, hill, ocean and snow.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
My name is Stuart Kenny. I’m a travel journalist and spoken word poet, and alongside musician Grant Robertson and artists Lewis Gillies, I perform multimedia, narrative-led storytelling shows, told in poetic verse, scored to music, performed live on stage, and backdropped by beautiful imagery.
This year we’re performing a show called ‘Bear With Me: A Polar Bear in Scotland’. It debuted to a sold-out crowd at the Scottish Storytelling Centre back in February, and the one and only Michelle McManus described it as “lovely, meditative, positive poetry” on BBC Scotland – and said that Nan Shepherd would’ve loved it, which we were, of course, delighted about. It’s also been described as a little like a Pixar film live on stage, and in poetic form, which I think gives you a good idea.
The story follows a young polar bear called Arty who’s born in Scotland and finds himself embarking on an unexpected journey to Svalbard, and there are plenty of laughs along the way. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. We really believe that there’s something in there for everyone, whether you’re a fan of poetry, music, adorable artwork or bad puns. You’ll have to bear with us on those.
Tell us about the creative team and process involved?
So Grant, Lewis and I all went to high school in Edinburgh together and stayed best friends. We’re all artists in our own disciplines in our own right. Grant plays the Edinburgh open mic and guitar circuit and writes very funny songs, and Lewis has produced some really fantastic art projects in their time – while I’ve been performing poetry since 2018, performing in Edinburgh and around Scotland.
In 2018 we decided to combine our three art forms into our own multimedia show, and I think the results have really resonated with people – it’s a really unique premise and I’ve personally not seen anything else quite like it out there. Our first show The Space Gecko Project was described as “the most wholesome show in Scottish poetry” by The Skinny and Bear With Me is our follow-up.
In terms of the process, I write the words and narrative, then send it to both Lewis and Grant and then Grant produces the music – on a variety of instruments and using a loop pedal – and Lewis works on the art that you’ll see projected. For this project he used felt to make the polar bears you see in the show and photographed them, which gives the artwork a really beautiful depth.
For the Fringe, we’ve also got Lottie Whittingham, a violin and accordion player, involved – which I’m super stoked about.
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
This will be our third Fringe as a group and Grant and I’s fourth Fringe – having written and performed a play called Lifeguards in 2017, before The Space Gecko Project. As Edinburgh artists, there is a good question to be asked over whether it’s actually worth performing at the Fringe.
Are you reaching a new audience or just giving yourself thousands of competitors for no real reason, when you could just perform the show another time of year? We debuted Bear With Me in February and sold out the 98-person Netherbow Theatre and loved it – but there is something special about being involved in the festival. There’s a buzz, and while I wouldn’t do a full run (we’re doing two shows), I do love it.
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
I don’t know of any other narrative-led spoken word poetry shows about polar bears, musically scored with a variety of instruments, excellent live musicians and backdropped by adorable artwork.
In all seriousness though, I do think that the multimedia, collaborative element of our show is what sets us apart. There’s nothing else quite like it and we hear that a lot from audiences after the show.
Is there anything specific you’re hoping for the audience to take away?
think what people will take away from Bear With Me will entirely depend on what aspect of the show they engage with most. There are themes behind the narrative about climate and migration and the depletion of nature, for example, but equally, there’s a lot of dumb jokes in the show too – and there’s a central storyline, which you can watch unfolding without thinking about too much else.
We’re delighted if people come along and really resonate with those deeper themes, and we’re equally delighted if they come along and just enjoy the performance, the music – which is incredibly catchy – and the beautiful artwork and the story. Basically, we want to put a smile on people’s faces. I like to think that our show is a nice bit of escapism. It’s funny, light-hearted. There’s a lot going on.
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t there…
I would’ve said Taylor Swift… but I didn’t manage to get tickets for any of the Murrayfield gigs and the only ones left are now £600, so she’s in my bad books. For real, though, our show is suitable for everyone – from families to grown-ups – looking for a show that’ll make them smile. It’s a proper bit of escapism, I reckon. If you’ve ever enjoyed a Pixar film, then this film is for you.
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’m lucky that I live in Edinburgh, so when I’m not performing I’ll either be scooting around town catching other shows or chilling out at home. I do love the buzz of the Fringe though. I’d really recommend anyone interested in poetry gets along to Loud Poets at the Scottish Storytelling Centre.
Also there’s a wrestling show called Mythos: Ragnarok which is just absolutely excellent. Go see it.
In your ideal world, how can we improve the world of the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
It’s a big question, so I’ll go for an aspect that might not get mentioned. I’d love to see the Fringe move away from flyering. Not only does it turn a lot of locals off the fringe, but – while I’m just speaking anecdotally – the environmental impact must be huge. It also feels like it’d be easy to cut out. I know it’s a bit of a Fringe tradition, but maybe there could be a limit or something. There must be millions of flyers pointlessly printed each year in Edinburgh. It’d also be nice if it was used as a stage to really promote Scottish artists and artwork. It feels like a waste that it isn’t.
