The Hearth is the stone beneath which a fire burns. A bedrock where many fires have burned before and where ash, and residue have collected over generations. The traditional centre of a home. Renowned flautist/guitarist and sound designer, Tom Oakes (Scots Trad Musician of the Year nominee 2019) presents music and stories inspired by characters past and present, real and surreal who were unknowing catalysts for artistic or societal change.
Building on the previous show (Can This Be) Home and celebrated solo album Water Street, The Hearth explores how our traditions are shaped and evolve.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
The Hearth by Tom Oakes and Brite Theater at the Scottish Storytelling Centre is a unique blend of music, sound design, poetry and storytelling about how traditions are shaped and the people we meet who make an impact on us, changing how we view the world and therefore how we create and what we add to that tradition.
Tell us about the creative team and process involved?
Tom Oakes is a renowned flautist, guitarist, sound designer and composer best known on the Scottish trad music scene, working again here with Brite Theater (previously (Can This Be) Home and more) on a show with writer and director Kolbrún Björt Sigfúsdóttir (dir ChildMinder (TraverseTheatre), hang (Tron Theatre) – for which Tom did sound design).
We’re actually partners in ‘real’ life so the process is quite unusual, a kind of continuous conversation around day-to-day tasks as well as more traditional dramaturgy and rehearsal sessions. I, Kolbrún, have a theatre background so my question is always to do with story and Tom is a musician so his starting point is always music so the interesting meeting point is where music can stand alone and transport us and where it needs context to guide the listener towards how we mean for them to feel. We’re both passionate about the live experience and what that offers. But the process kinda defies genres, like the show.
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
Brite Theater has been involved with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on and off since 2015 and we’ve had great successes as well as slow years. We’re really chuffed to be back at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, where we did a run of our award winning (Can This Be) Home in 2019 as it’s the perfect fit for this piece. It’s always nerve-wracking to be at the Fringe but knowing you’ll get to perform in a stunning, soundproof, intimate and purpose-built Theatre is just such a luxury. And there’s a buzz about town this year, it feels like folk are up for the madness this August. So it feels good.
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
The music. If you love great playing and beautiful music but don’t fancy gig crowds or want a bit more cohesion and structure to the set list than you normally get then this is for you. I’m not a musician but I need live music for my soul sometimes and I think especially in the sensory-stimulating stint that is the festival it’s a welcome relief.
Is there anything specific you’re hoping the audience will take away?
A CD or a poetry booklet 😉
Well, and an appreciation of the trailblazers in their lives.
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t there…
Hello socialists. The working classes. The outsiders. The unconventional. The music lovers. The tradition bearers and tradition breakers. If you’re a brexit loving tory who loves social conformity then this is probably not 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?
We’re hoping to see most things in our venue, it’s all looking brilliant and there’s such a great sense of comradery when folks support each other’s work. There might not be a lot of chill time this month but knowing you’re treading the same boards as folks you admire always spurs you on. I personally am always on the lookout for audience participation or immersive experiences, migrant narratives and female-led work. I’ll be carrying the F-Bomb Femi-Fringe guide for inspiration.
In your ideal world, how can we improve the world of the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
I mean, if it’s my ideal then we’ve binned capitalism and so the arts are properly funded and so more people are supported and so everyone’s mental health is better and access to the arts for audiences is better and so it’s this enriching exchange that feeds the community, not a money guzzling gig economy fairground ride. I really love the Festivals, but it’s increasingly hard to champion a set up that is hard to maintain both for audiences and artists. The true magic is in the unexpected so I guess the thing that would make the whole thing better is if we created an environment where artists and audiences could take a risk on each other.
