Broadway, 1955. In this newly written farcical comedy, roaring with energy and excitement, August and Harry struggle to keep their theatre (and marriage) alive. That is until one chance encounter. Through secrets, lies and deceit, everything changes. Caught in the crossfires of broken-down relationships, many, many sins, pretences and promised dreams, will the Mentiri Company finally close its curtains? What will happen when the lights come up? In the unruly game of show business, will their parts finally be Well Played?
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
Essentially, the play revolves around the sacrifices and dreams involved in theatre-making. Set in the busy streets of Broadway in the 1950s, we centre our focus around August and Harry Mentiri who own a struggling production company, ‘Mentiri Enteprises’. Drowned in debt, Harry hopes to abandon the theatre, that is until hopeful actor Susan Ragnor mistakes it for a Broadway big-time ‘Greater Boulevard’. Suddenly, with the promise of an investment from Ragnor, August’s little-known acting repertoire are pretending to be Broadway’s biggest stars until they can no longer keep up appearances.
Tell us about the creative team and the process involved?
Writer Josie Rose Embleton began her love for theatre at The Watermill Theatre at the age of ten, joining their young company and being involved in several productions there until the age of 18. At University, she has directed plays such as Tennessee William’s ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ and Arthur Miller’s ‘All My Sons’ which sparked her love for 20th-century writing and post-war American history and dramas. She has married her love for serious kitchen sink drama and comedy together in this play, as her time performing in Edinburgh’s longest-running improv company ‘The Improverts’ has nourished her love for comedy.
Joining the team is experienced producer Isabella Fisher-Turner, who has produced several Edinburgh Fringe productions, earning four- and five-star reviews. Our director, Clare Wootton having recently graduated Acting and English from Edinburgh Napier University has also performed in projects in the festival as well as in Traverse Theatre. We are so excited and proud for this play to be a female directorial debut!
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
A wonderful mix of nervousness and excitement. The fringe is always such a brilliant experience, however tiring. There is simply an overwhelming amount of shows to see and artists performing, which makes for a beautifully creative and unique atmosphere and environment but also a very daunting place to bring an original performance. The fringe is the place to experiment, however, and is really the home of new writing, so we feel as though this is the perfect place to debut the play!
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
I think you would struggle to find a 20th century play that has a really strong female lead where the story really centres and revolves around her passion for her career as opposed to being a wife and a mother. This show really shines a light on relationships, marriages, careers, and the struggles within all of those things without imposing strict gender roles while doing so. At heart, it’s a comedy, so it’s entertaining, it’s fun to watch (hopefully) but we hope that it still has meaningful messages that the audience can leave with too. Also, there are no ‘good’ and ‘bad’ guys in the show, so it really tries to delve into the truths and realities of being a human being. One minute you might be on Harry’s side for example, the next, you’re not so sure. This is starting to sound more like a drama than a comedy, but it is also really funny, I swear
Is there anything specific you’re hoping the audience will take away?
Although it’s set in the 1950s, our modern world is also a time when everyone in the arts really struggles, not only financially, but to keep up the effort and work to keep their shows running while not receiving much in return. Everything feels like a risk in this industry. While this play goes to the farcical extreme of how far people will go for their passion for theatre, I hope the message remains that art and theatre are integral things to people, and should not be dismissed.
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t there…
Anyone who laughs at the jokes
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 try to sleep in as much as possible and probably have days where I just stay at home all day long. In terms of other shows to see, I have always loved all the music shows in the fringe, particularly ones that celebrate specific artists or bands, so tell me anything with live music and I will be there.
In your ideal world, how can we improve the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
There is still such a financial barrier with the Fringe. It is a huge international event, but it’s really for smaller-scale, up-and-coming companies with fresh new ideas and new writing to come and experiment with their work. Yet, it’s so hard to fund for these companies, with venue costs, marketing, costume, everything involved costs money. It’s brilliant that there are funds and grants available through some fringe schemes, but these could definitely be broadened. In an ideal world, anyone with a script should have a stage.
Interested in being featured on our Have a Gander page? With many previews and Q&As lined up, we’re always happy to chat about including your show in future articles. Please do get in touch through the contact page to feature in an upcoming ‘Have A Gander’