FAMEHUNGRY is a helter-skelter nose-dive into the TikTok universe, the attention economy, and what it means to be an artist now. Fusing performance art and very real and very live TikTok Experiences, join award-winning performance artist Louise Orwin as she cosplays as a TikToker in a real-life experiment hunting for fame and fortune. Made in collaboration with an actual Famous TikToker, The Almighty Algorithm, and TikTok-Famous Faces, FAMEHUNGRY asks what the future looks like if all roads lead to TikTok.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
FAMEHUNGRY begins with the question: what happens when a performance artist becomes a TikToker? This was the question that launched the research for the show for me, but also led me to a deeper question underneath about where this attention economy that we’re living in, and a world of social media and digital presence is leading us- especially for artists right now.
To answer the first question, I did something which I’ve done in many of my previous works and went headlong gonzo-style into the research to become a TikToker. For a year I was mentored by Jax Valentine, who is a real life Famous teenage TikToker. Over the course of the year, I built up a small following on TikTok and submitted myself to the almighty Algorithm. The show charts the course of that year’s findings, but also presents an ongoing conversation between Jax and I about social media and the future. What can a Gen Z TikToker teach a Millennial Performance Artist about the world and art? Well, lots it seems. The show is as much about the existential crisis I had whilst making the show (and let’s be honest, also from being an artist existing in a crumbling economy over the past few years), as well as trying to find a new perspective on where this is all leading us, and dare I say it, find some hope in it all.
The show is performed by Jax and I, with a few surprise faces along the way. Oh, and I’m also streaming the whole thing live on TikTok- but the caveat being that the TikTok audience aren’t quite let in on the joke… you’ll have to see the show to see what I really mean there though! The show is fun and wild and stupid and full of humanity- and I’m feeling really good about it coming to Edinburgh.
Tell us about the creative team and the process involved?
As mentioned above, I made the show with Jax. The research for the show actually started 4 years ago when we entered into a series of interviews and conversations around the themes of the show. When I first met Jax they were only 15, and at the time they had 50k followers on TikTok– it blew my mind and made me curious to know more, to understand their experience, and to try to see the world through their perspective. How does having access to such a large audience at such a young age change you? And what could I, someone who has chosen to perform in front of audiences for a living, learn from them? Through the course of the show, you get an insight into how our relationship and the conversation has developed over those 4 years. I sometimes forget that Jax was actually only 15 when I met them, and it’s been amazing to watch them grow up over the course of our time together. I’m also super excited in a nerdy way by the idea of turning the traditional mentorship model on its head (ie Jax mentoring me, despite being nearly half my age!)
After an initial period of research, conversations with Jax, and then beginning to create my alter-ego/presence on TikTok, I started making the show about a year ago, and through collaboration with Jax and many wild experiments on TikTok Live in the rehearsal room, we’ve come to the point where we are now- ready to bring it to Fringe (nearly!).
Aside from working with Jax, I’ve also been working with a killer creative team who are made up of some of my long-term collaborators: AJ Turner who has done the sound design and scoring, Eloina Haines as my production manager/TSM, Jenni Jackson working with me on movement, and then Rachel Mars who has worked as dramaturgical support.
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
I have to say I’m super excited to be coming back to the Fringe this time around. I’m somewhat of a veteran- I’ve been coming with work since 2012, have done a few full runs with Summerhall over the years, and I feel like I’ve got enough experience and hard lessons under my belt to give it a good crack and look after myself properly this time. The last time I came up was in 2019 when I presented a show about sexual assault and got tonsilitis mid-run- so it’s gotta be a bit easier than that this time round! Just a fun, silly show about TikTok and the potential existential threat facing the arts and yeah, maybe all of humanity this time around! I’m joking but also not joking – dark and knotty has kind of always been my thing as an artist, but I do feel this show has a slightly more hopeful ring to it than any I’ve made before.
This will be the first show that I’ve ever premiered at the Fringe though before- so that’s bringing a few more nerves!
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
I’ve always made work that feels slightly zeitgeisty and I’m sure this year will be no different- I expect there will probably be quite a few shows up there dealing with similar territory and themes around social media, big tech, AI etc- BUT, I have a feeling none of them will be dealing with the subject matter the way I am. I think a real draw to FAMEHUNGRY is its super-live element of streaming the show via TikTok Live – this makes the show very REAL and quite raw. The way that the live streaming works is that I’m essentially performing to two audiences at the same time- the only caveat being (as mentioned briefly above) that each audience is receiving a slightly different show.
The theatre audience gets to see all of the behind-the-scenes elements that go into the performance I’m giving to TikTok, plus lots of live theatrical moments and surprises that the TikTok audience doesn’t see. The theatre audience becomes sort of voyeurs to this weirdly intimate to-TikTok performance- and obviously, I can’t control what the TikTok audience do or say, which is always a risk. I won’t give too much away, but the result is quite thrilling and feels quite dangerous in some moments. Especially as TikTok itself is such a conservative platform- I’ve learnt along the way that there are lots of things that Performance Artists do on stage that you wouldn’t get away with on TikTok. In the previews in the run-up to Fringe, I’ve even been kicked off TikTok mid-show, but it’s quite an exciting restriction to play with live and in front of an audience! So here’s hoping TikTok lets me do the whole of the run at Fringe (do you hear me TikTok gods?).
Is there anything specific you’re hoping the audience will take away?
When I was making FAMEHUNGRY I promised myself I wouldn’t just make another show about how the internet is really scary/bad/dangerous/dystopian/ [insert clickbaity adjective]. And although I don’t think I’ve entirely escaped that (surely it would be churlish to ignore those kinds of sentiments completely), I hope people will leave the show feeling that I’ve created a world there that’s full of nuance, and understanding, and even better than that, a glimmer of hope.
I’m sure it’s part of the grand design of human nature that we all get to this point at some time in our lives, but a real pet peeve of mine is how quickly older generations show disdain for the interests and trends of younger generations. And although there is much to be said and parsed out about how digital culture and social media is changing us, I think it’s wholly unfair to Gen Z (and Gen A, and the rest of them to come) to say that everything’s going to shit. They didn’t ask for a world in which they live out so much of their lives online- and yet that is what we [lookin’ at you boomers] have given them. Jax speaks beautifully on all of this, and I hope that in listening to Jax during the show, my audiences come away with a reminder of how important it is to listen to young people on these subjects as well.
Your Ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t…?
I really hope that people of all ages come to see FAMEHUNGRY. Although the subject matter may naturally resonate with younger generations, I think there are some important themes in there for everyone. Underneath it all, it’s a show about an intergenerational conversation and sharing of [potentially conflicting] viewpoints to understand the world a bit better. Saying that, it’s been an interesting journey to make the show accessible for those who don’t know TikTok at all- trying to explain the culture, language and rules of the space and the platform has become quite a fun part of the work in itself.
But other than that, I think this is one for people who are interested in the intersection between social media, digital culture, performance art and culture at large. We’ve had a couple of big-name creators come to see the work in previews- that’s been fun! I hope they keep coming.
Who shouldn’t come? Maybe Mr TikTok*. He might not like what he sees.
*my cute unassuming term for a potentially terrifying global social media corporation.
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 trying to prep my body and mind as much as possible in the run-up, of course- but whilst I’m up there it’s all the usual things really: trying to get as much sleep as possible, eating my vegetables, drinking water, getting some sun (???) in my face. And as much as possible – trying to separate my ego from the work and enjoy being in one of the most vibrant arts festivals in the world. Plus supporting other artists and seeing other work! That always feels good for the soul. There are loads of shows I’m super excited to see, and the Summerhall programme is looking especially banging this year, with shows from Shit Theatre, Nathan Ellis, Yolanda Mercy, Still Hungry x Bryony Kimmings and loads more – so many to choose from!
In your ideal world, how can we improve the Fringe, performance, and the industry?
I love the Fringe, and there’s nowhere like it in terms of the buzz and the spectrum of work you can experience there, but let’s be honest it’s a capitalist death trap for artists (we do it because we love the art and we have dreams, ok!). It can take you down and put you in debt and have a severe impact on your mental health. I would love to see more venues showing a real understanding of the potential impact on artists. I’ve seen small changes over the past few years – but more is definitely needed. And I’m sure that change needs to come from beyond the people who lead on venues and programming- back to the council and the policy makers etc- but beyond that, how about we:
Pay artists properly! Introduce universal basic income! Make sure that the people running venues and programmes and institutions aren’t just straight white men, and that they understand the needs of artists, especially the needs of disabled, POC, LGBTQIA+ artists!
FAMEHUNGRY runs at Venue 26: Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose ( 1 Summerhall, EH9 1PL)
Runs: August 1st-11th, 13th-18th, 20th-26th
Photo credit – Frederik Wilkinson
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