Would you mind giving us an insight into what your show/event/performance is?
How to Art is an award-winning physical-theatre-clown-fruit-mash-up about making art, surviving, and chasing mass a-peel. Inspired by the infamous artwork ‘Comedian’ (Maurizio Cattelan’s viral art sensation, which sold for $6.2 million before being eaten by its new owner), the show follows two bananas who wake up duct-taped to the wall of an art gallery and embark on an absurd journey of self-discovery. Ripe with potential, can they find their place before they are put up for sale?
In a landscape where a banana duct-taped to a wall sells for millions, but your average artist can’t afford fruit for the week, How to Art grapples with the commodification of art and self, asking, what would art think of art? And, in this world for sale, who decides where value is placed and who profits?
It’s personal, it’s political, it’s bananas.
Winner of the ‘Melbourne Fringe Tour Ready Award’ 2025, How to Art transforms the theatre into an immersive art gallery, inviting audiences to become art benefactors and offering an interactive experience where no show is ever the same.
Tell us about the creative team and the process involved?
Birthed from the burnt-out brains of New Zealand theatremakers, Katie Burson, Georgie Llewellyn and Bronwyn Ensor, How to Art explores the ongoing clown act of navigating life as an artist. It’s rough out there right now (see: global arts budget cuts, the cost-of-living crisis, RENT). But we love what we do and have a lot of fun doing it, so what better way to talk about all this than with a post-post-post-ironic fruit metaphor?
We pulled together an exciting team of NZ artists to build the world of our gallery, combining object art by Tse-Yu Lin, video and production design by Rob Byrne, original music by Fia Haugh, choreography by Tash Kohler, and delightful banana skins by Dan Collings.
How to Art debuted in Tāmaki Makaurau at Basement Theatre, November 2024, followed by an NZ Fringe season at Te Auaha, Wellington, where it was awarded the ‘Melbourne Fringe Tour Ready Award 2025’. We presented a sold-out fundraiser season at Basement Theatre ahead of our Melbourne run, where we were the recipient of 8 ‘Judge’s Picks’ and nominated for ‘Best in Theatre’ and ‘Spirit of Fringe’.
Our team is beyond excited to be making our UK debut at Underbelly for Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August.
How does it feel coming to (back to) the Fringe?
This is our first Edinburgh Fringe, and we’re coming all the way from New Zealand, so we’re feeling all of the feels: excited, broke, terrified, and braced to bend like bananas for an entire month.
We’ve always dreamed of touring to Edinburgh, but haven’t felt we had the right work (or resources) to make that leap. After presenting four critically-acclaimed seasons of How to Art across NZ and Australia, we realised THIS was the one to bring. It is unique, challenging, wacky, and truly comes to life in the chaos of a festival setting.
With shows from all over the world at the Fringe, what sets yours apart?
A banana duct-taped to a wall you can actually afford. We embody a $6.2m artwork so you can experience it for a tenner.
On that, is there anything in the production or production team’s backgrounds which influences the way the show is performed or told?
Our team weaves an eclectic background in physical theatre, clowning, film, improv, music, dance, hand-balancing, grant writing, swim teaching, aqua aerobics instruction, coffee-making, door-knocking (the list goes on). The energy of the non-stop freelance lifestyle is embodied on stage every night; we sweat, laugh, cry, love, peel, bruise and occasionally bleed until we drop, then do it all again the next day.
How to Art is an ode to the fish-out-of-water experience of trying to make art in a world that’s not built for artists. It’s our tongue-in-cheek response to the impact of capitalism on creativity, told through the lens of an accidentally famous piece of fruit.
Ironically, one of our creators and performers has had a lifelong aversion to bananas (the smell, taste, texture, everything), so when it was posited that we embody them (and consume one every night), she knew she would need to dig deep into her training. Let’s just say you are witnessing some GREAT acting at play.
Is there anything specific you’re hoping the audience will take away?
How to Art puts you in the buyer’s seat, with one game audience member taking home a limited edition piece of ‘art’ each night.
If you don’t consider yourself an art connoisseur, no worries! Our fruity fable is no high-brow exclusive. But it’s not all low-brow either; in fact, it’s no-brow. We celebrate the art of living in a way that will leave you unable to look at a ladyfinger the same way again.
Your Ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t…?
In attendance: Maurizio Cattelan
Not in attendance: Maurizio Cattelan’s lawyers
If you’re reading this, Maurizio, you have our number (0800pleasecome) #makemauriziocome
In all honesty, the best kind of audiences are the ones who come ready to bunch, who are willing to take the pith, laugh till they cry, and compete in bidding wars. Leave your eyebrows at the door; but don’t forget your wallets.
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?
Replenishing our potassium levels and doing however many Down Dogs it takes to face another day.
Some shows from NZ we highly recommend are: To be Frank, Only Bones: Daniel Nodder, Alone, HR The Musical and Hugo’s Rainbow Show.
We are also excited to see: Creepy Boys: SLUGS, Love Hunt, Elf Lyons is the Woman on the Edge, and CVNT.
How to Art will run at Venue 61, Iron Belly at Underbelly, Cowgate
Runs: August 5th – August 30th at 21.40pm
Photo credit: Jake Dennis
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’