Would you mind giving us an insight into what your show/event/performance is?
Hamlet (an experience) is a solo immersive adaptation of Shakespeare’s play in which I (Emily Carding) play Hamlet and you, the audience, are the players arriving at Elsinore. You will be asked to take on the roles of the important people in Hamlet’s life in order to tell his story. Time is taken to make sure it’s a safe space and that everyone is secure in what they’re doing and then we create something beautiful, unique, fun and moving together.
Tell us about the creative team and the process involved?
Just the two of us on this one! Performer Emily Carding (that’s me) and Kolbrun Bjort Sigfusdottir, the director. We also both self-produced and collaborated on the script. We had previously made Richard III (a one person show) together, which had been a big hit at both Prague and Edinburgh Fringes, and wanted to take the idea of audience participation in Shakespeare even further. We always have to have a partially open rehearsal process so we can be sure the participation is clear for audiences and that it feels guided and safe so that they feel secure enough to make choices and get out of their comfort zone. We originally made this show back in 2018 and it toured a bit in 2019, including off-Broadway and to Babel Fest in Romania, where I won an award for my performance.
How does it feel coming to (back to) the Fringe?
It’s always like coming home. We’ve been bringing shows to Fringe since 2015 and Kol has lived in Edinburgh and built a career here for years now. So for her it is literally home! For me, it’s a spiritual home. To see a beautiful city completely give itself over the the arts, to see people from around the world take a punt on shows that are out there and truly creative in the most human way possible…it’s soul nurturing.
With shows from all over the world at the Fringe, what sets yours apart?
It’s incredibly minimalist whilst at the same time being truly immersive, focusing entirely on the connection between player, audience and the story we’re telling together. We become equal in the space, audience become the players and in turn become the other characters of the play, learning to trust each other and to share something of themselves. It’s vulnerable, yes, and that’s part of what makes it beautiful. With our many years of experience of touring these shows around the world, often to countries where English isn’t even their first language, you know you’re in safe hands. There’s been times when I’ve been moved to tears by the performances and choices of audience- and laughter, of course! It’s a lot of fun. It’s an opportunity to have a completely unique and personal experience of the most famous play in the English language. Our shows have won multiple awards around the world and it’s been an incredible experience to connect through art to people of so many cultures. It’s a privilege to share that experience with Edinburgh Fringe audiences.
On that, is there anything in the production or production team’s backgrounds which influences the way the show is performed or told?
We met at Exeter University over a decade ago on an MA in Staging Shakespeare, which included residencies at Shakespeare’s Globe. It was working with shared light and direct address in early modern Shakespearean practice which led to us expanding that principle of connection in a post-modern way with our interactive work.
Is there anything specific you’re hoping the audience will take away?
The realisation that we’re all artists, we all have the ability to make creative choices. A
n experience of an incredibly famous play and character that will be completely unique to them and that moment, never to be repeated in the same way.
Your Ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t…?
A mix of all walks of life, brought together as equals to be a cast for an hour. People willing to trust, play, serve the story and each other.
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?
For me, I have to get out of the city to a green space, the wilder the better. I really love Roslin Valley. There will of course also be plenty of socialising and trying to catch friends’ shows, as well as mix of shows that are definitely our thing and things that we wouldn’t normally see.
I really hope to catch my friend Sarah Louise Young’s new show, The Bob Ross Effect and I also am planning to finally catch Stamptown. Our venue, the Storytelling Centre always has a great selection of shows, including Common Tongue, which sounds fantastic and Brite Theater’s other show, Forge, by the wonderful Tom Oakes.
Hamlet (an experience) runs at Venue 30, George Mackay Brown Library at Scottish Storytelling Centre
Runs: 7th – 17th August at 16:30pm
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