#EdFringe17 Comedy Q&A: Naomi Sheldon
I’d like to continue writing and try my hand at screen work. Or…an astronaut.
Good Girl is a frank and funny debut storytelling show. A bold look at the darker side of being a good girl. Welcome to the 90s, where the only sex education is Madonna.We fired over a Q&A to get more info.
Hi Naomi, tell me about your show.
Good Girl is a comic solo storytelling show about the trauma of growing up with big emotions, and what happens when to fit in, you cut those feelings off. It’s set to a backdrop of 90s pop culture, sexual awakening and attempts at witchcraft. A guinea pig may or may not get resurrected.
What does Edinburgh mean to you?
Edinburgh means equality and freedom for me! There’s no better place in the world to premiere new work. Good quality work will get seen- Edinburgh is a meritocracy that isn’t necessarily the case elsewhere. It’s the perfect setting for Good Girl to have her first full run. Edinburgh audiences are open to trying new, thought provoking shows without big names or big budgets. It’s all about the work.
Who inspires you and why?
Charlotte Josephine, writer and performer of Bitch Boxer and Blush inspires me. Her work ethic, support of other writer/performers and passion for the subjects she writes about is energising. She makes me feel I can do anything I set my mind to do. Important for a first time writer!
Describe your best or worst experiences on stage.
My best experience on stage was recently, doing a preview of Good Girl in Margate where I could see all the audience nudging each other because they totally related to the story’s references and my protagonist’s experience. They were laughing and crying at the end and it made me feel so connected with them. I felt I’d found my tribe.
Describe your best or worst review.
I think my worst review was when I was understudying a star in the West End and it said Naomi Sheldon did admirably but we didn’t pay to see her. I just thought, bloody hell, give a girl a chance will you.
If you weren’t a performer, what would you be?
I’d be a writer! Which I’m fast becoming (as well as performing) I’d like to continue writing and try my hand at screen work. Or…an astronaut. We lived next door to Helen Sharman’s sister when I was growing up and she was always a nearby role model. Shame I’m atrocious at maths.
What was the last book you read?
The Essex Serpent by my brilliant friend Sarah Perry. She’s basically Dickens. But with sexy bits.
Why is this show important now?
With you-know-who heading the most powerful country in the world and an internet culture of shouting down women, it feels more important than ever for female voices to have the space to make their perspective heard. Good Girl looks at what can happen when women self-silence to fit in with what is expected of them. When a powerful woman is a ‘nasty woman’, It’s vital to have an antidote of frank female voices speaking openly.
Imagine that the BBC have asked you to produce a primetime show. What would it be and who else would be involved?
It would be a brilliant series …of Good Girl of course. My husband Matt Peover would direct it (he directed this show) and I’d have Jayde Adams, Rebecca Humphries and Ellie White playing my girlhood friends with Nick Mohammed as the playground crush. It’d be some serious fun.
Twitter: @NaomiSheldon1
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