Broadway Baby chats to the absurdists behind A Traffic Jam on Sycamore Street.
As far as we have seen, there tends not to be as much surrealist or absurdist theatre generally performed throughout so we will be unique in that sense.
Tell us about your show
When an unsuspecting citizen receives a severed finger with the morning post, two police officers arrive to investigate the crime but, in a world where nothing is quite as it seems, events quickly spiral towards the absurd.
Why did you decide to take your show to Space UK this year?
We have worked with theSpace Venues for the past few years and their venues have always been professional and exactly suited to our needs.
What are you most looking forward to at this year’s festival?
As well as performing, just the general buzz you get in the air from all the other performers and people coming to watch, it is just such a fantastic atmosphere!
Why Edinburgh? What’s the attraction?
Edinburgh gives us an opportunity to showcase not only our original writing but also the talents of all the directors, actors and stage managers involved. It is also a real challenge to stand out amongst all the fantastic theatre being put on so gives us a chance to try new things.
Have you brought a show to the festival before?
We have been coming to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for several years now, but recent shows of ours have included One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Goblin Market.
What makes your show unique amongst the thousands of others at the festival?
As far as we have seen, there tends not to be as much surrealist or absurdist theatre generally performed throughout so we will be unique in that sense. Also it is an original piece so no one will have ever seen anything quite like it!
What has been the biggest challenge in getting your show ready for Edinburgh?
Definitely the logistics, i.e. how to transport all the stage props, costumes and actors to Edinburgh.
Have you been to other venues at the festival?
We have previously performed in several different Space venues but also have been to pretty much every other venue we could in order to see other theatre being performed.
How did you create your show?
It was originally thought up by the writer and director David Jones at last year’s Edinburgh who realized he wanted to write something a little different that was exclusively for Edinburgh. Since then, David has approached theatre companies such as the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool to help develop the show into something really great.
What’s the main thing you want to get out of the festival this year?
To have an absolutely fantastic time performing, put on a great show and just enjoy every aspect of it!
Can you tell us a bit about your company’s background?
Liverpool University Drama Society (or LUDS) has been around for a very long time within the University, we are one of the biggest societies and try to put on a varied calendar of event and plays within Liverpool.
If your show does well in Edinburgh, what do you want to do with it next?
We shall see…maybe if we could perform across various venues, that would be terrific!
Production Company: Liverpool University Drama Society
Venue: theSpace @ Surgeons Hall Theatre 2
Dates: 24th-29th August
Times: 15.05-15.50
Twitter Handle: @sycamorejam
