The humble bench. Sturdy furniture, or something more? Broadway Baby wants to know more.
Edinburgh is this beautiful world of theatre magic for four weeks. We not only wanted to be among this but add to it!
Tell us about your show
Bench is fast paced contemporaneous look into how we relate to the people who surround us daily. A place which we have all been to, which we can all recognise, the humble bench provides the backdrop of the piece. The play aims to take the audience on an exuberant roller coaster, acutely unpicking the actions and mannerisms of multiple characters. Switching from wit to worry, from funny to fury. The characters seamlessly multi-roll throughout the play in order to convey how the only thing connecting them is their innate human qualities and their interactions with this single bench.
Why did you decide to take your show to Space UK this year?
We found it incredibly appealing to open up a dialogue with The Space due to the strong reputation that they hold with many of Royal Holloway’s alumni. We immediately found that The Space had a very genuine interest in the theatre that we were making and were excited by the prospect of what we had to offer. The Space has continued to support us throughout this process, allowing us to grow with ease as a company.
What are you most looking forward to at this year’s festival?
Besides the opportunity of being able to present our work to everyone, it is definitely the other shows that we will be able to see whilst we are there. The amount of work that everyone puts in to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is an effort felt by everyone, and so to see the culmination of everything will be fantastic to witness.
Why Edinburgh? What’s the attraction?
Edinburgh is this beautiful world of theatre magic for four weeks. We not only wanted to be among this but add to it! The prospect of being a part of this theatre maker’s playground has continuously excited and pushed our current work.
Have you brought a show to the festival before?
Our company is a mix of people who have taken a show to the Fringe before, as well as others where it will be there first time. This has made for a fun dynamic for everyone on the cast and crew.
What makes your show unique amongst the thousands of others at the festival?
Our show is a vast, vibrant unpicking of contemporary society. We have worked to piece together a script in which we set up very real interactions between our characters. Stemming from our observations within society and those of our actors we have worked to portray how a single bench can hold multiple stories.
What has been the biggest challenge in getting your show ready for Edinburgh?
As with any Edinburgh show the funding of such an event has been crucial to our success. From holding multiple fundraisers at Royal Holloway, we have done it all just to get to Edinburgh, and we have loved every second of it! A special mention goes to Royal Holloway’s Drama Society for their constant guidance and support throughout
What’s the main thing you want to get out of the festival this year?
A feeling of accomplishment. We have seen this company grow from the moment the idea was conceived to take a show to Edinburgh, from putting the cast and crew together, creating the work to be performed as well as raising awareness of Corner Talk as an exciting new company. When this is over, to be able to look back on what we have achieved will be something to be cherished for a long time.
Venue: theSpace @ Jury’s Inn
Dates: 17th – 22nd and 24th – 29th
Times: First week performances will be at 14.10 and second week performances will be at 19.10.
