Rob Grace and BB are having a little chinwag about Life Jim (But not as we know it), acomedy sketch show incorporating pre-filmed tidbits.
I had written a single sketch some years ago, for a local show, and this was received well. I then wrote further sketches as the ideas came to me but had no real outlet so I decided to bring them all together as live and pre-recorded sketches in my own show.
Tell us about your show
Life Jim (But not as we know it) is a live comedy sketch show linked by pre-filmed sketches, spoof adverts and musings. This show was written by me, Rob Grace, an amateur comedy writer from Cirencester in the Cotswolds, and is performed by a talented supporting cast and me. Starting with a baby sketch and moving through a different look at what makes life fun, the mix of media keeps the laughs flowing with the show’s finale taking the shape of a parody song to end all songs.
Why did you decide to take your show to Space UK this year?
Whilst researching whether I could or should take my show to the Fringe I spoke to someone who had experience of performing at the Fringe and they had suggested that Space UK had worked out well for them. Further to this I did some online research and venue comparisons and of all the venue providers and Space UK seemed to offer me what I needed for a successful show.
What are you most looking forward to at this year’s festival?
As this will be my first experience of the festival I am looking forward to broadening my experience and learning form the more experienced performers.
Why Edinburgh? What’s the attraction?
With this being the biggest festival of its kind in the world what better place could there be to present my work to the public at large. The benefits of the festival’s reputation can only serve me well for future shows and any networking opportunities I can take advantage of will be invaluable.
Have you brought a show to the festival before?
No, this is my first time at the festival either as a performer or audience member!
What makes your show unique amongst the thousands of others at the festival?
Having not seen the rest of the thousands of acts I can’t claim any kind of uniqueness other than the fact that this show has come completely out of my head. I can claim that it is individual to my experiences and humour.
What has been the biggest challenge in getting your show ready for Edinburgh?
So far the biggest struggle has been to secure funds to meet the high budget costs, particularly as the group is funding all cast accommodation.
How did you create your show?
I had written a single sketch some years ago, for a local show, and this was received well. I then wrote further sketches as the ideas came to me but had no real outlet so I decided to bring them all together as live and pre-recorded sketches in my own show. After successful showings in my hometown a number of people recommended that I take the show to the Fringe so I have developed and fine-tuned the show for an Edinburgh audience.
What’s the main thing you want to get out of the festival this year?
The opportunity to network and perform to others who may see some mileage in my material and ides so that I can look to perform beyond the Fringe.
Can you tell us a bit about your company’s background?
We are an amateur company but are made up of experienced performers and musicians. Each company member has experience of performing, producing and/or directing plays and in some cases regular musical performances in bands or stage musicals. Two of the cast members also have experience working as extras in TV shows and commercials. We have one technician in the group who is currently studying Media Production and Music Tech at Cirencester College and we are hoping that the Fringe will help boost his experiences and aid his course.
If your show does well in Edinburgh, what do you want to do with it next?
If there are further opportunities to perform the show to a broader audience then I am open to any suggestions or options. I’d also like to use my experience with this show, which has been developed over the last two years, to enhance any future shows I may do of this nature. I’d also like to develop my capabilities and explore the limits of the pre-recorded material I have and see where that can be exploited.
Production Company: Grace and Favour Productions
Venue: theSpace@Surgeon’s Hall (theatre 2.
Dates: 10th till 15th August
Times: 18:15pm till 19:00pm
Twitter Handle: @GracnFav
