The Camden Fringe Interviews
Fixed House Theatre on How Dead Am I?
We’ve surely all had those conversations where we question our very existance and whether there’s something else once we die? The team at Fixed House Theatre certainly have, and have turned such thoughts into How Dead Am I, which comes to Libra Cafe on 2 August for Camden Fringe, before heading off to Edinburgh Fringe Festival for a stint at C Arts (12 – 25 August).
We wondered if maybe they might have found the answer to these biggest of questions, and luckily the team agreed to meet up so we could ask them. Thankfully, even after a hectic time with rehearsals and planning for both Camden and Edinburgh Fringe’s, they weren’t too ‘dead on their feet’ to talk.
Great to meet you, so who are Fixed House Theatre?
We are a group of 7 international actors who met at East15 in our postgraduate program. We have co-devised, written and directed this show with some input from creative mentors and peers!
Where are you playing, and why that venue?
We are playing at The Libra in their basement space, which we felt was appropriate, given our subject material! We love the vibe, they’ve designed us a signature cocktail for the evening which is going to taste like a “smoky fluorescent baby” and since we really don’t require much in the way of tech, we decided to save a bit of cash and do our one night preview there as a way of getting audiences excited about our run at Edinburgh Fringe.
What was the inspiration behind the show?
Our ensemble really bonded over the desire to create a piece of theatre that could deal with some of those big questions like “what happens when we die?” and “what are we here for?” while also providing relief and humour that’s so necessary. We want to give the audience a view into how important love and community is, especially in these times, in a fun yet vulnerable way. We’re taking our inspiration from our own stories and experiences, and the beauty of humanity through uncertainty!
If you had to describe your show as a colour, what would it be, and why?
Fluorescent sharp blue! It is hilariously raw and honest. There’s no hiding under the fluorescent lights of our bodega.
What can audiences expect from the show?
Organized chaos, sacrilegious humour, lots of physical movement, and some bizarre and dark storytelling. Some free snacks. Humans that might not be quite…human.
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage?
Yes! We’re currently creating our show and wanted Camden Fringe to be our first official performance for an audience. They’ll be getting the scoop of the show at the Libra! After that we’ll be taking it to Edinburgh Fringe and we’re really excited what Camden will bring us and how the show might evolve.
If budget was not an issue, what’s the one piece of scenery/ set you’d love to have in your show?
A show like this is partially about finding the fun in the challenge of keeping the set as minimalistic and practical as possible, because you want to be able to pack it up and take it to different places. And leaving things up to people’s imagination, is a gift theatre enjoys giving. But, if budget would not be an issue it would be great to have a hologram of a portal and potentially harnesses to make us either float or fly.
What is it you hope the audience think after watching the show?
We really just hope you have a great time! We hope it brings you some existential relief, some laughs, and if it gets you thinking about your own mortality and the impact you have on the people around you, that would be really cool too.
Are there any plans for what comes next after August – for you or the show?
We are traveling to Edinburgh to perform How Dead Am I? at the Fringe festival! We will be performing there for 2 weeks August 12th-26th (excepting Aug 20th!). Our dream and goal is to be able to further develop this play into something we could tour with and continue performing in the future, so stay tuned! We are not done just yet!
Many thanks to Jthe team at Fixed House Theatre for taking the time to chat to us. You can catch How Dead Am I? when it plays at The Libra Cafe on 2 August and then at EdFringe 12 – 25 August.
Further information and tickets available for Camden Fringe and Edinburgh Fringe.
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