The Camden Fringe Interviews
Bruce Kitchener talks about his show Coffee Break
There is sometimes nothing better than to take a nice break from it all and chew the fat over a cup of lovely coffee. Which seems very much the scene which Bruce Kitchener has set his Camden Fringe bound show Coffee Break around!
So what better than to grab Bruce for such a coffee break and ask him some important (and some not quite so important) questions about it all, before he takes the show to Hen and Chickens Theatre for four nights from 7 August.
Lovely to chat with you, do you want to introduce yourself to our audience then.
I am Bruce Kitchener. I am the writer and director of the play Coffee Break, but I’m leaving the performing up to three actors.
What can audiences expect from Coffee Break then?
It’s a Metaphysical Comedy set in a Metaphysical Coffee Shop, which is to say that the coffee shop has no actual existence in reality, so anything goes.
So where can we find your Metaphysical non-existing coffee shop?
We are at The Hen & Chickens. It’s a great little theatre. Very well located, just a 2 minute walk from Highbury & Islington Tube. I have seen a few shows there over the years and it was just the right size for this production.
What was the inspiration behind the show?
The show is based on a poem by the Metaphysical poet Andrew Marvell. I first came across the poem while looking for something to read at my mother’s funeral. I didn’t use this poem but it resurfaced a couple of years later when I started writing this play
So how long have you been working on it then?
It was a bit of a pandemic project. It reached its current form about 2 years ago.
And is the version coming to Camden Fringe how you originally envisioned it or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?
When I first put pen to paper I had no idea what I was writing. I just set myself some parameters for a play that would be suitable for a fringe production. It was only after I had written about 20 pages of dialogue that I realised what I was writing about. At that point I started planning the structure of the piece and added extra scenes. That process took about a year in the end.
And what made you decide you would direct your work as well?
As it is a Fringe project and I’m producing the play as well, it just seemed inevitable that I would direct it.
What’s your favourite element of the show?
The interaction between the two main characters is key. It’s the kind of relationship where they each need the other but they each have some underlying resentment towards the other that they need to air. In this play they enact their grievances in a series of imagined scenarios that illustrate how they feel. Obviously the scenarios are a little exaggerated, or completely bonkers.
What has been the biggest challenge in realising your vision for the show?
I wrote the show specifically as a fringe production, knowing the limitations and technical requirements of such a show. The biggest challenge is to bring out what the actors have to contribute in a way that honours the original intent of the piece. Casting the actors was an extraordinary process. We had so many excellent people to choose from. I could easily have cast the play with several different combinations from those we auditioned. It was also astonishing to see what each actor brought to the scene they had prepared. I learned a lot about the potential of the play just from seeing the auditions.
What do you hope audiences think after watching the show?
“That was the best fringe show I have ever seen”, or at least that they enjoyed watching it and discussing it in the bar after.
Is Camden Fringe going to be Coffee Break’s stage ebut then?
Yes, but we did have a play reading with a group of actors. The play didn’t really change as a result of that reading.
Are there any plans for what comes next after August – for you or the show?
This is very much a try-out. If there is a good response to the play I will try and get a full production somewhere in the coming year, maybe even take it to Edinburgh in 2025.
Being Camden Fringe, we all know sets have to be bare minimum, how have you got around this with your set and props?
The play was conceived from the outset as a fringe play and the set is a simple backdrop, a table and two chairs. The play relies on the inventiveness and movement of the actors to bring different scenes to life.
What made you decide to be part of Camden Fringe this year then?
A play has to be seen on stage. It has no existence until this happens. An audience is essential. I’m based in London and have seen many shows at the Camden Fringe in the past so I just decided I needed to throw my hat in the ring.
What words of advice/ encouragement would you give anyone thinking about doing Camden Fringe next year?
The Camden Fringe is a great place to try out new material. Just be realistic about your expectations and make sure you budget very carefully.
Will you be in the wonderful Hen and Chickens bar afterwards for people to come and ask you about your show?
I’m not going to be on stage so if anyone recognises me I will be delighted and astonished. I’m always happy to discuss my work and definitely will be in the bar after the show, but if it is a flop I might not be making my presence known.
If you had to describe your show as a colour, what would it be, and why?
One piece of advice I was given before deciding to produce the show was to think of a “Show Image”. Not something I had really considered to that point. It was one of the best things I did. Trying to encapsulate some sort of essence of the play in a fairly simple image. I’m not sure I could reduce it to one colour.
If budget was not an issue, what’s the one piece of scenery/ set you’d love to have in your show?
If you give a director a massive budget they will still overspend it. I’m sure that the film or TV version of this play would have extraordinary special effects and a huge budget. We have to work upon the imagination of the audience.
Many thanks to Bruce for spending his coffee break during rehersals to chat.
Coffee Break will play at The Hen and Chickens Theatre from 7 to 10 August as part of Camden Fringe. Further information and tickets available here.
