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The Camden Fringe Interviews
Duncan Hoare discusses Grief, Grins and Guitar Strings
One of the many joys of Camden Fringe is the chance to catch brand new work from those early in their creative careers. And Duncan Hoare absolutely falls into that category. He brings his show Grief, Grins and Guitar Strings to Aces and Eights on 20/21 August whilst still studying.
We sat down with Duncan to ask him more about his show and most importantly, who will play him in the Hollywood film about his successful career in years to come.
Great to chat, why don’t we start off with some introductions.
I am Duncan Hoare, performer & writer of the piece. I currently study Acting at UCA in Surrey and work as a Theatre Technician.
What can audiences expect from Grief, Grins and Guitar Strings then?
Audiences can expect a mix of laughter, tears, music, spoken word, poetry, and improvisation, maybe even a character and some magic here and there. We cover a lot in the fifty or so minutes I’m on stage haha. It’s a show about finding the fun in grief, but it’s also about my journey in the last seven years since my friend took his own life. I’d love it if the audience came away feeling a connection to their own experiences with mental illness, suicide and grief in general.
Where are you playing, and why that venue?
The show is playing at Aces and Eights on the 20 and 21 August. I chose it because I got to see a few shows at Aces last year for the fringe and it seemed like a really intimate venue and was the first one to pop into my head when I decided to come to Fringe.
You’ve mentioned already about your friend who took his own life, how has that tragedy influenced the show?
The inspiration was really just keeping Ollie’s memory alive. The first thing I wrote for this show was in 2021 when I wrote two of the songs. I performed them a couple of times at college and thought nothing of it. Then I kind of wrote bits and bobs. Mostly spoken word, but we had to do a solo piece at the start of first year and when I got to writing and performing it, I had a million ideas, I couldn’t do in ten minutes so it was really born from there.
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s debut then?
It’s the first time on stage in full. I’ve workshopped bits at open mics but this is my “World Premiere” as such.
Are there any plans for what comes next after August – for you or the show?
I have. I’m now starting 3rd year of uni so it’s going to be a busy year for me. I have a workshop of an original musical which I’m co-writing in January, which is possibly the most exciting thing coming up. Plus some more rewrites and extending this show into a full sized piece. A lot going on!
What words of advice/ encouragement would you give anyone thinking about doing Camden Fringe next year?
Just go for it! You meet some awesome people and everyone in the community is so supportive.
Will you be frequenting the bar after your show?
I will be getting drunk after both performances in the bar so don’t worry about that. I’d love it if people stayed around to chat. I think the best question they could ask is when can I see it again.
Who is going to play you when your autobiography is snapped up by Hollywood in years to come?
A tough question but I feel like Tom Holland could pull it off… I’ve been compared to a few actors but they’re all a little old to play me. I guess we should give that opportunity to a young actor who hasn’t been discovered. Then Johnny Depp can play me in the future haha.
Being Camden Fringe, we all know sets have to be bare minimum, how have you got around this with your set and props?
Originally the set was seven cubes about two square foot each, and each cube was the seven stages of Grief. We’ve been able to crunch this down to One cube and another prop. But we don’t want to spoil the show just yet.
Many thanks to Duncan for finding time to chat. Grief, Grins and Guitar Strings plays at Aces and Eights on 20/ 21 August. Further information and tickets are available here.
