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Wanstead Fringe/ Lambeth Fringe
Day Job Theatre on turning family quirks into comic genius.
Day Job Theatre is a queer and neurodivergent run company founded by Andrew Atha and Julia Blomberg. Their mission is to make theatre that showcases diverse perspectives and to create opportunities for artists working towards quitting their day jobs.
They are about to unleash The Strangelmans on not one, but two Fringe festivals coming our way in September. First up is Wanstead Fringe, where it will play 7th to 10th, and then it’s a quick hop across London for Lambeth Fringe on 22nd September.
With the show almost upon us, and no doubt so much to do before then, we were amazed that the team had any spare time to stop and chat with us! But somehow Day Job’s Andrew and Julia plus director Fiona Winning, somehow found a space for us in their hectic schedule.
Great to meet you, so who’s who?
AA: Hi there, I’m Andrew Atha, co-founder of Day Job Theatre. I’m the writer of The Strangelmans and playing Phil Sinnow, the youngest of the Sinnow siblings.
JB: Heya, I’m Julia Blomberg, co-founder of Day Job Theatre and producer of The Strangelmans!
FW: Hey, I’m Fiona Winning, director of The Strangelmans and co-founder of BossyB*tch Productions.
You’re playing two festivals in September, where are they then?
AA & JB: The show is premiering at The Bull at Wanstead as part of the Wanstead Fringe Festival. Andrew’s debut play Robot Penguin was the inaugural Baloney Award winner and was produced by Baloney Theatre at Wanstead Fringe last year. It was a really positive experience that helped inspire us to begin Day Job Theatre. We are thrilled to be returning to such a cosy and welcoming venue.
The Strangelmans will then head to Lambeth Fringe at The Bread and Roses Theatre. It is exciting to be participating in a festival close to home in South London and connecting with other local artists and audiences.
What can audiences expect from the show?
AA & JB: Audiences can expect a twisted, comedic take on the classic cartoon family dynamic.
What was the inspiration for The Strangelmans?
AA: Anyone who has been around me for more than half an hour has probably heard a Simpsons reference. The show was a major part of my childhood and it holds a special place in my heart. What particularly fascinated me was how it came to be. You might have heard that Matt Groening’s parents are actually called Homer and Marge and his sisters were named Lisa and Margaret. He didn’t want to name the brattish boy after himself so he jumbled around the letters and ‘Bart’ Simpson was born.
I got to wondering how his family felt about being the inspiration for these lovable but dysfunctional and chaotic characters. Was it flattering? Or did it feel more like character assassination via couch gag?
The Strangelmans explores these questions through a cartoonist who feels estranged from his family and the consequences of these caricatures becoming cultural icons. Does someone have the right to reflect their experience of their life through their art, even if it casts the people involved in a bad light?
Was there a moment during the production process that felt magical or transformative?
AA: There was a moment in the very first rehearsal during an improv exercise led by our wonderful director, Fiona Winning. It staged the characters of Steven and Jas’ first date at a restaurant. Watching Michael (Michael Stafford Wells) and Jasmine (Jasmine McHayle) sit in these characters, having slightly awkward first date chat and struggling with the menu, hammered home one of the key points of the show. These characters are people with all the banality and muck and reality left in. Flanderising* them down to witty one liners and repeatable catchphrases undermines their humanity and makes them into jokes.
*The process of a character’s traits becoming exaggerated or simplified to the point of becoming a parody of their former selves, coined to describe the de-evolution of Ned Flanders over the course of ‘The Simpsons’.
Is the version coming to the Lambeth Festival how you originally envisioned?
AA: The story of how this family deals with this funhouse mirror of a comic strip has taken a few forms in my head. Some arguably funnier, some sadder and more violent. One thing that helped ground the story and get it to where it is now is feedback we received from performing the first scene at ‘A Pleasance Scratch’. People wrote about instantly identifying with these sibling dynamics even with the disorienting lack of context. There’s something universal about bickering I suppose. Recognising that has helped to shape this into something hopefully a lot of people can resonate with.
Fiona, what was it that made you want to direct this?
FW: When I first read the script, I was so drawn in by Andrew’s writing; the dialogue is cleverly written and brings to life these really human, funny and relatable characters. I was also excited by how much fun could be had with the script, bringing elements of the cartoons into the real world – I knew immediately it would be such a creative rehearsal process bringing these characters to life!
What is your favourite element of the show?
FW: I have a couple of things that I love – but I don’t want to give too much away! Definitely one of my favourite parts is The Strangleman’s Theme Tune – the first time I heard the music, it added another dimension to the cartoon element of the script and I can’t wait for people to experience it.
JB: I am constantly inspired by Andrew’s ability to translate a wonderfully bizarre idea into an incredible play. I loved working with him on Robot Penguin at last year’s Wanstead Fringe and seeing how the themes of the play and his experiences resonated with audiences.
His ability to write quick-witted dialogue is eortless and it makes for really engaging relationships between the characters that has been a joy to explore through rehearsals.
This is our first production as Day Job Theatre and we have a really wonderful cast and creative team helping to bring this show to life.
Will you be frequenting the bar afterwards?
AA & JB: Yes! This is one of the joys of performing at a pub theatre, please stay and chat to us after the show!
Thanks to Andrew, Julia & Fiona for chatting with us. The Strangelmans will play at The Bull at Wanstead between 7th and 10th September as part of the Wanstead Fringe and The Bread and Roses Theatre on the 22nd September as part of the Lambeth Fringe. Further information and tickets are available here.
