Bloody, Bloody Kansas, Hen and Chickens Theatre
For Camden Fringe 2025 we are attempting to reach 100 interviews to highlight as many of the shows performing as we possibly can. Every day we will publish new interviews, so do keep coming back to see how close to our target we can get. You can find all our Camden Fringe interviews here.
Some of us love the promise of something gruesome and bloody, so you can imagine our joy even just seeing the title of this one; Bloody, Bloody Kansas, which will be playing at Hen and Chickens Theatre from 28 July to 2 August (tickets here). And as Heidi Van (Playwright/Director/Actor) and Bob Paisley (Producer/Actor) tell us, it’s not just the title that will appeal to those looking for something a little sinister in this tale based on true events.
What can audiences expect from the show?
Heidi: Audiences can expect a haunting, high-stakes journey through one of America’s strangest and most chilling true crime stories. Bloody, Bloody Kansas is a stylized, fast-paced retelling of the tale of the Bloody Benders – a frontier family of serial killers. Told through the eyes of Mary York, a widow searching for her missing husband, the play weaves together ghost story, historical horror, and feminist inquiry. It’s theatrical, fractured, and deeply human – where the spirits don’t rest and the past keeps intruding.
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage, or have you already performed elsewhere?
Heidi: We previewed the show with a couple of performances in KC and at Bedfringe, building to our Camden Fringe debut, and it’s still very much a living, breathing piece. Each performance teaches us something new, and I expect to keep developing the show as it continues to find its voice.
What was your inspiration behind the show?
Heidi : I was drawn to the story of the Bloody Benders not just because of its eerie true crime roots, but because of how little we know about the Benders themselves, as well as the women surrounding the case. I became obsessed with Mary York, a real person whose husband was murdered while searching for a friend. She became my way in. I wanted to explore grief, justice, and the distortion of truth over time. It’s as much a ghost story as it is a history lesson.
How long have you been working on the play?
Heidi: I’ve been working on Bloody Bloody Kansas for about six months. It started with deep research into the history and an amazing read, Hell’s Half Acre, by British Author and Historian Susan Jonusas and a journal written by Mary York whose husband was a victim of the Benders. The characters, especially Mary York and Kate Bender, quickly took on lives of their own. I studied both History and Theatre at university and this project is a perfect blend of my interests and passions.
Is this version how you originally envisioned it or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?
Heidi: It’s changed quite a bit. Originally, I imagined something much more straightforward; a historical drama. But as I worked, it became clear that the structure needed to be more fractured, more ghostly. Memory, myth, and emotion are now driving the form as much as the facts. I think that’s what makes it feel alive!
What was it that drew you to this show?
Bob: I was drawn to this show by the admiration and respect I have for Heide as a consummate theatre artist. She operates on so many different levels. It is a rare opportunity for me to collaborate on a new work with someone of her caliber.
What is it about your character that you most enjoy?
Bob: Characters… plural. I wear many hats in this productions. I’m enjoying making them all uniquely different, and memorable in their own way.
How challenging has this role been for you?
Bob: Working collaboratively is every artists dream. But, sometime it’s important to get outside your comfort zone and approach a role, a new work, with an open mind and a willingness to expand on the ideas of others. Our show might not be perfect… yet, but it will be one day as we refine, rework, restage and reimagine this piece. I’m extremely proud to be in on the beginning of this new play about a bizarre piece of American history on the Plains of the American midwest.
Being a fringe festival, we all know sets have to be bare minimum, how have you got around this with your set and props?
Bob: Innovation in storytelling. Challenge the audiences to use their imagination. And it helps to have a stellar sound design… Thank you Mr. John Story!
What has been the biggest challenge in realising the writer’s vision for the show?
Heidi: When you have only 60 minutes and limited onstage resources, you need to be innovative in your storytelling.
Bob: I appreciate our desire to challenge our talent and resources to incorporate storytelling, Physical Theatre and mine in a new piece.
If you could perform this show anywhere in the world where would it be?
Right here, right now.
What words of advice/encouragement would you give anyone thinking about doing Camden Fringe next year?
Bring your heart, your passion and your humility. Not everything is a home run first time out, but perseverance pays off. Don’t give up on your dreams.
Thanks to Heidi and Bob for their time. Bloody, Bloody Kansas will play at Hen and Chickens Theatre from 28 July to 2 August (no show on 1 August).
