The Proposal, Hen and Chicken’s Theatre
As we reach the final day of July, it’s time to wrap up our Camden Fringe 2025 interviews. We set out to publish 100, and looks like we’ve made it, with a few extra for good luck! And there’s still a few more to come today. You can find all our Camden Fringe interviews here.
In The Proposal, one of Anton Chekhov‘s most famous short comedies, clashing interests and conflicting characters are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Everything Theatre caught up with Kate Bilverstone who plays Natalia, David De Paiva who plays Lomov, Apostolos Lytras who plays Chubukov as well as director Alexandra Shelest.
The Proposal will play at the Hen & Chickens theatre from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 August, tickets here.
What can audiences expect from the show?
AS: We bring Chekhov’s period comedy, The Proposal, to the Camden Fringe. Much as the title suggests, the play centers on a proposal, as the landowner Lomov attempts to marry his neighbour’s daughter Natalia. But he doesn’t seem to quite get to the point. Our society might have changed since the 1880’s, but have our characters? Delve into Chekhov’s mini-universe in this witty exploration of personalities, quirks and miscommunications.
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage, or have you already performed elsewhere?
AS: We developed this show for a short play festival in Lausanne, where it received very high praise by our audiences. When developing it, we always had it in mind to bring the show to Camden Fringe, which gave us great joy when the Lausanne festival ended, as we were not ready to let go of the characters (or the costumes). We are very thrilled to return to the endless (staged) bickering at the Fringe!
What was it that drew you to this show and role?
KB: I play the character of Natalia, who is being proposed to by Lomov. I hadn’t acted in 15 years and realised I was missing it so much, so I did a few auditions simultaneously, but The Proposal is the one that spoke to me the most. I instantly felt comfortable and inspired by Sasha’s directing style and I could see the potential for the play to be an absolute hoot.
DdP: I portray Lomov, the character who is attempting to propose, and for me this role was a great opportunity to get to play a new character: someone really anxious, but with inherent comedy in his actions despite his own sincerity. It’s a short play, with a lot to work with in this part!
JL: I play Chubukov, Natalia’s father. I was looking to get back on stage, and when Sasha told me about The Proposal, I was in. Her energy and clarity made it an easy yes.
What is it about your character that you most enjoy?
KB: I really enjoy the battle she has with herself to maintain composure versus having the last word. She’s a really fun character to play.
DdP: He might be a little bit of a hypochondriac, which means he has a wonderful array of ticks and ailments that are always fun to embody and bring into a scene!
JL: Chubukov truly believes he’s the reasonable one, even as he’s yelling the loudest. He’s ridiculous, heartfelt, and a blast to play.
How challenging has this role been for you?
KB: It’s been easier than I would have thought to throw tantrums on stage. I hate to admit it but it appears to come quite naturally. I think my biggest challenges were learning the lines and overcoming stage fright.
DdP: I have had to adapt the physicality I normally bring to the stage, and present myself in a very rigid, and yet anxious, way. It has certainly meant I am a lot more aware of my movements on stage, which is probably a good thing!
JL: Learning all those lines! It’s been a while since I had to memorize this much. Also: not breaking character when everyone around me is being hilarious.
What brought you all together?
AS: I am an aspiring director, and I saw the opportunity to develop a short show in Lausanne and to bring it to the Camden Fringe. When I announced this plan in the audition, I was a bit worried, since it’s a lot to ask of Swiss amateur actors, but I was thrilled to find a wonderful cast who were just as excited for the adventure as I was! Probably the most nerve-wracking moment in the audition process was waiting to find out if David, who plays Lomov, got a job that allowed him to move to our area, and when he did, he got both a job and a role! We had a lot of fun developing the show, and we cannot wait to share it with you!
Being a fringe festival, we all know sets have to be bare minimum, how have you got around this with your set and props?
AS: Our show requires blissfully few props and set pieces. The largest set item we have is a room divider screen — and I was quite nervous for some time about finding a fitting screen in London until we found a way to transport our original set from Switzerland, saving us a lot of trouble.
What has been the biggest challenge in realising the writer’s vision for the show?
AS: I speak Russian, so I could go back and forth between the original and the translation. At one point, one character’s remark would just not work, whatever we tried. I went to look into the original, and sure enough, three one-word sentences in Russian become a full show-stopper paragraph in the translation — and there’s no other way to express this in English. We ended up cutting a huge part of that remark, but it is quite sad to see how some details and nuances get — literally lost in translation.
If you had to describe your show as a meal what would it be, and why?
A nice afternoon tea with that sneaky piece of cake you promised yourself you wouldn’t have. Our primary goal is for you to have a wonderful afternoon and get your healthy dose of everyday laughter!
It was great to catch up with you all, thank you for your time, and good luck with the show. If you fancy joining Everything Theatre in watching this production, The Proposal will play at the Hen & Chickens theatre from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 August.
