The Ladies Of Juliana, Etcetera Theatre
The final day of our Camden Fringe 2025 interview series, our attempt to give you a broad taste of what this four week festival, now in its 19th year, brings to London’s fringe theatre scene. Over July we’ve published more than 100 interviews, so we do not want to hear anyone complain that there isn’t anything that has interested them! You can find all our Camden Fringe interviews here.
We do love a big ensemble piece. Fringe theatre by its very nature does tend to keep numbers low, after all, it’s hard enough to pay one or two actors, so who in the right mind would go for too many more? But this year we’re excited that creatives are upping the numbers more and more, and that includes SweptUnder Productions‘ The Ladies of Juliana, which brings a cast of six to the stage at Etcetera Theatre from Thursday 21 to Sunday 24 August (tickets here).
Those six are Lydia Moll, Erin Nothnagel, Lydia Moll, Niamh Hall, Jocelyn Bathie, Kamahri May and Martha-Rose McKeown, so we all squeezed into the captain’s cabin onboard their ship as they journey across seas to Australia to ask them just what it’s all about.
What can audiences expect from the show?
LM: Audiences should expect to be plunged into history’s murky waters and explore six women, one rotten ship, and no interest in being quiet. The Ladies of Juliana throws you below deck with a group of rowdy female convicts as they journey to Australia. You will laugh, you will gasp and you might even cry. Come for the history. Stay for the bloomers! It’s feminist theatre with sea legs that won’t ask permission to come aboard!
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage, or have you already performed elsewhere?
LM, EN, KM: No, Camden Fringe won’t be the show’s first time on stage. Our ship has docked at several ports. We first set sail from the weather-worn decks of The Showroom in Chichester and have traveled to many other places. From the creaking ship of The Golden Hinde in London, to the stages of Salisbury Studio Theatre, The Leicester Curve during NSDF, and once again to The ShowRoom Chichester. Each venue added its own flavour to our tale of tenacity and has helped shape and refine the work. Camden Fringe marks an exciting next step in our journey, bringing our tale to new audiences in a new space.
What brought you all together?
LM, EN: We were all Acting and Performing Arts students at the University of Chichester that came together through a shared passion for unearthing untold female narratives for a group devised theatre module and have stuck together ever since. We threw ourselves into the process completely, surprising ourselves with what we made and how naturally it came together. Somehow the momentum never faded. We stayed connected through finishing our degrees, starting new jobs, and navigating life changes because we believed in the kind of stories we were telling, and the way we were telling them.
Being a fringe festival, we all know sets have to be bare minimum, how have you got around this with your set and props?
EN, KM: Being a fringe festival, we knew we had to keep the set and props minimal, so we had to be strategic. The show is set on a boat, we usually have as much clutter on stage as possible to create a lived-in, chaotic space. Luckily we already used crates that double as storage and set pieces. These can store lots of props inside them and allow us to bring out just what we need when we need it. These crates aren’t just practical, they also become part of the world on stage. While we’ve had to lose larger items such as rostras, chairs and the wagon wheel in this venue, our smaller symbolic props like a single handkerchief still carry storytelling weight. Even with a stripped back set, we’ve found a way to preserve the atmosphere of life below deck.
If you had to describe your show as a meal what would it be?
EN: If The Ladies of Juliana were a meal, it’d be a slow-cooked stew. Rich, layered and full of warmth. It’s hearty with a bold kick, much like the women whose stories we tell and exactly what you didn’t know you were hungry for. Served alongside the haunting music of a cello and a splash of rum. It’s a dish packed with surprises beneath the surface, delivered with a wink, a hum, and the unruly spirit of a band of drunk pirates.
What is the weirdest or most unconventional prop used in your show?
NH, LM: How to decide there are so many! I would probably have to go for two: A majestic, scene-stealing, pair of oversized granny knickers, that hang effortlessly on our washing line. And of course the bucket of piss, which mustn’t be mistaken with the washing bucket! These props aren’t easily explained over text so I guess you’ll have to see the show to find out!
If budget or reality was not an issue, what’s the one piece of scenery/set you’d love to have in your show?
LM: The full, glorious, splintered creaking wooden ship floating in the middle of the pacific ocean. Ideally with real life seagulls flying around and the faint smell of rum wafting through the air. Like a pirate’s version of Disneyland.
What’s the most valuable piece of advice you’ve received during your career, and how has it influenced your work on this show?
JB: That in the devising process of the show, 80% of what you make won’t be in the final script. We started off with some very different versions, so many introductions, and a full sea shanty at one point! (That was a hard one to let go of). It taught us to not be precious over our writing, to try new ideas and to keep having fun with improv! Some of our favourite moments in the show came out of us just getting onto stage and feeling the space. We still make small changes when we perform, and because we’re not completely tied to one idea of the script the play feels like a living, breathing thing that grows with us!
Lydia Moll, Erin Nothnagel, Lydia Moll, Niamh Hall, Jocelyn Bathie, Kamahri May and Martha-Rose McKeown
The Ladies Of Juliana plays at Etcetera Theatre from Thursday 21 to Sunday 24 August.
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