Dead Doves and Lemons, Hen and Chickens Theatre
OR Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Fan Fiction (but were too afraid to ask)
Our Camden Fringe 2025 interviews are flowing right now, and as we head into the final part of July, we’re well on our way to publish at least 100. We’re publishing new interviews everyday, you can find them all here.
Dead Doves and Lemons OR Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Fan Fiction (but were too afraid to ask) has to be one of the most intriguing titles of this Camden Fringe season. This one-woman show, written and performed by award-winning playwright Deanna Strasse, is for people who love fan fiction, people who hate fan fiction, and people who have no idea what any of this means. Here at Everything Theatre, we’re not afraid to ask, so we had some questions!
What can audiences expect from the show?
On its surface, Dead Doves and Lemons is about fan fiction but at its core this is a play about every human’s innate need to create. We all were once storytellers, but somewhere along the line we were forced to grow up and we haven’t been in touch with our inner artist since. This is a fast-paced whirlwind of a show that, like fan fiction itself, can be anything.
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage, or have you already performed elsewhere?
This will be the show’s debut. I am currently pursuing my Master’s Degree in Scriptwriting at The University of Essex (I’m from the States), and this past term I took a class all about fringe theatre. That is where this play really began. My professor, Dr. Cam Abbott-Betts, taught us about marketing, developing, fundraising, and more. Part of that was introducing us to Eventotron, and it’s here that I stumbled upon Camden Fringe Festival.
What was your inspiration behind the show?
The first day of my fringe theatre class (I believe it was called Theatre Production Project), my professor asked us, “What IS fringe theatre?” Because fringe isn’t as big of a thing back in the States as it is here, I wasn’t entirely sure, but as Cam went on describing it, I immediately thought, “This sounds like fan fiction.” It’s low budget or free. It’s not mainstream and you can do things/discuss things that wouldn’t fly on mainstream stages. There is very little between the audience and the artist. I had never written a one-person show before, but in that second I knew that this was what I wanted to do.
Sometimes when I get an idea, I become hyper-focused so the first thing I did after class was go home and create a survey on Google forms that I shared with fan fiction writers and readers through Tumblr and Reddit. I didn’t want this to be just my story, I wanted to know what others thought and why others were drawn to writing fan fiction. The show was created for said class and performed for it, but Camden Fringe will be its first real premiere.
Is this version how you originally envisioned it or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?
Initially, I thought I wanted to explore the taboo topics that fan fiction often explores, ones that a bigger platform would shy away from, but as the show progressed, I realised the bigger issue was shame associated with adults having artistic outlets. As they say, “The creative adult is the child who survived.”
How challenging has this role been for you?
The show is about 50 minutes long, and it can be really draining to just be running around and talking for 50 solid minutes. I think I’ve built up some stamina, but at the beginning of rehearsals, I came out of the show very sweaty and out of breath. It’s a lot!
Being a fringe festival, we all know sets have to be bare minimum, how have you got around this with your set and props?
My professor (Cam) told me that “Everything should be able to fit in a suitcase.” And that is how I’ve been operating. The most daunting aspect is the slideshow which is pretty integral to the performance. Because it’s a piece of technology, there’s always that chance that something will go wrong so please send me good vibes that it doesn’t.
How important is audience interaction to you?
Audience interaction is a big part of this show because it’s my hope that people walk away from the piece wanting to create. I am a bit nervous about it, though, because it can be such a risk. At my end-of-term showcase where I presented the piece to my class and professors, they told me I really nailed the audience interaction part so here’s hoping they were being honest.
Are there any plans for what comes next after the show has finished its run– for you or the show?
I would love to continue working on this show and take it on tour. While I plan to stay in the UK for as long as you all will have me, my hope is to one day take the show back to the States, especially back to Wisconsin where I’m from, so I can show my friends and family where their financial support has gone.
Who would play you in the Hollywood adaptation of your future autobiography?
Michael Sheen is really good at playing real people. Did you know he’s played Tony Blair three times. I’d choose him!
If your show had a soundtrack, what songs would definitely be on it, and why?
I Did Something Bad by Taylor Swift because sometimes fan fiction turns naughty. Also Let’s Get Married by The Bleachers.
What’s the most valuable piece of advice you’ve received during your career, and how has it influenced your work on this show?
As a writer, get out there and write. Actually sitting down to create something is the hardest part. “You can always edit a bad page, but you can’t edit a blank page,” said Jodi Picoult. Then, once you’ve written it, be open to feedback but do your best not to take it personally. You have to ask people what they think, but you don’t have to listen to it. When I do feedback sessions or talkbacks, I know that from one hundred pieces of information I will probably only use three.
Thank you Deanna for taking time to explain how this show came about. If you want to see Dead Doves and Lemons then it’s on at the Hen and Chickens theatre between Friday 15 and Sunday 17 August.
