Data and Doctor Doom, Hen and Chickens Theatre
We continue our mission to publish 100 Camden Fringe Interviews by chatting with Mark Hibbett, who has given a whole new lease of life to his PhD thesis, in the form of a musical show! What happens when academia and theatre combine? Head to the Hen and Chickens Theatre this summer to find out.
Data and Doctor Doom takes place on 3 August, tickets and more information here.
You can find all our Camden Fringe interviews here. We will be publishing new interviews every day in July so do keep checking back.
What can audiences expect from the show?
Data and Doctor Doom is a musical adaptation of my PhD thesis (yes, that makes me a Doctor of Doctor Doom) which uses songs, jokes, slides and a unified catalogue of transmedia character components to explain how fictional characters work, how stories are told, and why having reliable, accurate facts is more important now than ever.
Is this your first time performing the show?
This show is part of a mini-tour of nice Fringe festivals all based around the release date for Fantastic Four: First Steps, which I’m hoping will feature Doctor Doom in the end-credits sequence!
What was your inspiration behind the show?
Last year I published a book called Data and Doctor Doom which tried to explain a) my methodology for analysing transmedia characters b) why that’s a good idea. However, it was an academic publication so cost about a hundred quid, which means hardly anyone will ever get to read it, so I thought the obvious and entirely logical thing to do was adapt it into a one-man musical and try and tell people about it that way.
Is this version how you originally envisioned it or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?
The first version didn’t have any songs at all in, but everyone I spoke to about it assumed it would because I’ve done shows that like before. After a few weeks of getting annoyed I realised they might have a point and started writing songs, at which point it changed 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 show features a guitar, guitar stand, slide projector, projection screen, foot pedal (for moving the slides while I’m singing) and a cape. I’ve tried to get round the problems this presents in two ways – firstly by getting a big bag, and secondly by doing exercises so I don’t put my back out carrying it all around.
What has been the biggest challenge in realising the writers vision for the show?
This show has a lot of information in it about Doctor Doom but also the various methodologies I’ve used to analyse him. The big challenge has therefore been trying to balance my unhinged enthusiasm for telling people about things like randomised stratified sampling with other people’s patience with me doing so. I’ve tried it out on some willing volunteers and I think I’ve just about got it right now!
Who would play you in the Hollywood adaptation of your future autobiography?
If Robert Downey Jr is up for playing Doctor Doom then I think he might as well do me when he’s finished!
If your show had a soundtrack, what songs would definitely be on it?
The show already has a soundtrack – 14 brand new DIY indie songs all written by me!
If budget or reality was not an issue, what is the one thing you would love to have in your show?
I’m very much on the lookout for a medieval goblet that I can drink my mid-show beer out of. So far all I’ve found are incredibly expensive items from London Tat Shops linked to various fantasy franchises, but I’d love to have a special Doctor Doom one to glug from!
What is the most valuable piece of advice you have received during your career and how has it influenced your work on this show?
Many years ago I went to see John Otway and was surprised to see him hanging around in the bar. I asked him why he wasn’t sitting in the backstage area like I thought rock stars were meant to, and he told me that if he did that he’d be on his own being bored, whereas if he stood out the front people would come up to him and tell him he was brilliant and buy him a beer. This is amazing advice for any performer, and I will very much be hanging around before and after my show if people want to see it in action.
Thanks to Mark for sharing insight into his fascinating show, we’re excited to see what happens when academia and musicals meet! If you’d like to see the show, head to the Hen and Chickens Theatre theatre on Sunday 3 August.
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