Tell me a bit about your show. What can audiences expect?
Strangewife is about a woman whose husband dies, and she decides to cure her loneliness by hiring someone to keep her company. But as the arrangement carries on, this simulation of love starts to take on a life of its own.
Can you talk about some of the creative team involved?
I met actors Brooklyn Boukather and Daniel Barney Newton on the MA Writing course at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and within a couple of months we started a theatre company together (Capgras) and began hatching plans for a creative project together. That eventually became Strangewife, which they have both had a huge hand in developing. Once the central premise crystallised and I finished the first couple of drafts, the rest of the creative team began to come together quickly: Jacob Fish (Sound), Lauren Lee (Set), Jamie Ostmann (Costumes), Nell Golledge (Lighting), Brigita Žižytė and Markn (Photography), William Alan Harris (Trailer). Such a talented lot, we’re really lucky to have them on board.
Where do you draw inspiration from for your work, both in terms of creation and Performance?
Anything (genuinely). It usually starts as with a clear image or existing story, then – as it twists and turns through the process of writing and devising – it becomes something unrecognisable. For example, Strangewife started with a fascinating figure from Slavic mythology, but you would struggle to detect more than a ripple of them in the play that’s being performed.
Looking at this production, how would you say it links to previous work personally and Thematically?
My last play Lavender was about a child who had been raised inside, suddenly confronted with the outside world. In different ways, they’re both about loss, loneliness, and the struggle to articulate your own experience.
Why is this an important story to tell?
In the midst of a ‘loneliness epidemic’, we are once again witnessing the siren call of traditional gender roles tempting another generation. But it’s all one big performance. Strangewife attempts to deconstruct the artifice of modern love, and see whether anything genuine can be salvaged.
What would you like audiences to take away from seeing this production at the Fringe?
If we’ve done a good job, you might ask a few more questions about what kind of connection you’re looking for, and why.
Do you tend to take inspiration from events happening in the world around you in terms of your work? Do you think artists have a responsibility to respond to what’s happening?
It’s impossible not to be confronted with this question every day. What right do we have to put so much energy into art, during genocide and climate collapse? There aren’t any easy answers. All you can do is try to engage critically, thoughtfully. Perhaps achieve at least a little of something good.
How do you feel about the current arts landscape in your country and your part in it? Does it excite you and inspire you to keep pushing the boat out?
How can a place with such incredible artistic history and so many talented artists of all kinds allow such inequity and underinvestment in the arts? But despite all the barriers, I can’t help but be inspired by others, particularly the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the emerging artists around me.
Why are arts festivals such as the Fringe so important for international exchange?
This play wouldn’t exist without international exchange. The more we can connect and share together, the better art we make. An accessible, open Fringe is vital for this mission.
What can the wider arts community do to get more people involved in their specific disciplines?
As always, the answer is structural. The best way to encourage artistic expression is to make it a financially viable career pathway for all.
Have you got your eye on any other shows that are part of the programme?
Thanks For Being Here – Ontroerend Goed
Nowhere – Khalid Abdalla
Faustus in Africa! – William Kentridge and Handspring Puppet Company.
As ever, I’ll decide the rest when I get to the Fringe.
What’s next for you and how are you feeling about the future in general?
The focus for now is taking Strangewife as far as it can go. We’re putting together plans for a longer run, potentially outside of the UK. After that, a few ideas are beginning to take shape. I enjoy playing with form and aim to experiment with different elements from other types of art. For example Strangewife is infused with a lot of filmic elements, in keeping with the themes of simulation and performance. Next up is a film project with a similar multidisciplinary approach. We’re learning so much every day, and I can’t wait to take what I’ve learned into the next project.
How can Edinburgh audiences keep up with you beyond the festival?
Mostly through Instagram:
Me – @houseoffrazier
Capgras – @capgrastheatre
Strangewife – @strangewifeplay
Strangewife, Assembly Rooms, 31 Jul-24 Aug (not 6, 13, 20), 7.45pm