If you reviewed your own show, how would you describe it?
Jumentous.
Tell me a little more about your show and what audiences can expect?
I’m going to keep my cards close to my chest here but I can tell you the audiences won’t need to bring waterproof ponchos, condiments or weapons of any kind.
Can you talk about some of the creative team involved?
Something of a dream team really: we’ve got Sting on choreography and wire work plus an original score by Angela Merkel. I’m not allowed to say which tech mogul’s done the lighting design and wigs but let’s just say the eradication of malaria has been put on hold for a few weeks. Also we’ve got Paula Radcliffe on bass, Oprah Winfrey’s been across the action sequences and there’s a bloke called Cliff doing the CGI who worked at NASA for a bit (tiling and grouting, downstairs loo).
Where do you draw inspiration from for your work, both in terms of creation and performance?
Tintin.
Looking at this production, how would you say it links to previous work personally and Thematically?
Very different. On the advice of my legal team I take great care to plagiarise from totally different sources for each project.
Why is this an important story to tell?
Perhaps, instead of asking “why” this is an important story to tell we should ask how important it is? I reckon on the importance scale it’s somewhere between the colour mauve and the invention of milk.
What would you like audiences to take away from seeing you at the Fringe?
I’ve got a pile of old batteries I’ve been meaning to recycle so anyone who takes any of them off my hands will have my gratitude.
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?
No. Yes.
What do you do to relax in August?
I break into supermarkets at night and shuffle the soft cheeses.
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?
I think of it more as a seascape and what I’m trying to push out into it is a tractor.
Why are arts festivals such as the Fringe so important for international exchange?
There are many in the performance arts who didn’t spend enough of their childhood outdoors and for them the Fringe is a great opportunity to expose themselves to disease causing organisms from across the world and, fingers crossed, finally bolster their frail immune systems.
What can the wider arts community do to get more people involved in their specific disciplines?
Pay them.
Have you got your eye on any other shows that are part of the programme?
Yes! Shows by the likes of Celya AB, Gareth Gwynn, Freya Parker, Tom Neenan, Madeleine Brettingham, Henry Paker and many more!
What’s next for you and how are you feeling about the future in general?
Managed decline and ambivalent, thank you for asking.
How can Edinburgh audiences keep up with you beyond the festival?
I leave a trail of seed-like deposits wherever I go so am easy to track.
Anything else?
Three Bean Salad Podcast for life! (Shameless plug).
Mike Wozniak: The Bench, Assembly Hall, 6-16 Aug, 10.40pm