This month I will be talking to different acts that are taking part in the Brighton Fringe Festival. Today I speak to The Hairy Godmothers who are taking not one but two shows to the festival.

Dizney in Drag: Once Upon a Parody

Location: Brighton Spiegeltent
Date: 5th – 8th 11th – 14th May
Time: 19:00
Ticket Price: £15 Concession £14 / £13
Link: https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/dizney-in-drag-once-upon-a-parody/

WET

Location: Brighton Spiegeltent: Bosco
Date: 5th – 7th May
Time: 21:30
Ticket Price: £12 Concession £10
Link: https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/wet/

Hello! Tell us about your act? 

We have two shows that we’re bringing to Brighton Fringe this year! 

Dizney in Drag: Once Upon a Parody is a hilarious and nostalgic comedy-musical that takes fairytale favourites (like never seen before) on a hero’s journey of trying to find one true love. The show is a tongue-and-cheek cabaret that covers topical subjects in a playful, curious and adult themed way!!!

WET is a cathartic cabaret with heart. The five female-identifying cast members from HGM dive deep into the themes of what it is to be a woman through song, comedy, dance, poetry and so much more. You’ll be wet in all the right ways in the emotive, sexy and explorative journey of femininity and womanhood!  

How did you come up with the name of your show that you are taking to the Brighton fringe?

Dizney in Drag: Once Upon a Parody is exactly what it sounds like! We are inspired by fairy-tale favourites and the structure of fables but interweave a lot of colour, creativity and drag.

WET on the other hand was a process. The show was actually called PUSSY before, however we quickly found that social media and marketing was a lot harder. The word has a lot of stigma around it so even though the show aims to be inclusive and accessible we were finding that some audiences were getting deterred from the name. After a year of performing the show in Australia we brainstormed new name ideas and WET was one of the options. We strive to normalise the multiple expressions of wetness, tears of laughter, emotion, sweat and wetness in other areas, so it seemed like a great fit. After a year performing in Australia with success we back our choices. 

Tell us a little bit about your style of show?

Dizney in Drag: Once Upon a Parody 

Is a nostalgic comedy musical where we take audiences on an hero’s journey, meeting fairytale favourites like never seen before along the way. Through dialogue, crowd interaction and songs we explore themes around love, life and what it is to be human.

WET 

As mentioned before WET is a cathartic cabaret with heart. We deep dive into big topics through a range of mediums including but not limited to impactful songs, hilarious comedy, emotive dance, poetry and so much more.

What can people expect from your Brighton Fringe performance?

A lot of excitement! This is the first time that we (The Hairy Godmothers) have travelled out of Australia, Brighton will be the first stop on our international tour. We’re buzzing with anticipation. 

In terms of the content, with both shows you can expect a good dose of comedy and laughs, some thought provoking topics and a whole heap of love and heart! 

What other acts are you looking forward to seeing at the fringe?

Head First Acrobats are always great entertainers! We were sharing a venue with them when they opened Godz for the first time in Perth, Western Australia. Watching the evolution of that show has been amazing so we would highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it or go see it again if you have! 

Although it’s natural to go to what’s familiar and known, we also love wild cards. Going to shows presented by people that don’t look, speak or present like you is essential to expanding artistic expression and learning how to be more inclusive. I’m sure there’ll be many unplanned shows that we find on the night that we love and are inspired by. 

How are the rehearsals going?

Fantastic! We’ve already started our tour in Australia so are well warmed up with a few months of performing for both shows. 

Have you done the fringe before? What have been some of your favourite shows to date and why?

We haven’t done Brighton Fringe before but we have done Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney Fringe’s. There are so many inspiring shows but here’s a couple of notable ones: 

1. Reuben Kaye – his capacity to articulate controversial topics and swap between sentimental statements, sexual banter and shock factor one-liners is stunning. Oh and that voice!
2. Godz – incredible performers and amazing humans. They interweave circus, story-telling and comedy effortlessly and effectively. 
3. ORPHEUS by Wright & Grainger – this is one of the most eloquent, heart-wrenching and beautiful pieces of art that I’ve seen! I can’t encapsulate in words how potent this production is so think everyone should just go and see it to experience it themselves 

What advice would you give to others who want to perform at Brighton Fringe next year?

Know your target audience and reverse engineer the experience you want to create for them. There are so many shows available during Fringe Festivals so being able to stand out and make an impact goes hand in hand with who you want to reach. It’ll allow you to target your marketing strategies to the right crowd. With reverse engineering, have a think about the emotions and feelings that you want audience members to walk away with, do you want them giggling and giddy, do you want them reflective, do you want them feeling inspired? There are so many possibilities but knowing the emotions you want to evoke guides your creative choices while making the show.

What is the best thing about performing at the Brighton fringe?

Getting to meet so many new and interesting people. Whether that’s other artists and learning their creative projects and processes, having a good chat and laugh with the tech’s and front of house staff (the backbone of any festival!) or chatting to audience members who have seen the show and want to debrief, we have chatting and learning, especially because we haven’t performed to UK audiences yet! 

What are your three favourite things about Brighton?

We haven’t been to Brighton before so I feel like I should be asking this question in reverse and having you tell me! Excited to find out while we’re over here. 

Leafleting and promotion through the streets of Brighton is a huge part of the festival – what are your tips for flyering?

Make it interesting and be genuine when having a chat with people. Audience members will remember your show if there’s a point of difference, whether that’s being dressed up in colourful attire, making your spruiking interactive and fun or sharing the reasons why you do what you do. Get creative! 

Tell us about your average day on a festival show run?

As we are singing and dancing each night we try to get a good rest and sleep-in! Depending on where we are in our performance run (beginning, middle or end) our day will look different. Some of the common things will involve: admin tasks, looking for future bookings, marketing, social media posts, sourcing props or consumables for the show, reviewing the show and making any needed edits, spruiking for the show, amongst many more tasks. 

Make-up typically takes between 60-90 min so prep for the show starts early! Then its performance time. Rest, rinse and repeat. 

There’s always a good dose of socialising in there, whether that’s within the group or with friends and family. Taking care of our mental health while touring is always a high priority. 

Performing by the sea as well, that surely makes the fringe all that much more fun?

We’re so excited about being close to the water. We’re from Australia and live close to the ocean, so being close to the water gives us a little dose of home….maybe a little colder though! 

Who would be your ultimate dream audience member?

Our dream audience members embrace and celebrate LGBTIQA+ topics and themes. We are very inclusive, even within hetronormative couples, we’ve witnessed many occurrences when women drag along (pun intended) their male partners and it’s the men coming up to us after to take photos and have a chat because they love the show. 

If people want to find out more about you where can they follow you on social media?

Instagram @thehairygodmothers 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thehairygodmothers

And Finally finish this sentence – ‘you should see our show at Brighton Fringe because….

You’re looking for an adventurous night of debauchery, playfulness and cheeky fun with a good dose of heart-filled messaging.