It is August which only means one thing – it is Camden Fringe time! Over the next few weeks we are chatting to acts that are performing at the festival and finding all about their show and what they would call this years iconic Camden Fringe Pigeon! Today we speak to Box House Theatre about the show Twisted Tales.

Date: 25th – 26th August
Time: 19:00
Price: £10 Concession: £7
Location: The Cockpit
Ticket Link:  https://camdenfringe.com/events/twisted-tales/

Hello! Tell us about Box House Theatre ? 

Box House Theatre are a professional theatre company who specialise in the performance practice of Platform Theatre. Our aim is to create theatre that utilises the physical actors’ skills and attributes rather than relying on the assistance of technical elements. We stand as proof that impressive theatre should not be restricted to budgets, resources and opportunity, and that “boundary pushing theatre” is born from imagination and creativity alone.

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

Twisted Tales came simply from what our show is about! Taking well known tales we all know and love, twisting them into something different. Why does Goldilocks get away!? She certainly doesn’t in our show!

Tell us a little bit about your style of show?

Platform Theatre relies solely on the actor’s arsenal to create props, set, costume and sound to build the very world in which they tell their story. This piece explores the stories , from Red Riding Hood’s gruesome tale, to the Saga of the almighty Vikings, all in a way that you have never seen before!

What will your set be about?

Twisted Tales is a “visually stunning” Platform Theatre piece created by Box House Theatre Company. A cast of six regal actors are confined to the space of a gym mat whilst showcasing four folk tales which all end with a twist.  Box House Theatre flips performance conformity on its head and introduces new and innovative ways of performing “boundary pushing theatre”.

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

It’s our first Camden Fringe, we’re very new to the scene so a lot of our focus has been on making sure we are all up and running so we haven’t had a lot of time to see whats on! We have had a lot of recommendations for “That’s not my name” so that’s certainly a standout for what we want to see.

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

Our first at Camden! We recently we’re apart of Caravanserai at Brighton Fringe and got the chance to see Mythos: Ragnarok which was utterly incredible! 

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

Particularly for new comers and those that have never participated in a fringe festival before our biggest advice would be to START EARLY. Who knows what you might miss (lots for us!) in the build up, giving yourself that little bit of extra time to get things wrong is paramount in making your show a success and also keeping hairs on your head!

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

It’s the community and support you receive from those you meet at the festival. We never knew how our work would be perceived and with a development process of 10 years we felt very vulnerable about showing it for the first time at the Brighton Fringe and the reception we received was fantastic! The fringe gives you the opportunity to show the work that YOU are passionate about!

London can be an expensive place to perform in – what key advice would you give to performers that is a sort of life hack?

It would be very easy to just say “fundraise” wouldn’t it! In an increasingly difficult time it’s hard to find a venue that suits you and your work. For us personally, we dropped the whole idea of lighting changes in our show and cut down the cost of having a technician, I usually sit in the lighting desk and open the show before having to run down onto the stage! It works for us but it may work for you too, find a new perspective of the way in which you create your work and you may find some little nuggets to help you along the way!

What are your three favourite things about Camden?

The Market is always a top place to go, the social vibe and bars are always a good place to go after a show. Asador… I wont say anything other than thank me later!

Favourite one liner you have done in a show and why?

In our current show:

Little red riding hood: Granny look at your f*****g teeth!

Who would be your ultimate dream audience member?

It’s cheating but… Sir Ian Mckellen!

The iconic image of the Camden Fringe is the Pigeon – if you could call this years pigeon a name to represent its style what would it be and why?

It’s not a single name but “The new pigeon on the block” and that’s because theatre is changing, in the ways we view it, the ways we create it and we now have stronger voices in the up and coming artists of today. It’s time to embrace these changes and start experiencing the ground breaking theatre that is out there if you know where to look!

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

When you have a weird name you get to have the same handle across all platforms!

We are @boxhousetheatre on all platforms!

And Finally in three words – Why should people come and see the show?

Changing theatres perspective!