This month I will be talking to different acts that are taking part in the Brighton Fringe Festival. Today I speak to Selena Mersey about the show Bisexuelle.

Shows:Bisexuelle (Work in Progress)
Location: The Actors – Theatre
Date: 25th, 26th / 27th May
Time: 21:30 / 17:00
Ticket Price: £8.50 Concessions £7
Link: https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/selena-mersey-bisexuelle-work-in-progress/

Hello! Tell us about your act? 

Hi! My name is Selena Mersey, just like the river, because I am also Liverpudlian and so filthy the council has to get involved. This Brighton Fringe I’ll be presenting Bisexuelle (Work in Progress), a film noir-infused musical character comedy.

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

Bisexuelle is a portmanteau of the words “bisexual” and “elle”, which is French for “she” or “her”. I chose this title because the show is an exploration of the specific intersection of being a bisexual woman and the distinct bimisogyny that bi women face – different, for example, to the unique discriminations suffered by bi men and gay women.

The (Work In Progress) is because getting it just right is going to take time and I’m a perfectionist. I hope the audience in May are up for some experimentation!

Tell us a little bit about your style of show?

I’m a musical comedian, burlesque artist, and theatre-maker producing interdisciplinary work that explores issues of gender and sexuality. That’s a lot of words all to say that I make dumb rhymes and fling pieces of clothing.

I’m an annoyingly cerebral person behind-the-scenes and I take great care with the messaging I put out through my work, but my performances end up showcasing the completely silly and chaotic side of me. That’s what the people want!

What can people expect from your Brighton Fringe performance?

Bisexuelle (WIP) tells the story of a hard-boiled detective from New York City, California, trying to crack one last case before he retires from the CSI Miami. See, somebody did a very bad thing, but he’ll be damned if they get away with it. But there’s one thing Johnny didn’t expect. The clues all start to point towards the mysterious dame he met this morning…

Bisexuelle features original music, dance, side-splitting laughs, and very questionable puppetry.

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

So many!

I’m fortunate to know lots of talented people – for example, my housemate Katy has written a new satirical play called Music For Cats which will debut at The Actors. She often writes sketches and parody songs for local comedy titan The Treason Show and is very skilled at doing so, so I’m excited to see a longer-form piece by her.

I adore Christian Jegard and Alex Franklin, so I’m really looking forward to seeing their brand new solo shows. They’re both lovely people as well as being excellent writers and performers with distinct styles, and that’s always a bonus.

One of my favourite things about the Fringe, though, is the variety of bonkers performances and the opportunity to discover something brand new. One of the first things that caught my eye when perusing the website was a show called Bot Brothers: A Story of Our Times. It’s loosely based on Blood Brothers and tells the story of two “robo-clones” split at birth. I nearly cried laughing at the trailer, which is only 15 seconds long. I’m certain it’s going to be the highlight of my year.

How are the rehearsals going?

Beautifully! I’ve been working with a brilliant director named Annie North since early 2023 and I’m so thankful for the partnership we’ve cultivated. We hold very similar values and interests, so collaborating is an absolute joy. She makes the creative process so much easier for me, and I’m sure I present her with some interesting challenges. We also both like to overthink in detail, which means rehearsals can overrun abysmally and she needs to mute me on her phone sometimes, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. (Don’t know about her though.)

Bisexuelle has only been performed once thus far, at FemFest 2024. It was a riotous good time but there’s a lot we want to change. The positive thing is that we’re happy with the story itself and how it wraps up – it’s just how we reveal the information through breadcrumbs that needs a bit of fine-tuning. There are also a couple of structural changes we’re trying to implement so that things are easier for me to manage on stage as a lone performer. (FemFest attendees will know that there were a LOT of props and costume changes.) This has required some very lateral creative thinking, but we’re on the path to a solution now!

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

My debut show, Madonna/Whore, first appeared as a work-in-progress at Brighton Fringe 2022. I had a fantastic time at The Rotunda, selling out all shows and adding an extra performance due to demand. As a first-timer, I couldn’t believe it!

I then brought Madonna/Whore back in 2023 and not only sold out all shows again at The Actors, adding an extra performance, but won two awards! Brighton Seagull presented me with their inaugural “Best Concept” award and Lamb Productions bestowed upon me their inaugural Queer Comedy Award (what a year for firsts!). The prize for the latter accolade was actually support from Lamb in developing a brand new show, which is how Bisexuelle came about.

The final day of Fringe 2023, when I found out about the awards, is definitely one I’ll remember for a long time. I’d just come off stage and ran over to the awards ceremony when I was informed upon arrival that I’d won the Lamb award. In my state of adrenaline-filled shock, I announced on stage during my acceptance speech that I still had glue on my nipples.

Aside from my incredible experiences as a performing artist, I have a special connection to Brighton Fringe – I worked in the Box Office team for five years. I’ve always been a thorough researcher and like to prepare well and slowly. Whilst working at the Fringe, I learned an invaluable amount about the industry and how festivals work and met some people who’ve shaped my career irrevocably. I highly recommend that any early-career artists undertake a bit of work in the world of festivals, even if it’s only for a day, as it really informs your perspective of how things work and helps you learn about all the opportunities available to performers.

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

I have so much advice to give! I’m actually working on making my website a repository of open-access resources for solo, DIY performers making live theatre in an effort to demystify the process.

Until that’s up and running though, my biggest piece of advice is simply to take the plunge and register if you’re able. I held myself back from developing my debut show Madonna/Whore for a number of years because I felt I wasn’t as polished as all the shiny people in the brochure and therefore clearly not ready to register. It wasn’t until I got to know the Privates – a clowning trio made up of Christian Brighty, Luke Rollason, and Tom Penn – that I worked up the confidence to just do it. I distinctly remember telling them my doubts and being informed that “no one feels ready” – most people register first, and then write the show!

I am, however, aware that financial difficulty can prevent people from being able to register when they want to. This is why my second piece of advice is directly in opposition to my first piece of advice, and it’s this: there’s no shame in taking things slowly. Perhaps if I’d registered when I really wanted to instead of waiting several years, I would have developed a half-baked show with no maturity or experience behind it – and perhaps it wouldn’t have sold out and won awards, taking me to where I am now. I’m a big proponent of the Slow Living movement, which aims to oppose consumerism and the attention economy by encouraging an intentional lifestyle. In the spirit of this, maybe the best ideas and shows simply take longer because they have had more space to become considered and thoughtful.

Hopefully one of these pieces of advice will resonate with you – I urge you to take it and run! (Or meander, slowly.)

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

I’m a huge performance nerd and my favourite thing is getting to go see a host of shows of different styles and genres! You’ll find me in many audiences across the festival, wondering why I didn’t think of that first. I adore the general festival atmosphere and it makes me so happy to see audience members supporting live art, especially from independent and up-and-coming artists.

What are your three favourite things about Brighton?

1. Incredibly rude seagulls

2. Unsuspecting tourists

3. Chip crimes.

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

Make sure to conserve your energy wisely – no one is going to want to take a flyer from someone who looks like they’re dead on legs and can barely describe their own show! It sounds obvious but prioritising your health and wellbeing is the most important thing and it’s very easy to forget when you’re caught up in Fringe-mania, especially if you’re neurodivergent.

Get your elevator pitch ready in advance and memorise it – being able to describe the main selling points of your show in a snappy sentence or two will save you so much time.

And finally, remember to actually enjoy flyering! I’ve met some wonderful people through advertising my show – you’d be amazed how many brilliant people you encounter doing so, and you may even end up making friends because of it.

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

I tend to take the whole day to get in the zone for one of my performances. Being alone on stage for an hour means I need to be at the top of my game, not only remembering my lines, lyrics, choreography, and tricks, but dealing with ephemeral happenings in the moment!

I like to have a relaxed morning with a big breakfast and a lengthy shower. I take my time doing my hair and makeup because I’m not very good at it – we’re talking at least an hour, ideally three. I have been asked before if I’m a makeup artist for my day job – no, I just make myself spend literal hours painting my face because if I don’t, the audience will start laughing before I’ve even said anything.

I’ll typically play music and dance around while getting ready to get my energy up – evergreen tunes on my playlist include Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl by Chappell Roan, the Pabllo Vittar X Brabo remix of Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys) by Rina Sawayama, and X by Poppy.

I use a lot of props in my shows – something I’m trying to reduce going forward as I’ve learned the hard way that it’s a massive pain to transport and manage everything! On a show day I painstakingly check that everything is accounted for and packed safely, and iron anything that needs prettifying. (I do not iron my face.)

I’m an anxious gal so I’ll probably run through the show script one more time with myself if it’s been a while since the last performance. Once I’m happy that I know it inside out, I’ll spend the remaining time distracting myself with some good reality TV until it’s time to leave. I often save up a backlog of Drag Race episodes to watch on days like this.

Depending on whether it’s a matinee or evening performance, lunch or dinner may happen at some point, but I generally can’t eat much before a show. Burlesque performers know the risks, and I’m sure the rest of you can intuit. However my partner and Stage Manager Dan does the most amazing job of taking care of me and often packs their own bag of post-show supplies for me, including a small meal and some sugary treats.

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

I adore the seaside – having grown up in Liverpool, it feels like home. The Fringe tends to coincide with the arrival of lovely sunny weather here in Brighton and as well as the huge variety of shows and festival sites to explore, the city just makes for a fantastic day out!

Who would be your ultimate dream audience member?

Anyone who’s open to new experiences and ready to go on a journey! I love meeting the people who come to see my shows and have the best time talking to them afterwards.

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

I’m @selenamersey on Instagram and TikTok, and nowhere else because social media STRESSES ME OUT. If you want to keep up with news about my shows, you can subscribe to my respectfully infrequent newsletter too: http://eepurl.com/hT7SKv 

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

You should see our show at Brighton Fringe because it is completely unique – you’re not going to get a show like Bisexuelle from anyone else! I hope to see you there!