It is nearly 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 find out about the show How To Urn A Living.

Date: 29th July – 1st August
Time: 19:30
Price: £13 Concession £10
Location: Hens & Chickens Theatre
Ticket Link: https://camdenfringe.com/events/how-to-urn-a-living/

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

I still have a list of about twenty different punny death and funeral related titles in my notes app. I knew it had to be a silly title, because people should know from the beginning that this is a funny death show, not a sad death show. Eventually, I landed on How to Urn a Living because of its double meaning: this play is both about a funeral home trying to make ends meet (by any means necessary), and also about how to make a life worth living. 

Tells us a little bit about your style of show? 

“Fawlty Towers meets The Addams Family”. This play is rich in antics and wacky characters. While morbidly funny, your heart will be tugged at by the customers that come through the door, looking for guidance from the well meaning (if not slightly inept) funeral director Mr. Fowler, his mortician Wisteria, and their shopgirl Lilith. Subverting expectations of grief and death, How to Urn a Living questions how class, religion, responsibility, and traditions intersect with our own impermanence- and ultimately, whether or not it is okay to capitalize on death. 

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

The Womb by Co Theatre! It’s an amazing absurd piece that speaks so clearly about the female experience. Also, Fiona Lotara, who plays Lilith in How to Urn a Living, originated the role of B in The Womb. 

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

Have confidence in you and your show. Make sure you really love and believe in your piece. You will spend so much time not only rehearsing, but fundraising, producing, writing about, and talking about your piece, so make sure you back it. If you have confidence in it (and you!), everyone else will too.

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

This is our first year at the Camden Fringe, but we’re so excited to be part of a fringe festival. This kind of theatre network is rare in many of the countries our cast and team come from. Fringe theatre has always been a huge part of creating new work- it allows artists to try out their ideas within a supported space. But it’s even more important now because, vastly, the industry has become a risk averse place, not willing to take a chance on emerging artists, companies, or shows. New ideas feed creativity, and fringe festivals should be a place for this to happen. 

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

Take the tube, invest in a coffee maker, buy your costumes at charity shops, and try to survive. But if you can’t survive, at least don’t die in London, because the cost of living may be in crisis, but so is the cost of dying. London is now the most expensive place in the UK to plan a funeral. 

What are your three favourite things about Camden? 

1. The market: amazing mix of cultures with so many different food and shopping options 2. Pubs: so many historic places as well as great live music venues 

3. Theatre: a huge variety of live entertainment, from stand-up to classic music hall and everything in between 

Who would be your ultimate dream audience member? 

A funeral director. Working at a funeral home can be pretty dead, but a night at the theatre watching How to Urn a Living would be sure to lift their spirits- they’d simply be dying to come see it again! 

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? 

This year’s pigeon and Mr. Fowler, the funeral director in How to Urn a Living, share a striking resemblance; both wear a top hat and have that twinkle in their eye; pigeons are homing birds and Mr. Fowler works in a funeral home; his name is literally Mr. FOWLer. So let’s call him Fledgling Fowler, and anytime Mr. Fowler wants a day off, he knows who to call. 

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

We are on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @berserktheatre, and twitter (X) @berserktheatre1 

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

Morbid curiosity (thirdword)