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 find out about the show Daddy Issues.

Date: 12th, 13th / 21st / 25th August
Time: 19:00 / 21:00 / 19:00
Price: £12 Concession: £10
Location: Rosemary Branch Theatre
Ticket Link:  https://camdenfringe.com/events/daddy-issues/

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

It was originally just a working title until we found a better title for it but then it kinda stuck, cause it captured the essence of the play perfectly.

Tell us a little bit about your style of show?

It’s a one and a half person show. Yes, half a person, as we have two performers, but only one of them speaks and interacts.

Annie, our lead character, tells her story to the audience, switching between her past experiences and memories, and her current situation. She is at a point in her life, where she doesn’t know where to turn, so she has no other choice but to face her demons in order to find her way.

The closer Annie gets to the truth, the more she begins to struggle with her fear of failure, the scars left by emotional and sexual abuse, and her relentless quest for love and approval from her father. It is funny, it is dark and it is (so we hope) empowering for anyone who found themselves in a similar situation.         

The whole show grew out of a scratch night monologue I performed in 2022 – I remember I asked my audience to raise their hands if they felt they ever suffered from “Daddy Issues” and every single one of them had their hands up in the air – men included. That was the moment I knew it was something I wanted to write about more, as a way of dealing with some of my own experiences and at the same time shedding some light on topics that are often kept silent about.

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

“Teach me about dying”  at the Little Angel Theatre – the title got us instantly and we’re really excited to see this show!

And then there’s “How can(t) I help” at the Lion & Unicorn theatre, which we really hope to catch.  And of course we are very intrigued to see “Schrödinger’s Lesbians” by Themis Theatre, as it was Themis’ Scratch night that kicked off Daddy issues in 2022. Honestly, there are so many amazing shows to see, it’s hard to pick!

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

Again, don’t be scared – the Camden Fringe is super helpful with everything happening around the show, they have a great support when it comes to marketing or general tips. It’s a great place to get started. One advice I’d have for anyone putting on any kind of show though: Don’t do it alone. It can get overwhelming. Find someone to do it with you. Even if you’re staging a solo show. Just one person to have your back.

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

The support you receive and the fact that you are part of a festival – it’s not only a wonderful creative space that vibes and buzzes with all the different types of theatre, but it also opens up your work to people who might otherwise not go to see it.

The people who go and see shows at the fringe, go because they’re excited to see new work and new emerging artists. They will try to see as many shows as they can – which takes off some of the pressure you have when marketing your own show for a one off run.

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

There are a lot of venues that are not super central, but affordable; it’s always worth getting in touch and just ask. Venues want performers, they want shows, so they’ll never be cross even if you decide to go with a different venue. Go see shows at as many different venues as you can, and get talking to the people who run them – we’ve found some amazing, affordable venues that way, which won’t bankrupt you for a short run. So in short: Don’t be scared to ask.

What are your three favourite things about Camden?

The Theatre scene – it’s a bit like the west end, but in small and full of indie-productions.

The aesthetics – where else do you find shoes and dragons growing out of houses right next to punks taking pictures with tourists?

And then there is, of course, the food market,

Who would be your ultimate dream audience member?

Liam Neeson – if you watch the show you’ll see why.

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?

We*d call him Mr. Bingen, after Hildegard of Bingen, the old Patron (Saint) of Writers and  Creatives.

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

They can follow my professional account @cthefalcon or our show’s account @shinealight_theatre both on instagram. We also have a website with more info about us and the show: https://www.shinealighttheatre.co.uk/current-projects

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

Everybody craves love.