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 Dragging Your Heels

Date: 19th – 23rd / 23rd August
Time: 19:15 / 15:00
Price: £12 Concessions £10
Location: Camden People’s Theatre
Ticket Link: https://camdenfringe.com/events/dragging-your-heels/

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

The world is such a mess at the moment with hate and negativity everywhere we look. I wanted to write a piece of theatre which could make an audience laugh but also give them hope for the future.

We all have dreams we wish to fulfil and we should never stop reaching for what we want out of life. No matter how old we are, we should never give up – but we get lost in the mundane day-to-day and years go by in the blink of an eye. That’s how the show’s title Dragging Your Heels was born.

It’s not just musical comedy about a builder becoming a drag queen, it’s also a reminder to all of us to keep chasing our dreams.

Tell us a little bit about your style of show?

Dragging Your Heels is a musical comedy with heart. The idea has been forming in my head for a few years but it wasn’t until late last year that it all clicked into place. I wanted to write a positive, queer play that would entertain, make the audience laugh and celebrate life. I wanted the characters to be relatable and memorable and no matter who comes to see it, I hope they leave feeling happy and positive.

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

There are so many good shows on at Camden Fringe this year that I would like to see. There’s an improvised Doctor Who show that looks fun, A Pup Play and I bumped into the creator of Am I Losing My Mind Or Just My Figure? at our rehearsal rooms, so that’s also on my list. I’m sure there will be many more as we get closer to the fringe.

How are rehearsals going?

We start rehearsals in June when we have an intense 10 days before we premier in Wimbledon. After a month off, we get back together for a three day rehearsal recap before our week’s run at Camden Fringe. We have an amazing team with award-winning director, Paul T. Davies steering the ship and five fantastic, original songs composed by Will Stead.

The cast is made up of myself playing builder Ben, Tafadzwa Madubeko as his best friend Callum and Dolly Diamond, the amazing Australian star who is flying over to dazzle the audience as drag queen, Tammy Scowls.

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

I’ve performed all over the country and even internationally and I have lived in London for 20 years. It’s not known for being the friendliest city in the world and yet there is a real comradery within the Camden Fringe.

The organisers are fantastic and always available to help and advise, the performers communicate with one another and I still have close friendships with people I met the first time I performed here. As the biggest fringe festival in the UK’s capital, we are a close bunch and will always help each other when we can.

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

The best life hack for anyone wanting to perform at the Camden Fringe is to connect with others. Accommodation will likely be your show’s biggest expense, but if you can find friends who live here and don’t mind crashing on a sofa bed for a few weeks, it will massively help your bottom line. Thankfully I live on the outskirts of London and can travel in on a daily basis.

Who would be your ultimate dream audience member?

This is a queer show and although it will appeal to the majority of people, it will of course resonate with the LGBTQIA+ community the most. The three people I would love to come and see Dragging Your Heels would be Julian Clary, Sir Ian McKellen and Doctor Who head-writer, Russell T. Davies. One can dream!

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?

Camden Fringe’s mascot is the pigeon and this year the iconic image seems to be made out of paper – so if I could name this year’s mascot, I would call it The Playbill Pigeon.

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

I have a large following of 600k people on TikTok and post there daily but most of my videos also get posted on all social media sites – my username is the same everywhere, @terryjgeo. I am no longer on Twitter, for all the obvious reasons.

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

It’s Drag, Baby!

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