EDINBURGH 2017: BWW Q&A- What Would Cathy Do?

Tell us a bit about What Would Cathy Do?

The play is a monologue written and directed by Chris Aronsten from Australia. It features film and television actress Skye Wansey in the title role and is a new work with the theme of reality and delusions. It is designed to leave its audiences wondering where the truth really lies. Is Cathy a hopeless junkie .....or brilliant actor?

The first the audience sees of Cathy is when a dishevelled woman of 50 bursts onto the stage and directs a torrent of abuse at a security guard who's just thrown her out of a supermarket for stealing. She looks and sounds like a drug addict in the final stages of a slow decline. But then she explains to the audience that she's really deeply immersed in the character she is creating for an up-coming feature film. But as she grows progressively more desperate, who's to tell if she's simply committed to method acting, or irretrievably lost inside the character she says she will portray?

Chris Aronsten describes his new work as 'Alan Bennett meets Sarah Kane on the inner-city streets of Kings Cross, Sydney.' He says; 'I'm very interested in the monologue and the way it can reflect people's interior lives - sparked in part by seeing Bennett's Talking Heads in my teenage years.' It is one of several monologues and ensembles from Australia being staged at the same venue.

What was the inspiration for the play?

Chris was on his way to the supermarket a few years ago, and a very rough looking woman, who he guessed was a drug addict, was being thrown out. After ranting and raving at the security guard for a while, she saw him and, putting on a completely "normal" voice, explained that she wasn't a junkie, she was an actress preparing for a film role.

This gave him the spark of an idea to create a piece about what's real and what's not and the fine line between the two. And it gave him the opportunity to create it as a monologue. His love of monologues was sparked in part by seeing Bennett's Talking Heads in his teenage years.

Why bring it to Edinburgh?

Chris and Skye are taking this play to Edinburgh for the experience of performing at a large, international festival; to grow their audience; to establish the 40 Watt Pearl Theatre Company brand beyond Australia; to seek out future collaborators and to find career opportunities.

Do you think you know what to expect from the Fringe?

We know it will be busy, a mad scramble for attention, stimulating, exhausting, inspiring and potentially bankrupting. We also know that despite everything we've read, nothing can really prepare us for our first visit to the Fringe.

Who would you recommend comes to see What Would Cathy Do?

Anyone who loves beautiful language, swear words, virtuosic acting and the intimacy of the monologue form; people looking to experience a wide ranging emotional journey; who are comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity; those who love the experience of a first impression being turned on its head; people who love the way theatre can take us outside the bubble of our own existence and explore the humanity of a character we might cross the road to avoid in real life.

Timings and ticket information for What Would Cathy Do? are available on the edfringe website.

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