EDINBURGH 2016: BWW Q&A - Jekyll and Hyde

We speak to C&D productions ahead of their run of Jekyll & Hyde at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe.

Tell us a little about your production of Jekyll and Hyde

This is a production for any generation of audience member. We've worked on a script based on the original novel, with a slight nod from the musical adaptation also to ensure fans of the book by Robert Louis Stevenson get exactly what they'd expect! There is a darkness about the piece that you can't escape, and we've followed that vein to ensure the story is a bit gruesome at times, whilst being engaging to theatregoers. We've put Jekyll and Hyde into one character (as opposed to two separate performers) and we've worked a good deal on the characterisation of these two polar opposite personalities.

We've also included the addition of UV paint to be able to show the switch more visually, which will be especially helpful to younger Audience members and add a real sinister look to Edward Hyde. It's being directed by myself and Nicola Piggott, a nod towards our constant attempts to bring through new talent, and this is also reflected in a cast of 16, none of whom have performed at Edfringe before and range in age from 16 to 56!

Why did you decide to adapt this story?

As a theatre company we've got a fantastic track record of adapting classic literature and turning it into engaging and relevant pieces of theatre. Examples of this include darker works such as Dracula and Frankenstein to the thought-provoking DorIan Gray and the timeless classic A Christmas Carol. When we went to the Camden Fringe we took more recent work and at Brighton we had a sold-out run of Macbeth. With Robert Louis Stevenson being one of Scotland's greatest authors we thought it only fitting to bring something that originated in Scotland to the Edfringe. I think a piece focusing on the Victorian period, with a dark and macabre nature, will be a great alternative to the many comedy-focused shows on offer. It's also part of a lot of school syllabuses, so would be great for students to come and watch.

How do you differentiate between the two personalities of Jekyll and Hyde?

As touched upon we've done a lot of work with the actors to bring all the characters across, regarding of the size of part. We have two separate casts who will split both the local and Edfringe performances, which also safeguards against illness etc., as both casts are now starting to work together and blend with one another. Our two actors playing Jekyll/Hyde are very different too as we wanted people to be able to come and see the show twice and get two different performances.

Gordon Ritchie is a big imposing chap with a physique to really allow an obvious menace when Edward Hyde takes over, but has great acting ability to show the softer, more docile personality of Henry Jekyll when he deals with the governors and his love interests. Jake Ashton however is very slight and what many would picture Jekyll to look like. With him, there will be a more sinister undertone as he hasn't got the muscle and size of Gordon, therefore when he switches personality his threat and brutality are very different.

Is it the company's first visit to the Fringe?

Yes! As a theatre company we've been around for just over two years and in that time we've performed 17 different productions. These have included two appearances at the Camden Fringe with an adaptation of The Game by Louise Bryant (adapted by Dan Pothecary) and my first foray into original scriptwriting with Three Blinks For... Both were really well received and we followed them up with a sold-out run of Macbeth at the Brighton Fringe. I thought now would be a great time to test ourselves at Edfringe as we've come a long way since those early days rehearsing in a church around the corner from where I live!

I think our pool of actors has never been greater and this has been proven by the two fantastic casts with have for Jekyll & Hyde and also the talent on offer in TWO. We've made a point of trying to offer a platform for those seeking to get involved in theatre with our in-house scheme Future-Proof, which has seen many gain their first experiences of directing, stage managing or script writing. Nicola Piggott is an emerging theatre director (who we initially worked with as an actor last year) and has been a great pillar of support during the rehearsal process for me.

We've also got a exciting new talent in Mia Hannah Nicolaides who studied at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, who is directing our other play TWO, which has a good mix of comedy and drama about it. We're also taking two make-up artists with us who are part of our work experience scheme with Northampton College. Yazmine and Kesia have played a big part in our promotional work, along with other students like Tia who will no doubt stay with us for future productions.

And you've just got your first patron?

We have indeed! We're in the process of announcing Kerry Ellis as our first patron for the theatre company.

She is someone who I have a lot of admiration for and I think having someone of her talent and experience to call upon for advice on occasion will be invaluable as we continue to grow. She's always been available should I send any questions her way and we're in discussion to have three patrons hopefully by the end of the year to offer a broad range of experiences within the arts. We've got a lot of aspiring musical theatre performers starting to join us and when we do plays with musical elements it's good to have someone like Kerry on board.

I always encourage anyone wanting to join or is interested in collaborating on a project to get in touch and if anyone is interested in work experience with us over Edfringe to contact us via our website www.cd-productions.co.uk We're definitely intending to come back next year and it would be great to make as many contacts as possible this time around.

Timings and ticket information for Jekyll and Hyde is available on the edfringe website.

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