EDINBURGH 2017: BWW Q&A- Above The Mealy-mouthed Sea

Can you tell us a bit about Above The Mealy-Mouthed Sea?

Lucy Allan, my co-writer and I are interested in telling important and often overlooked stories in new and inventive ways so this story from my personal life seemed like the perfect challenge. Above The Mealy-mouthed Sea is a punchy one-woman play which explores childhood memories, inescapable truths, the self we try to hide and the self we present to the world.

It's a funny, poignant and emotional tale. The play fuses powerful words, music and storytelling, the use of a loop pedal adds an interesting layer to the performance. Omnibus Theatre have supported us in the development of this new show. We are part of their stable of associate artists and its been really helpful to have their expertise in bringing a production like this up to Edinburgh Fringe.

How is the loop pedal used?

We use the loop pedal in the show to portray the inner workings of the mind and the unconscious. We've been really interested in exploring different ways of portraying the way memory works, how memories can interject when you least expect it, how they can interfere with your train of thought and we've used the loop pedal to explore some of these ideas.I love to experiment with melodies and harmonies so there are quite a few songs layered into the show.

The loop pedal is a great tool because it allows you to create full, textured and complex sound using just the voice. We also use the loop pedal to create atmosphere, to evoke particular moods and feelings.

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

We were up at the fringe in 2015 with our show Melody. That was my first time performing a full run at the fringe and it was absolutely knackering! Everybody told me that it was a real rollercoaster and I didn't believe them until I was doing it. It's thrilling, exhilarating and very tiring. It's so wonderful to be in a city absolutely thrumming with shows and creative people!

Lucy has more experience of the fringe than I do, this is her fourth time taking work up there. We absolutely love it there. We are also receiving support from Omnibus Theatre, they have helped us to develop the show and given their marketing and PR backing in preparation for Edinburgh. So we can't wait!

Who would you recommend comes to see you?

I think the show can really speak to everyone. It's an autobiographical piece which deals with some things that we, as a society, don't talk about much. Although we're tackling some difficult subjects, the show is very funny too! Women often respond very positively to our work as it deals with important aspects of the female experience that are not talked about as much as they should be.

Are there any other shows you're hoping to catch at the festival?

I'm really looking forward to a lot of the spoken word/theatre shows. Luke Wright, Rob Auton and John Osbourne's shows are always really great. I tend to enjoy lots of the stuff that's on at Summerhall.

One of my favourite things about Edinburgh is stumbling across and discovering new, amazing work from theatre companies you've sometimes never even heard of before. 'Lucy is looking forward to 'Meet Me at Dawn' at the Traverse, 'Break Up (We Need to Talk) at Summerhall and we both think the Paines Plough Roundabout programme looks really exciting, as always.

Timings and ticket information for Above The Mealy-mouthed Sea are available on the edfringe website.

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