EDINBURGH 2017: BWW Q&A- Blank Tiles

Tell us a bit about your show?

It's a solo theatre show. I play a former SCRABBLE world champion who has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The show sees him desperately try to document and record his greatest achievements and memories before they fade from his mind forever. It's been described as a poignant, clever and incredibly moving look into a terrible disease. And I promise it wasn't just my mum who said that.

Why bring it to Edinburgh?

It's a Mecca for self-devising performers. A bucket list thing. This will be my first time doing Edinburgh. I finally have a show that is good enough.

What sets it apart from other shows at the Fringe?

It's completely independent and self-devised which seems to be rarer than I thought it would be. A lot of performances in the theatre section are a multi-faceted team - cast, writers, designers, directors. There may be one person on stage but there are also ten creatives behind the scenes. In Blank Tiles you see one: the performer, the producer, the writer, the director on stage. It's very personal and, when done well, can be the most magical night at the theatre. That's what my mum says anyway.

It's also about Scrabble.

Who would you recommend comes to see your show?

1. Scrabble Lovers - this is what half the show is about so they are bound to get a kick out of it.
2. People with a personal connection with dementia - this is what the other half of the show is about.

That covers everyone? Doesn't it?

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

Oh god, so many... As always the things I really want to see end up being on at the same time as my show.

But here's a few...

Raton Laveur at Assembly - a Canadian/Australian production about a man's paranoia of Racoons taking a violent turn.

Jess Thom doing Samuel Beckett's Not I at Pleasance - I loved Jess' Backstage in Biscuit Land show about living with Tourettes.

My Pet, My Love at C Venues - Rob Gaetano was the Winner of Best Actor at United Solo Theatre Festival New York 2016 for this one-man show about fish, forgetting and the fear of dying single.

Trygve Wakenshaw vs A Baby at Assembly - from the physical theatre master that brought us Kraken. This concept just tickles me the right way.

Louise Reay - Hard Mode at The Stand, a comedy show about surveillance. I saw the Work in Progress in Adelaide and can't wait to see the show fully developed.

Timings and ticket information for Blank Tiles are available on the edfringe website.

Photo Credit: James Penlidis

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