EDINBURGH 2017: BWW Q&A- Venus and Adonis

Tell us a bit about Venus and Adonis.

Aside from the plays and sonnets for which he is better known, Shakespeare also wrote two narrative poems, Venus and Adonis being the earlier one. With only a few plays under his belt, the young Shakespeare was forced to turn his hand to writing poetry when his main source of revenue had been cut off after a severe outbreak of the plague caused Health and Safety to shut London's theatres. Thus Venus and Adonis came about, and it has the distinction of being Shakespeare's first piece of work to be published. It immediately flew off the shelves and became the bestseller of its day!

The poem's commercial success was due in no small part to its sexy subject matter and some wildly erotic passages which describe how - over a period of twenty four hours in a secluded wood - a woman of vast sexual experience (Venus) attempts to seduce a young and beautiful virgin boy (Adonis).

Why bring it to Edinburgh?

Though Venus and Adonis is not widely known, many who are familiar with it cherish it for its lightness of touch and its eroticism. However, during my process of working on how to dramatise the poem, a darker and more sinister narrative began to emerge from the soft-focus of Elizabethan erotica - and this narrative was telling the story of a young boy who, walking out of his front door one morning, is sexually assaulted and never returns home. This discovery started me exploring the abuse of males and led to very positive discussions with Katherine Cox of SurvivorsUK, a charitable organisation that counsels male victims of sexual abuse.

I think it will be a good thing to take a classical work out of its parochial confines and show it in Edinburgh to a new, widely varied and open-minded audience.

What sets it apart from other shows at the Fringe?

I suppose it not being a comedy but a 55 minute monologue that talks about female on male sexual abuse and uses words written by a man who died 401 years ago could be enough to set it apart from other shows ... and, probably, be enough to put most people off from wanting to come and see it in the first place!

Who would you recommend comes to see you?

I hope those who enjoy Shakespeare would want to see the show anyway, but I would especially welcome those who believe they can't stand him to come along and, hopefully, go away thinking differently. So much has been said and written about Shakespeare that the extraordinary quality of his language is often forgotten as it sags under all that verbosity. But the attraction of Venus and Adonis lies in a gripping story written by a young man using such vibrant language that it is incredibly easy to understand. My dramatisation seeks to re-imagine this poetry in a world where themes of sexual power, love and lust can be vividly explored.

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

Inua Williams - An Evening with an Immigrant; John Hegley - Peace, Love and Potatoes; The Music of the Incredible String Band; Nina: Josette Bushell-Mingo - A Story About Me and Nina Simone ... are some shows that immediately spring to mind.

Timings and ticket information for Venus and Adonis are available on the edfringe website.

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