EDINBURGH 2023: Sarah Cameron West Q&A

BWW catches up with Sarah Cameron West to chat about bringing KAREN to the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tell us a bit about Karen.

KAREN is a one-woman character comedy show that has been described as Fleabag meets The Office. It is a journey of self-discovery as our Protagonist faces a life crisis when her long term boyfriend Joe breaks up with her at Alton Towers on her birthday. To make matters worse, Joe has been having an affair with Protagonist’s arch-nemesis: Karen. Can it get any worse? Oh yes, yes it can. They all work in the same office together. It’s a comic emotional rollercoaster and a powder keg of heartbreak and identity crisis, exploding in the ultimate office showdown. 

What was the inspiration behind writing it?

Ultimately, KAREN was just a short sketch I started writing in 2021 for a monologue competition called Project Passion run by Velvet Smoke Productions. It was selected then as a winner with the prize being a performance at the White Bear in Kennington and after positive feedback, I was encouraged to turn it into a full show. I have always been fascinated by solo shows and think that it is a huge acting challenge so I wanted to give it a try myself and just kept writing little comic scenes in the notes app on my phone and slowly Protagonist’s life started to come together along with her backstory. With themes of heartbreak, envy, identity and mental health, I thought this might be a story that people could relate to and enjoy. 

Where else might we know your work from?

I set up my own production company called Any Second Now Ltd. with my business partner, Lucy Nicholson, in 2021. We have put on a series of shows called IT TAKES TWO at the Golden Goose, the Hen and Chickens and the Kings Head Theatre all of which champion new writing. Each show included five 15-minute duologues and we created it to establish a network of actors, writers, and directors to come together and put on their work after the pandemic to showcaseto the industry and act as a safe space for debuting their work. One of the duologues was a comedy sketch that Lucy and I wrote together called JAQ AND JILL which is a TV sit-com that we are currently developing with our literary agent. Acting wise, I graduated from the Drama Centre London in 2021 and have appeared as Clara in DISC JOCKEY by TiwaiMuza at the Bread and Roses Theatre, Claire Zachanassian in THE VISIT at the Bridewell Theatre, all of the IT TAKES TWO shows across 2022 and 2023, Josie Copeland’s short film WALK HOME and landed my first TV role in Amazon Prime’s ANANSI BOYS by Neil Gaimon set for release in 2023/2024. 

Who would you like to come and see Karen?

KAREN is open for any and all looking for a laugh and maybe a cry. It is a 55-minute tragicomedy at 7:50pm at the Willow Studio, Riddles Court from 14-26th (excluding 20th) August. The only guideline is for 16+ due to strong language.  

What would you like audiences to take away from it?

That falling in love has to start with yourself. 

Tickets are available here: 

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