Us clowns got to talk to Sam from Mad Like Roar about their show Alan, We Think You Should Get A Dog, which will be on at the Pleasance Courtyard after Follow Suit this august. Read on to see what Sam had to say about their text-based work and theatre that provokes.
Tell us a bit about your show: “Alan” (that’s it’s nickname!) is a show about a family exploring a breakdown in communication, responsibility and grief. Daisy finds herself taking on the role of a mother, nappies and all, whilst her brother Ollie continues to bury his head in numbers and excess. Then there is Alan. Alan’s just been shouting “help” all darned day. A family grappling with imminent death, life, each other, whilst trying not to burn the dinner, forget to water the bougainvillia and throttle one another. What sort of theatre do you make? We make playful visceral text-based work that also explores dynamic, chaotic, ensemble led theatre. There is always a balance of how tough can we make it, how far can we push something into the absurd and then end up back to two people talking and listening to each other. There is darkness in our work, again with a good balance of light and tenderness. As theatre makers we use a lot of LeCoq based techniques and have been inspired by companies such as Cheek by Jowl and Complicite. What’s the most important thing theatre should be/do/have? Theatre should make you DO something. Whether that is laugh, cry, stand up and say “I hate this” or leave you thinking about it for days after - it should provoke you. When we are making work we want the story to be as accessible to as many people as possible. Theatre should let the audience take away whatever they want from it, a sensation, a thought, or in “Alan’s” case, make that call to the relative you’ve been meaning to ring. What shows at the Fringe are you most looking forward to? Locker Room Talk - Gary McNair at the Traverse Education, Education, Education – The Wardrobe Ensemble Brutal Cessation - Milly Thomas The Wedding - Gecko Every Brilliant Thing – Paines Plough and Pentabus Theatre Company Flesh and Bone – Unpolished Theatre Secret Life of Humans – New Diorama Theatre Digs - Theatre with Legs Alan, We Think You Should Get A Dog will be on at Pleasance Courtyard Below, 2-28th Aug at 3.30pm. Comments are closed.
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