Monthly Archives: July 2023
Oggie! Oggie! Oggie!: An Interview with Stephen Callaghan
The Confessions of Saint Augustine
Are heading to the Edinburgh Fringe
Hello Stephen, can you tell us where are you from & where are you living today?
Hi there. I was born in Glasgow, the youngest of five boys and stayed there in the Southside all my life. My wife is from Dundee and we have settled in the Greater Glasgow area with our two children.
What are your first theatrical memories?
I wanted to be an actor from a very young age. My dad can remember me crying in our kitchen because I wanted to get into acting! I got involved in local drama classes at the Langside Halls and cut my acting teeth at the age of nine in the role of Abanazer (the baddie!) in a panto of Aladdin. After that, my parents got me speech and drama tuition in the way that some people learn the piano. I was introduced to the likes of Chekhov and Wilde from about the age of 12. This led to me getting a part in the STV soap Highroad during my teenage years.
You’ve been a serious theatre practitioner for the past two decades now, what have been you major contributions to the dramatical arts?
A pivotal moment for me was when I directed the Scottish Premieres of two plays by the Polish playwright, Karol Wojtyla, who is much better known as Pope John Paul II! This experience led to a strong desire to specialise in faith-related subjects but in a way that was accessible to people of all faiths and none just as these productions were. As a playwright and theatre-maker, that is my main area of expertise and it has been my privilege to have brought to life many stories that have inspired others. Sadly, I think that sometimes there is still a prejudice against Catholicism in the arts and I hope that my small contribution makes a difference to eradicating this.
You have been comission’d by the bosses themselves, i.e. the Vatican, can you tell us about the project?
2020 was the 100th Anniversary of the founding of Stella Maris, the Catholic Church’s outreach to seafarers. This work was founded in Glasgow and became an international movement with Vatican support. To mark the occasion, the Dicastery for Integral Human Development (who work for human rights, including those of migrants, and fight against injustices such as people trafficking) wanted to commission a play to be performed at an international conference in Glasgow. Sadly, the Covid Pandemic put paid to the production taking place as planned but the conference went ahead in 2022, with a rehearsed reading of my play. It was a huge honour and I received a Papal Blessing.
Can you tell us more about the Archdiocese of Glasgow Arts Project?
AGAP was borne out of a desire to establish an obvious channel for the cultural life of the Catholic Church. It is an outlet for those who want to express their faith creatively through the arts or to engage with the Church artistically. I wanted to ensure that the Church was pro-active in the arts (as it had been historically) and not just reactive. With the support of the late Archbishop Mario Conti, I was able to establish AGAP in 2006 and, since then, our flagship festival, Lentfest, has attracted international support, incorporating contributions from professional artistes to school children and amateur groups across a wide range of artistic disciplines. AGAP has also been the main outlet for my own work as a theatre practitioner, engaging with actors and audiences through performances in community venues across Greater Glasgow and beyond.
This is not your first time at the Fringe, is it?
This is my sixth appearance at the Fringe. My first was The Margaret Sinclair Story, a commission from the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh. It was a historical solo play on the life of Edinburgh’s famous working-class saint-in-the-making, played by actress, Maryfrances Jennow. Performances took place beside the tomb of Venerable Margaret Sinclair in St Patrick’s Church in the Cowgate. It earned a very positive 3-star review in The Scotsman and went on to further touring and development as a film for schools with my wife taking over the role. I have brought several other productions to the Fringe since then, including my own solo show, The Pew with a View, which I performed in 2018 when my son was only five weeks old! I remember my wife standing backstage with him in a sling whilst I performed the monologue with only my face visible through the back of a church pew. My most recent appearance, however, was in 2019 with Sign of Contradiction: The Passion Story, my interpretation of the Passion of Jesus Christ and the political machinations that brought about his death. It was very well received and had a very strong review in the Church of England newspaper.
You’re bringing a new play to this year’s Fringe – can you tell us all about it?
This year, I’m performing a new solo show. Oggie! Oggie! Oggie! is a modern, energetic twist on The Confessions of Saint Augustine (“Oggie” for short!), charting his rollercoaster journey from hedonistic wild boy to one of the most famous inspirational figures in Christian history.
Wow – where & when did you get the first flash of inspiration to turn St Augustine’s Confessions into theatre?
When I was at the Fringe with The Margaret Sinclair Story in 2016, someone approached me, asking if I could write a play about someone who wasn’t always a saint. In other words, someone who had undergone a dramatic conversion. She was worried about her son and said that we need to hear stories that show that there is a way back to God no matter how far we have wandered away from him. The simple answer is “take your pick!” Most of the Saints celebrated by the Catholic Church are people whose lives are far from perfect but who have persevered and found meaning and forgiveness in God. However, Augustine’s story is one that has captivated people for centuries and the work is both a spiritual and literary classic. The Confessions was the first “biography” as such and the origin of “soliloquy” (an interior dialogue) comes from it – it’s so dramatic that it was begging to be adapted for the stage!
How much relevance do the Confessions have for a modern audience, & have you tailored the material to maybe assist that somehow?
Someone who saw the show in Glasgow said that it reminded them of Trainspotting but with God at the centre of it! I’ve tried to maintain the integrity of the original text but I’ve set the play in a modern context. The character is hugely relevant for today. He is someone that really wrestled with God and he found him by looking inward. I think his story resonates with society today, in a world that wrestles with belief (and unbelief) in God. The pandemic and its aftermath brought so many of us to crisis point and I think the character indirectly speaks to the mental health crisis. Augustine’s journey shows a flesh-and-blood human being pushed to the limit. I admire his honesty and have tried to capture it in my script and performance. Having gone through so much and dabbled in so many things through his lifestyle, he came to the conclusion that “Our hearts are restless until the rest in God.” I agree.
You’ve got 20 seconds to sell your show to strangers on the streets of Edinburgh, what do you say?
The Fringe offers a plethora of colourful controversy in all artistic shapes and forms, trying to grab your attention and shock you into amazement but is anything more shocking and controversial today than a piece of theatre that suggests that there is a God who loves you personally no matter where your life has been? I don’t think so. Come and see Oggie! Oggie! Oggie! (….and yes, you can shout Oi! Oi! Oi!)
Oggie! Oggie! Oggie!
C Venues Aurora Studio
23rd-27th August (18:20)
BUY TICKETS
An Interview with Highly Suspect
Highly Suspect are bringing two murder mysteries
To this year’s Fringe
We here at the Mumble are huge fans of Agatha Christie, her book Murder on the Orient Express being our favorite. So, when we heard a Christie inspired production company were bringining TWO plays to the Edinburgh Fringe, our interest was very much piqued.
Hello guys, can you tell us where are you from & where are you living today?
MICHAEL: Hi, we’re based in Carlisle, Cumbria. I’m from Carlisle born and bred and Lexie moved up here to study at Cumbria Institute of the Arts and has stayed ever since.
What are your first theatrical memories?
LEXIE: For me, it was being Mrs Lather in Mrs Lather’s Laundry based on the Happy Families card games when I was around 5 in primary school. I remember making the audience laugh and loving that feeling.
MICHAEL: I remember it was putting on woolen pigtails to play the titular role of Little Red Riding Hood in his primary school – the teachers thought doing a play would make him less shy, and it definitely worked!
You’re quite the avid playwright, Michael, what is it about the theatre that makes you tick?
MICHAEL: For me it’s about the intimacy and immediacy – there’s something about having a well crafted story play out right in front of you that the theatre can capture in a way no other medium can. It takes on an almost tangible quality. Plus being able to actually watch an audience laugh at a joke, groan at a pun or exhale in a satisfied ‘aahhh!’ when they discover whodunnit is a joy like no other!
Can you tell us about Highly Suspect?
LEXIE: Highly Suspect is our company. We launched it in 2014 after a sell out initial performance of our first ever mystery ‘Murder at the Museum’ for Tullie House. From there the company has grown and gone from strength to strength. We now have 30 different unique mysteries written by Michael and directed by myself , brought to life by ourselves and our incredibly talented team of actors.
MICHAEL: In essence, we’re an interactive murder mystery theatre company; We love creating work that engages with an audience in a new way, involving them in the show and galvanising them to solve a devious whodunnit. All of our mysteries are solvable; only one person could have done it, and if you can piece together the clues then you can catch the killer. Along with the performances on stage, the audiences are formed into teams who are given evidence packs containing crime scene reports, cryptic codes and puzzles which all provide additional clues to solving the case. Overall we guarantee to provide our audiences with an hour or so of fun, frivolity and fatalities!
Can you tell us about each of the shows?
LEXIE: Murder at the Movies is set in the height of Hollywood’s Golden Age and movie mogul Tom Corny is dead – decapitated inside an impenetrable room, his head mysteriously missing- and now, the lead actor has been shot dead in his locked trailer too! Everyone’s a suspect, from the director Alfred Cockhitch to leading lady Greta Garbage – but who’s shooting for the stars in Tinseltown this tragic day?
MICHAEL: Murder on the Disorient Express is one of my favourite mysteries. It was originally commissioned to be performed on the actual train set of Kenneth Brannagh’s Murder on the Orient Express and it’s the first time we’ve brought it to the Fringe. It’s the scene of the most famous mystery ever to be solved by renowned Belgian detective Hercules Pinot. Now, ten years on, Pinot rides the train once more to celebrate his retirement from sleuthing. But when the detective is found shot, stabbed, strangled and drowned inside his locked compartment, can all of the passengers really be responsible once again, or did one in particular have a locomotive for murder? A whodunnit sure to test ‘ze little grey cells’!
Can you tell us about performing on the film set for Kenneth Brannagh’s Murder on the Orient Express?
MICHAEL: A literal dream come true! The set is beautiful and entirely immersive – there’s no random balsa wood stanchions or false walls – it’s constructed both interior and exterior as a replica of the real Orient Express, so where could be more fun to commit a murder? I’ll admit to being more than a little intimidated when tasked with writing an interactive follow up to arguably one of the greatest mysteries ever penned, set on one of the most famous whodunnit locations in the world, but there’s nothing like a little pressure to get ‘the little grey cells’ in gear and firing on all cylinders!
You know a good show when you’ve done one – what are the ingredients that make it so?
LEXIE: Michael’s brain haha. How he crafts the mysteries to hit that sweet spot in terms of captivating plot, solvable but not too easy or difficult, memorable characters and funny is still a marvel to me nearly ten years on. We have a great return demographic of audience members who’ve come back year after year to see our newest mysteries because they want to test themselves to see if they can solve them each time. We love seeing familiar detective faces at the Fringe or up and down the country when we’re touring the rest of the year; knowing we have a show that has people wanting to come back is always so appreciated.
You’re bringing two shows to this year’s Fringe – why two?
MICHAEL: Previous years we’ve brought two different mysteries but alternated them every other day – typically we’d close our shows with ‘Enjoyed this one? Then come back tomorrow and solve a completely different mystery!’ Once audiences have pitted their wits against a cunning killer once, they often like to try again to maintain their winning streak, or have a second chance at glory! We’ve been lucky enough to sell out previous years, so we’ve been a little more ambitious and are attempting two every day to make sure no one misses out on the fun, frivolity and fatalities!
What will you be doing in Edinburgh out with performing at the Fringe?
LEXIE: Flyering on the mile for sure; you’ll spot us by our Highly Suspect t-shirts! Aside from that, we’ll be trying to see as many shows as we can, and eating at some of our favourite haunts we’ve discovered past Fringes including El Cartel and Wings!
Last year you guys were showcased as one of ‘Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe’ – so, have you rested on your laurels or striven to improve even further?
MICHAEL: With such a dedicated returning audience we never get to rest on our laurels – We always strive to find new and inventive ways to keep people hooked and hungry for more. And with two mysteries every day, there’s twice the opportunity to catch a killer. In Murder at the Movies the sleuths must solve two seemingly impossible locked room mysteries in the space of an hour, while in Murder on the Disorient Express it’s a whodunnit where it seems everyone is responsible for the death of a famous detective. If that’s not something for everyone, I don’t know what is…
You’ve got 20 seconds to sell your show to strangers on the streets of Edinburgh, what do you say?
LEXIE: You will definitely hear me on the Edinburgh Streets brandishing a flyer shouting ” Interactive Comedy Murder Mystery! You Solve the Crime, you catch the killer! We’ve got evidence packs, crime scene reports – all things you need to solve whodunnit! And if you get it correct you even win a sticker! ooooh!”
BUY TICKETS
MURDER AT THE MOVIES
theSpace @ Surgeons Hall
Aug 4-12, 14-26 (13:45)
MURDER ON THE DISORIENT EXPRESS
theSpace @ Surgeons Hall
17:05 Aug 4-12, 14-26
www.highlysuspect.co.uk
An Interview with Verity & Dexter
Three Chairs & a Hat are bringing
Two shows to this year’s Fringe
Hello Chris & hello Jenna! So, first things first, where are you both from & where do you live these days?
JENNA: I was born and raised in Oxfordshire, which is where I currently live.
CHRIS: I’m originally from Solihull, and I moved to Oxford in 2018.
Can you tell us about your theatrical experience?
CHRIS: I’ve been performing in musical theatre for over 15 years, despite my young and innocent face! Recently I’ve played Paul in Company at the Old Fire Station in Oxford for Mac Productions, Mingo in Crazy for You (OxOp), and before that I was Arthur Kipps in Half a Sixpence for Solihull Theatre Company, Lt Cable in South Pacific and Michael in Witches of Eastwick. Last year I made my Fringe debut playing several roles in the multi-role chaos that was Mrs Pack, for Three Chairs and a Hat.
JENNA: I studied music at university and have a background in opera singing, although musical theatre is my passion! I regularly perform with the Abingdon Operatic Society, most recently playing Julie Jordan
in Carousel. I was lucky enough to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019 in a production of Verity – it was a fantastic week!
Can you tell us about Three Chairs & a Hat?
JENNA: Three Chairs & A Hat was established by Nia to stage her work — originally her musicals, but over Lockdown it ventured into other areas: video drama, animation, and a major project of monologues by Shakespeare’s women. Musicals are still the main focus, though, and it’s so good to be able to perform them to live audiences again.
How did you first join Three Chairs & a Hat?
CHRIS: Mrs Pack was my first engagement with Three Chairs and a Hat, and I played Jenkin Lewis, a royal diarist; Arthur the grumpy bugler; Princess Anne (not a typo); a snobby courtier and an interrupted street crier. This year I’m only playing one person — Dexter — so there’s more room to explore my character, but fewer opportunities for different accents …
JENNA: I joined the cast of Verity when it played in Oxford in 2018, playing Val, Verity’s tactless friend. The part had previously been played by Rebecca Allison, who died tragically young of sepsis in 2016. Becca was a dear friend of Nia Williams, the writer, and — though Nia was unaware of this at the time — had been my musical theatre singing coach. So it felt very special to take over the role, and then to play it at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019. This year the part of Val is played by Jen Smith and I’m playing Verity, so there’s some unlearning to do as well as learning!
What is it about Three Chairs & A Hat that makes you tick?
CHRIS: I love the kind of theatre that uses imagination and creativity rather than complex sets and props, and this is exactly what Three Chairs and a Hat aims for. I recently co-founded, with Victoria Wilson, a new theatre company, Torch Productions, and in June we staged Queers, a series of monologues, employing that pared-down style to bring the focus intensely onto the characters’ thoughts and feelings. I think Three Chairs have a similar ethos in many ways, wanting to concentrate on acting, situation and character, despite staging (so far) very different kinds of production.
How are you finding working with Nia Williams?
JENNA: At first it was a bit inhibiting to perform the role with the writer in the room! But in rehearsal Nia wears her MD/pianist hat, and is open to changes and ideas, so you forget to worry about that after a while.
CHRIS: Yes, it’s our director, Glen Young, who takes the lead in rehearsals (except when we need to look at specifically musical issues), and I think that’s a deliberate decision, as Nia appreciates his vision and creativity, and also likes collaborative work, and wants everyone to be part of the shows’ development on stage.
How are you & the rest of the cast finding learning twice as many parts?
CHRIS: Well, from my point of view, these shows are a break from the multi-character challenge, as I only play Dexter. But a lot of the cast are doubling parts, and I think that’s an interesting and exciting way to work for any actors, because they’re called on to convey contrasting personalities through their own acting skills, without resorting to costumes or make-up.
Verity has now been establish’d as an award-winning classic – but Three Chairs in a Hat are bringing something of a sister musical to the Fringe, can you tell us all about it?
JENNA: In Verity I play a woman whose life is in disarray. She’s been jilted at the altar by the love of her life, Dexter; she hates her job, and she’s nagged by her family. In Dexter, we see what led to this state of affairs and why Dexter let her down. It’s not a straightforward story, and some people might find more sympathy for Dexter than they expected. Verity also shows a different side in the prequel musical, and you begin to see why the approaching wedding means something very different to them both.
What are the running themes between the two musicals?
JENNA: They’re both about one wedding, and one relationship, but from two points of view. Verity herself is in a very different place in each show. In Dexter she’s apparently happy, a bit manic, desperately trying to arrange a perfect day and not hearing the doubts and dilemmas her partner is going through. We see the several of the same characters, friends, family and colleagues, in both shows, but they’re seen in a slightly different light. For instance, Eileen, the super-efficient PA at Verity’s office, shows a softer side as an unlikely romance begins (though she’s still very much in control!). And we’re also introduced to new characters in Dexter — mysterious Moira Day, secretive Grace, and Dexter’s hapless friend Samuel.
Can you tell us about the musical accompaniment to the two musicals?
JENNA: The music reflects the varied moods and events of the two shows. Some is playful and upbeat, such as Geek, which the close-harmony, matchmaking aunt and cousins perform with Fred; some is introspective, such as Fred’s love song to computers, Slipstream, or my solos Afternoons and Making Peace. Dexter also has a Bond-style song as he lives out a fantasy self, and a dramatic monologue-to-music about his inner conflict. There are romantic duets, but also a song which is essentially a massive argument between Verity and Dexter. And both shows have full ensemble numbers with all-out powerful harmonies.
Which of the two musicals do you recommend a punter sees first, & why?
CHRIS: Hmm, that’s an interesting question! We start the run with Verity, then turn back time slightly in Dexter, to explain how we got there. So that’s an intriguing way to do it. But it would work the other way round as well, and each musical can also stand alone — although obviously we’d love everyone to come to both!
What are you looking forward to doing outwith performing when you visit Edinburgh?
JENNA: I’ll have family and friends there and it’ll be great to spend time with them exploring the city, as well as seeing as many other shows as possible.
CHRIS: The ’shows to see’ list will be a mile long by the time we get to Edinburgh — I’m planning to work my way through as many as possible too. But no doubt we’ll have a daily quota of flyering to fulfil, as well!
You have 20 seconds to sell Verity & Dexter on the streets of Edinburgh, what do you say?
CHRIS: Verity/Dexter — one wedding, two stories. Songs, dance, drama, comedy, romance, and a herd of Moroccan donkeys … how can you resist?
Mumble Theatre 