Updated Interview with Stan Zimmerman of Gilmore Girls fame on Transferring Right Before I go to Soho Theatre #RightBeforeIGo #suicideprevention #GilmoreGirls #goldengirls #wellbeing #theatre #play #SohoTheatre

Interview with Stan Zimmerman
on Right before I go

interview by Louise Cannon

Right Before I Go has a Soho Theatre transfer from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with a hope that it will extend to other places. In this updated interview, we chat about what effect the play had on Edinburgh audiences, certain changes and certain aspects that will remain and about the play, a special talkback with a professional present and more…

I am humbled to have the opportunity to do this interview with Stan Zimmerman, writer of Golden Girls and Gilmore Girls and on a much talked about and very important subject matter. Right Before I Go is a suicide prevention play. Do read on, he is very serious about this and has answered questions informatively, sensitively and it’s interesting. It is also worth noting his show comes with support and from what I’ve read, it sounds a very well thought out and responsibly put together show for audiences.

Let’s warmly welcome, Stan Zimmerman to Bookmarks and Stages.
pics are Stan Zimmerman (writer and actor) Check them out and then let’s begin the interview.

How does it feel knowing you are able to transfer your show, a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to Soho Theatre?

Overjoyed! I thought being invited by Pleasance Theatre to bring my play, RIGHT BEFORE I GO, to Edinburgh Fringe was a monumental moment on my life’s bucket list. But being able to perform it in London, especially during September, which is World Suicide Prevention Month, is really a dream come true. A dream I don’t want to wake up from. My mother, who passed five years ago, was obsessed with the UK, even living in Bridport for a few months when she was my age. So, I’ll be holding her very close to my heart during our limited run on Dean Street.

Would you change anything or certain aspects you feel you would definitely keep the same from your Edinburgh show as you transfer it?

I edited the script for the UK, when we did an Industry Only reading of it last March. And of course, I had to tighten the script for Fringe, which only allows for an hour running time. My director, the fabulous Abigail Morris, seems pretty happy with this version, so we’ll probably bring this draft to Soho. Maybe a few minor tweaks.

What effect did it have on people in Edinburgh?

I got to connect with so many people, from all over the world, during our post show Talk Backs and in the lobby after. It was clear to me that this is a global epidemic that needs our collective attention. Immediately. Audiences were grateful that there is now a theatrical piece that addresses the shame and silence around this topic.

Are you planning to try to tour to more places in the UK?

I obviously would love a longer run of this play on the West End, but our immediate goal is to plan a school tour in the UK next year (mid-April to mid-May 2027). Reaching students at that age, could save so many lives. Not to mention stop the bullying that made me feel so isolated and not wanting to go on when I was that age. If anyone wants to help with this endeavor, please contact me via my website: stan@zimmermanstan.com Together, we can break the silence.

Stan, you are bringing your show Right Before You Go, a suicide prevention play, driven by the suicide of your real life friend, to the Edinburgh Fringe.

Who or what inspired you to bring the play from NYC to Edinburgh?

“Having one of my plays performed at the famed Edinburgh Fringe Festival has always been on my bucket list. But it felt like a far off dream. It only became reality after our very successful UK industry reading of it this past March at the Soho Theatre. I was honored to share the stage with a stellar cast including Vanessa Williams, Matt Henry, Iz Hesketh and Olly Alexander. The Pleasance Theatre came to that reading and invited me to Fringe for the entire month. We’re hoping to bring the play back to London after Fringe in September, which is World Suicide Prevention Awarness Month.”

In the UK, suicide is starting to gain awareness. Why do you feel it is so important to talk about suicide on stage and in the hope of preventing it.

“Theatre can be a powerful tool. I know firsthand. Finding my tribe on stage saved my life. I want to end the shame surrounding the subject of suicide and talking about it, in this forum is a start. Especially with young people, which is why we’re in discussion tour this play in schools throughout the UK in Spring 2027.”

You use real suicide notes of celebrities, veterans, bullied teens, those identifying as LGBTQ+ and those who have experienced mental health issues.

How did you go about getting permission to use letters that are so raw and sensitive?

“All of these notes are in the public domain. They’ve been posted, broadcast or released by family members. Usually with the intent of saving other individuals from suffering in silence. Something I learned when first creating this play, was that newspapers used to regularly publish suicide notes.

Right Before I Go is followed by a talkback with a mental health professional.

For those going to the performance, how does that work in practice?

“I made it part of the agreement when licensing my play from TRWshowsUK, that you must do a Talk Back after the show with a local mental health professional. I often find that part of the show, is the most gripping. After I’ve been so open and honest in the play, audience members sometimes reveal feelings and stories that they’ve kept hidden for years. Even decades.”

What do you hope the play will achieve by the time people are leaving the auditorium?

“I already know that this play has saved lives since we debuted at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2015. Being in Edinburgh, i hope the piece is introduced to the global theatre community. The high suicide rate knows no boudaries of countries. This subject must be addressed through a worldwide lens. On a personal level, I hope that audiences leave the theatre and check in with their friends to see if they’re doing okay.”

How do you and others in the star-studded cast look after own wellbeing after rehearsals and performing in-front of audiences, in-particular after this play which carries such a necessary, important but emotional topic.

“I get asked that question a lot during our Talk Backs, because it’s obviously still so emotional for me to talk about losing my friend to suicide in the play. But it’s also extremely empowering to know that using my craft can make a difference in other people’s lives. Of course, I’ve only done the play two days in a row in the past. I’ll be performing in twenty-four shows in Edinburgh. So if you see me staggering through town, buy me a pint!”

Money will be raised for SL24: Unlocke the Light Foundation, based in Delaware. Can you tell us more about this non-profit organisation?

SL24: UnLocke the Light Foundation is a Delaware-based nonprofit organization with a threefold mission: to educate, assist, and support young people on their mental health journey. For more information on their educational and Peer24 Support programs, please visit www.unlockethelight.com. I had the privilege of meeting Chris Locke during a mini-East Coast US tour starring Virginia Madsen and some “Gilmore Girls” cast members. He lost his son to suicide and created this amazing organization. He said he plans to come to Edinburgh and is a very eloquent speaker on this subject.”

Tickets can be purchased and further synopsis looked at on the official website for the Soho Theatre run can be found here: https://sohotheatre.com/events/right-before-i-go/

#Interview with academy award film director, Guy Trevellyan on movie, Plastic Surgery by Lou #plasticsurgery #GuyTrevellyan #AnnaPopplewell #DanielIngs #plasticpollution #thriller

Interview with Guy Trevellyan

Interview by Louise Cannon -Bookmarks and Stages

Guy Trevellyan is a film director who is having a lot of success with short film, Plastic Surgery, a film that highlights plastic pollution in an original way.
He has won Best Thriller at the Academy Award, had a sell-out screening at the Glasgow Frightfest and more… He has also worked with well known directors, Wes Anderson and Greta Gerwig.
We talk about the film’s originality, the stella cast, setting up Nice Guy Pictures and its goals, his next film and more…

Let’s give a warm welcome to Guy Trevellyan as we begin the interview…

What or who inspired you to become a Film Director from being an Assistant Director, learning from Wes Anderson, Greta Gerwig among others?

You’ve hit the nail on the head here! It was indeed directors like Wes, Greta and of course my childhood favourites like Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott. However, my main inspiration came from where I grew up near the Bourne Woods in Surrey. This became a popular film set ever since they shot the iconic Gladiator open battle sequence and I used to cycle to the woods after school with friends to watch whatever magical production was filming. This truly ignited a cinematic dream in me since I was a kid, and I’ve been chasing that ever since. One day I hope to film in the Bourne Woods and go full circle with my own film. I did shoot The Witcher season 2, way back when in the woods as an Assistant Director which was quite the career highlight for me, going home to where I used to watch them film as a kid. Incredible.

Plastic Surgery is enjoying a lot of success just now, including winning Best Thriller at the Academy Award qualifying Hollyshorts Film Festival and a sold-out screening at the Glasgow Frightfest.
What is the impact on your career and how did you celebrate this success?

It’s been a crazy journey, and I never thought it would happen to be completely honest. You never create something with festivals in mind; you just make what you feel is true to you and tell the story that you want to tell. It was quite a shock being selected to Hollyshorts and winning was just a dream come true. As this was my first film there are always nerves, making the creative plunge after being an assistant director, you are always asking yourself; was this the right decision? However, this whole experience has given me the confidence that I do have a voice, and I have stories to tell. I am so grateful to all the festival programmers who selected us and all the public who came to watch and support independent film. It’s had a massive impact, getting signed by an agent is probably the biggest but also the networking. Meeting so many like minded directors, writers, producers at festivals has opened so many doors for me. In terms of how I celebrated, well, I guess I shot another film! I love my work, so maybe I had a glass of wine while writing the next one!

It’s a rather different type of plastic surgery, Dr. Terra performs on her patients, it’s finding bits of actual plastic inside people that started with a small plastic fork and evolves into finding plastic shopping bags, bottles, six-pack rings, toys, food packaging, fishing nets and even PPE equipment. How important is it to highlight plastic pollution and what inspired the use of humans to have it within their bodies instead of the usual birds and mammals?

Highlighting plastic pollution is extremely important because it effects not only our natural world, marine life and mother nature, but also ourselves. Our health and future generations are affected by plastic waste and microplastics, seeping into our bodies through the food we eat, air we breathe, water we drink and even the clothes we wear! It’s important for people to know this, because it directly effects our lives and the lives of our children. It’s sadly reality that inspired the visual use of everyday plastic seeping from within our bodies, with the proof of microplastics inside us. In terms of the imagery and prosthetics this was heavily inspired by marine and bird life which had died from plastic consumption, trapped or suffocated by netting and waste. After working with the Ocean Agency I was given a rare insight into the true horrors beneath the waves and seeing how our use of plastic has polluted the natural world. But when I dived into deeper research, I started learning about its effect on our health, I was stunned. The medical research which has gone into this is truly terrifying, like studies from the British Heart Foundation and more worldwide. I had to create something which would bring this to global attention, increasing our awareness of the subject.

The infection spreads from patients to the medical staff and a decision for pregnant Dr. Terra has to be made, whether to save herself or more patients.
How easily or challenging was it to find a conclusion to this profound dilemma?

This was a great writing challenge. Whenever you write something which has an environmental angle you can often get lost in the wider narrative so it’s important to hone an idea down to something simple and for me is a character driven story, someone more relatable. Putting real characters into surreal worlds is really appealing to me and creates interesting obstacles and conflicts along the way. Ultimately Dr Terra represents mother nature, so I wanted us to really root for her, and in that sense, I always had an ending in mind. Which was mother nature making a choice whether to continue saving us or save herself. I think this question will be answered sooner than we think…
The look at the end is a look of warning, it’s says; look at me, look at what I am about to do. I knew the film was always going to end that way and I think it was important to have the titles at the end here to bring us back to reality after watching such a vivid and visually striking world.

You were directing a stellar cast, including Anna Popplewell from The Chronicles of Narnia film fame. What is it like to direct actors who have been child/teen actors and are now adult?

To be honest, I was blessed to have Anna on this film (hence why I used her on my next film!). Anna was extremely supportive and loved the script from the very beginning. On our first call she revealed she was going to be 6/7 months pregnant during filming so I re-wrote the script around her and changed the story so it followed a pregnant mother on her last shift before stopping work to start this next chapter in her life. The script evolved so naturally having Anna onboard and that collaboration is what made the film so impactful and relatable. Anna bought a level of experience and knowledge which really helped bring out her performance and the fact she was actually pregnant clearly had a baring on how emotionally driven her performance was.

Following on with the stellar cast, there is also Daniel Ings from Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and Love Sick, The Gentlemen etc. What was it like to direct someone who has played quite a range of roles?

Dan was fantastic, and he was the voice of our Intercom! It was easy to direct Dan as we’d worked together before so it felt more like friends catching up with some hospital dialogue thrown in the mix! He’s an incredibly talented actor and so proud to see how successful he’s been recently. Actor’s like Dan just make my job easier as he’s so open to trying things and going out of our comfort zone in order to expand and get various takes. It all helps us in post when putting the final edit together.

You set up Nice Guy Pictures in 2024 to raise awareness about social and human issues. What inspired you to create this company and do you find more people are becoming aware of the issues you cover by watching your films?

I really hope they do! I always wanted to create cinematic films which challenge our understanding of a human or social issue. I really want an audience to come out of a screening with tons of questions, thought provoking work which challenges our understanding of a particular subject or better of worse. With Plastic Surgery the highlight was partnering with Kids Against Plastic and being able to create a lesson plan we can take to kids around the UK – showcasing the film and then active debates around the subject is really important for children to grow their environmental reach.

Your next film is “The Act of Learning”, covering your personal experience of undiagnosed dyslexia at school set in the mid 1990’s around the Disability Discrimination Act in 1995. What did you personally gain from making this film and what do you hope others will gain from watching it?

This was a personal film for me, something I battled with and had to overcome in my own way. I think I gained a full circle feeling, that I’m harnessing the gifts of my dyslexia in my film career. I have a very visual imagination and being able to make this film really let me go to town! The film is made for kids with dyslexia and the mentors which help unlock the sometimes-hidden potential we all have as human beings, with or without dyslexia. I want kids to feel like they have that power and confidence to see Dyslexia as a gift, not a disability. To understand that difference is beautiful. I also wanted to make a film which highlights the work of our incredible learning support teachers across the country who help kids like me. I think it’s an incredibly selfless act to become a teacher and dedicate your life to helping others. With that in mind this film is also inspired by my learning support teacher Miss Morrison, who is the reason I got through school with any grades at all, who gave me the confidence to keep going and work hard, and made me realise I had a future and dyslexia wasn’t going to limit me.

#Interview with comedian Liam McGough on #EdFringe show Two Guys, One GCSE – A Dave Vaughn and Liam McGough Production #JustTheTonic #TheMashHouse #MixItUp #TwoGuysOneGCSE

Interview with Liam McGough

hosted by Bookmarks and Stages –
Louise Cannon

I recently interviewed comedian, Liam McGough, rather timely given there’s a little bit more conversation around the working class. Coincidentally he and I are both of this class. We talked about his comedy show, Two Guys One GCSE. He has an agenda and that is to make people laugh. He has answered questions candidly giving a little bit about his life, the quite frankly strange attitude some middle class audiences have when they see him. We also talk about overcoming challenges and who inspired him. Discover too, whether awards help a performance or not… Ultimately, the show is just about making people laugh, that’s what is most important to him, as you will find out in the interview. He steers away from politics and the like and even his title is described as “a silly play on words”. After the interview, you can find out where to follow him and how you can see his show at Just The Tonic venue – The Mash House, see further details after the interview.

Let’s warmly welcome Liam McGough to Bookmarks and Stages

The name Two Guys One GCSE is a silly play on words, referencing an unwatchable video that went around when I was at school.

It was a unique time, pre-social media, and it had its own sense of humour. The sheer ignorance of that time, when looked back on today, is amusing to me.

It was lads and ladettes, lads’ mags and gossip mags. Greasy curtains for boys and rock-hard hairspray for girls. At the time, being brash and stupid was celebrated.

I was a late developer and really struggled with learning. I was, bottom set for everything and in special classes for disruptive pupils and those falling behind with their learning. Some teachers just thought I had no future, and others sent me out of class without even bothering to check.

But even though I knew I couldn’t keep up academically, I had a strong sense that I was smart and that people just couldn’t see it because my brilliance was lost amongst the 10,000 annoying questions and statements I would make.

To summarise, I was, and am, smart. The style of learning just wasn’t suited to people who think like me. But whether I was a write-off or simply misunderstood, I had the ability to make people laugh — teachers and students alike. That helped me survive school.

So, when trying to make people laugh with an Edinburgh show, what better time to talk about than the period when you developed your sense of humour?

You aim is to tell jokes and stories with the only agenda to make people laugh. So many comedians look at health or politics, so was this a conscious decision and what led you to this?

My intention is to give people a break from having other people’s views forced upon them. It’s one thing to shine a light on the darkness in this world and another to use the stage as a soapbox.

Too often, comedians think they know best and that it’s their responsibility, as one of the great minds of our time, to “educate” people. Firstly, I think this discredits people’s intelligence, and secondly, how does a group that famously are not considered titans of industry, have the most to say about how that money goes on to be distributed?

My views are very liberal and fall left of centre, but I find it uncomfortable to hear both sides be so sure of everything and say it with such aggression. I’m yet to meet a single person who has read everything there is to read on any one subject.

So, when faced with a world so broken by disagreement, wouldn’t it be nice to take a break for a moment and focus on something we all share: laughter?

Who or what inspired you to be a stand-up comedian?

This is harder to answer, as many of my peers are like encyclopedias of information about great comics and their material. But the truth is, I’m not a huge consumer of stand-up comedy.

There are people I find funny, but I don’t have specific comedians I particularly follow. I like hearing funny people chat with each other — people like Norm Macdonald, Bernie Mac and Martin Lawrence. When I’ve heard them on talking-head shows, or heard stories about them having dinner together and chatting at speed, that’s the thing that interests me.

Making people laugh is number two. Being around people who make me laugh is number one.

You’re part of the working class. What challenges have you faced to become a comedian as a direct result of being working class and how are you overcoming them?

Generally speaking, I benefit from being working class and having an accent.

But there are times when certain working-class subjects are expected of you, while chatting about books seems less interesting to a middle-class audience.

They want me to talk about having a fight in a mine while drunk.

Luckily for me, I have a business, and that affords me the ability to put on a show. But if I didn’t, Edinburgh might be totally off the table for me.

You have been named as “one to watch” and also won King Gong at the Comedy Store, Comedy Knockout and semi-finalist of Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year.
How does that feel, has this helped your career and where do you see your career going next?

I don’t think any of those things have done anything for my fledgling comedy career, per se, but they do win me the congratulations of my peers.

Doing them puts you in a situation where you’re tested against other people who are well received, and I think that makes you want to do better. You are the sum of the company you keep at the end of the day.

I would say I have been overlooked, but I would also say that others seem to be better at the admin, and at this stage, that’s what gets you booked regularly at the harder-to-get spots.

I’m hoping I’ll get so good one day that I become undeniable. But that’s something that will take a lot of work.

Where can people follow you on social media?

My Instagram is @liammcgoughtreeguy

My TikTok is @liamlol

Find details for tickets to Liam McGough’s show here on the EdFringe website:

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/two-guys-one-gcse

Interview Celebrating 12 Years of Murder She Didn’t Write – An Improvised Crime Play at both The Edinburgh Fringe Festival and On Tour Across The UK

Interview with Lizzy Skrzypiec on Critically Acclaimed Long-Running Improvised Play Murder She Didn’t Write

Interview by Louise Cannon – Bookmarks and Stages

Sharpen your murder mystery skills to discover who the murderer is in Murder She Didn’t Write. A fabulously farcical Agatha Christie/Cluedo-esque play where every performance is different. You, the audience are not only in a position to solve the murder, you are also asked for different scenarios within the performance. Skillfully, the cast then creates a mysterious, humorous improvised play.

In 12 years, Murder She Didn’t Write has grown from small to filling larger venues/theatres at not just the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, but on tour across the UK. You can see if this improv crime wave will hit theatres near you after this fascinating and entertaining interview.
Join me as we welcome cast member and co-creator Lizzy Skrzypiec to Bookmarks and Stages.

Your improv show, Murder She Didn’t Write is great fun. I remember reviewing it one year ago. It has become a much talked about and loved show. How did it all begin?

1. Gather round and I’ll tell ye a tale back in 2012 ish where a group of improvisers knew they wanted to make a long form improv show but didn’t know what direction to take it in. We all pitched different ideas to the group: improvised Twilight Zone, improvised Western, improvised Murder Mystery. And there was a fair bit of love for the improvised Western, until we all tried our atrocious American accents and realised a classic Agatha Christie style farcical murder mystery might be better suited to our skill set. But for a while Detective Agatha Crusty could well have been Sheriff Annie Getyourgun.

2. 12 years later and the show has grown from small venues and stages to one of the biggest stages. What does that feel like, seeing that success?

It is very heartening. There is a lot of love that has gone into this show. And it’s a joy working with some of my closest friends. So I’m always so happy to see others revel and enjoy the silliness that brings us as much joy to perform. I’m also surprised that no one has stood up, stopped the show and gone “Hang on! This is just a bunch of people enjoying themselves!” But until they notice I think we will keep on doing it.

3. The majority of the show is improvised and suddenly a show is seamlessly put together with whatever the audience gives you. It’s a skill. Can you reveal a bit how the cast do this?

Sure! The first part of our show is to build the world that the audience has asked for. That is a very powerful part of the show and lays the foundations for the rest of the story. It’s a dangerous time too – because anything too off-piste or weird here has ripples that extend over the next 2 hours (or 70 minutes if its the Fringe version). And we have had our fair share of mistakes – making calls and decisions in the early scenes that we are then stuck with for the whole mystery.

Once you speak something into existence it’s part of the world. And with that power comes great responsibility. So it’s an art of having fun, being silly, but making sure the foundation of the reality is strong enough for the absolute chaos we will inflict upon it as the mystery takes place.

4. The characters are based on Agatha Christie’s works with a Cluedo-esque take in mystery solving. What inspired you to do this mash-up?

Well I am a TV gameshow producer by trade so I’m sure that’s had an affect on the gamey feel of the show. We try to fulfil the murder mystery genre but in a fun theatrical and accessible way. Consider us the trifle of the mystery desserts tray. A mix of textures and flavours pulled from all sorts of mystery authors and TV shows. And like a trifle we are a bit saucy and maybe a bit boozy too (after the show).

5. If you were to sum-up the show in one or two sentences, what would you say?

It’s the perfect show for someone who has never seen a murder mystery and also a perfect show for someone who loves a murder mystery.

6. You’re back at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. What brings you to the festival and what next for Murder She Didn’t Write?

The Fringe is our spiritual home. We love performing here so much! So our own personal love of the spirit of the fringe has brought us back to the festival over and over again. What’s next? We have many touring dates in the autumn and winter up and down the country and a few on the West End too. I’m sure we’ll be committing various crimes in your areas soon.

Which show time will you choose?

Crime Solve at the Gordon Aikman Theatre, Assembly George Square (full run, 14:15 daily)

What could possibly happen in Edinburgh? Check out details here:

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/murder-she-didn-t-write

Will this improvised crime sweep into your area? Check out details here:

https://www.murdershedidntwrite.com/tour-dates

#Interview with Golden Girls and Gilmore Girls writer, Stan Zimmerman about suicide prevention play Right Before I go showing at Edinburgh Fringe Festival #RightBeforeIGo #suicideprevention #GilmoreGirls #goldengirls #wellbeing #theatre #play #EdinburghFringeFestival #EdFringe

Interview with Stan Zimmerman
on Right before I go

interview by Louise Cannon

First of all, I am humbled to have the opportunity to do this interview with Stan Zimmerman, writer of Golden Girls and Gilmore Girls and on a much talked about and very important subject matter. Right Before I Go is a suicide prevention play. Do read on, he is very serious about this and has answered questions informatively, sensitively and it’s interesting. It is also worth noting his show comes with support and from what I’ve read, it sounds a very well thought out and responsibly put together show for audiences.

He says “I decided to create a play in the vein of The Vagina Monologues, easily produced with actors on stools, reading the script from music stands. My hope is that this will create much needed discussion about a very complicated issue,” said writer and actor, Stan Zimmerman.

Let’s warmly welcome, Stan Zimmerman to Bookmarks and Stages.
pics are Stan Zimmerman (writer and actor) Abigail Morris (director), Wendie Malick (Shrinking, Young Sheldon), Emily Kuroda (Gilmore Girls). Check them out and then let’s begin the interview.

1. Stan, you are bringing your show Right Before You Go, a suicide prevention play, driven by the suicide of your real life friend, to the Edinburgh Fringe.

Who or what inspired you to bring the play from NYC to Edinburgh?

2. In the UK, suicide is starting to gain awareness. Why do you feel it is so important to talk about suicide on stage and in the hope of preventing it.

3. You use real suicide notes of celebrities, veterans, bullied teens, those identifying as LGBTQ+ and those who have experienced mental health issues.

How did you go about getting permission to use letters that are so raw and sensitive?

5. Right Before I Go is followed by a talkback with a mental health professional.

For those going to the performance, how does that work in practice?

6. What do you hope the play will achieve by the time people are leaving the auditorium?

7. How do you and others in the star-studded cast from Gilmor Girls, Young Sheldon look after own wellbeing after rehearsals and performing in-front of audiences, in-particular after this play which carries such a necessary, important but emotional topic.

8. Money will be raised for SL24: Unlocke the Light Foundation, based in Delaware. Can you tell us more about this non-profit organisation?

Tickets can be purchased and further synopsis looked at on the official website for The Pleasance at Edinburgh Fringe Festival here: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/right-i-go

#Interview with award-winning Argentine theatre-maker Nicolás Perez Costa on Shakespeare’s Richard III and more… by Lou #CockpitTheatre #NicolasPerezCosta #Shakespeare #RichardIII #Theatre

Nicolás Perez Costa is an award-winning theatre maker and I had the privilege of interviewing him about his latest play, a re-interpretation of Shakespeare’s Richard III, his respect of original works, his respect for Shakespeare, his use of bold staging and movement, what inspired him to enter the theatrical world and into so many roles from director to actor and more…

Richard III received multiple Off Theatre Award nominations. These were for best Best Play, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Set Design.

Performed in the round and accompanied by live percussion, this physically driven reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s notorious King Richard III places the audience directly inside a brutal and decaying universe where power is fought through bodies, rhythm, and violence.

Let’s give a warm welcome Nicolás Perez Costa to Bookmarks and Stages, where he has answered questions comprehensively with fascinating details.

What attracts you to Shakespeare’s works in general and at what point in your life
did you become interested?

Shakespeare represents, for me, the perfect union of an impeccable dramatic structure, the
beauty and ingenuity of his poetic language and verse, and a vision of the human being that
is, at times, compassionate and, at others, brutally honest. That combination can only
produce the sense of hypnosis we experience when we read his work or watch it performed.
My interest in Shakespeare began when I was a teenager, reading his plays in literature
classes, at first simply because they were part of the curriculum. Gradually, I found that his
writing pulled me out of my chair and invited me to try his speeches, to play with them, to
imagine them. I remember classmates who considered Shakespeare old-fashioned, seeing
his language as something distant from our time. But even then, at a very young age, I felt
the urgency and relevance of his characters, and I was already imagining them inhabiting
different worlds, or existing within the anachronistic universes that were taking shape in my
own imagination.

What fascinates you about Plantagenet King Richard III in particular?

The first time I read Richard III, I was fascinated by the way Richard draws the audience into
his bloody and sinister plans with such naturalness and, I would even say, an irreverent
charisma. The idea of a character with absolutely no limits in the pursuit of his ambitions
captivated me.
To me, those ambitions are born from resentment: the resentment of not having been born
with a body or into a position that would allow him to be loved or recognised. Watching that
resentment transform into a ruthless and bloody plan, and then seeing everything eventually
collapse, feels like a reminder that what is achieved through evil ultimately destroys itself.
This is exactly the kind of story I feel most connected to telling. It reflects the kind of
questions I want theatre to ask and the kind of world I hope it can inspire us to build. I love
history, particularly the histories of England and France, but when I approach plays like this, I
move beyond the historical facts. What interests me is literature’s ability to reveal a deeper
truth: to hold a mirror up to our own reality, or to imagine the world as it could one day
become.

You have created a physical reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s notorious King
Richard III, placing the audience directly inside a brutal and decaying universe. How
have you achieved this and what inspired you to go down the physical route of acting
to tell this story?

My career began in musical theatre. Then, in my mid-twenties, I met a director in Argentina
who introduced me to classical theatre, and above all, to her love of Shakespeare and
Chekhov. From that moment on, I couldn’t help but bring those two worlds together. I have
dedicated my career to bringing the truth and emotional depth of classical theatre into
musical theatre, and, in turn, bringing the physical language of musical theatre into classical
texts.

When I speak about musical theatre, I don’t mean high-energy musicals. I mean the
integration of the body, the voice and emotional truth. I believe that what is expressed
through the body reaches the audience in a direct and instinctive way. They don’t need to analyse every word or fully understand everything that is happening intellectually. Somehow,they recognise that whatever is happening in the actor’s body is also happening within their own.

You’ve re-interpreted the play using bold staging and movement, making it dystopian to show its hard-hitting themes of power and manipulation. What are the challenges in re-imagining a play that’s centuries old and creating a play that’s both recognisable but fresh for a modern audience, whilst also being sensitive to the original piece?

My respect for the original work comes naturally because I have deep respect for literature and for history. I respect the people who came before me, both in life and in this profession. I respect tradition, and I believe that if a work has survived for centuries, it is because of its extraordinary mastery.At the same time, I believe that re-imagining a play and giving it a language and a rhythm that speak to a different audience is also a way of respecting its author. Shakespeare wrote this play centuries ago for an audience that lived at a completely different pace, listen differently, and experienced theatre in a completely different way. I don’t believe that if Shakespeare, or any of the great playwrights of the past, were writing today, they would necessarily write in exactly the same way. The ultimate purpose of theatre is not simply toexpress what we think, but to communicate it to the person who is listening.I firmly believe that theatre does not belong to those who make it, but to those who watch itand experience it. The challenge is always to create a production that can be understood even by someone who would not normally choose to see Shakespeare. Shakespeare, like all great playwrights, needs theatre to remain alive. He needs new audiences. As Chekhov says in The Seagull, “new forms are needed.” For me, the artist’s constant search is for a theatrical language that keeps audiences close to theatre, and encourages those who have never entered a theatre before to come in.

What does showing your play in the round add to the actors’ performances and audiences’ experiences?

I think it’s a fascinating choice, especially at a time when theatre is constantly searching for new forms. The audience is no longer simply a distant, objective observer of what is happening. Instead, they become part of the event itself. The audience doesn’t just watch a character looking at something they can also see how and from where that character is looking. In scenes where ten characters gather to discuss issue, I love the feeling that the audience becomes the eleventh character. Without speaking or intervening, their physical presence changes the energy of the scene. That transforms the way they experience the play, but it also transforms us as actors. Our responsibility is no longer simply to direct our performance towards the audience’s gaze, but to embrace their presence and draw them into the fiction itself.

Who or what inspired you to become an actor, director and playwright and what’s it
like to now have Off Theatre Award nominations for Best Play, Best Director, Best
Actor, and Best Set Design for your work?

To be honest, I like to define myself simply as a theatre-maker, because throughout my
career I have worked in many different roles and learned this craft from many different
perspectives. Becoming an actor, director and playwright wasn’t something I planned—it was the natural consequence of my curiosity, of what fascinated me, and, above all, of the
support my parents gave me when I was very young, encouraging me to follow my instincts.

When I was a child, my aunt was an actress. At school, I had teachers who nurtured my
interests, and I even started little theatre groups during breaks, directing my classmates long before I knew what directing really meant. But without question, my life changed when I met my first great mentor, Pepe Cibrián, in Argentina when I was fifteen. Some encounters are planned, but you can never imagine how profoundly they will shape your life. Mine changed from that moment on.

One day I realised that my life was theatre, and that it could never have been anything else.

There is a beautiful idea that vocation is not something we choose, but something that
chooses us. If we ignore that calling, the consequence is an existential emptiness. I never
really felt I had another option. I have always been who I am, and I have fought to develop that identity.

Receiving these nominations, and later winning Best Play, Best Set Design and Best
Leading Actor, together with previous nominations in Argentina and the José Estruch Award in Spain two years ago for Juana la Loca, feels like a confirmation that the path I chose is recognised by others as meaningful and worthwhile. Those awards don’t give meaning to the choices I made in the past, but they do give strength to the choices I make today. They allow me to look back and realise that, sometimes, after spending years swimming against the current, the current eventually begins to flow with you rather than against you.

What’s next for your play or career?

The Madrid cast will continue touring the production across Spain. Here at The Cockpit, we will present the play with our UK cast, and we hope to continue finding new venues where both productions can keep growing.
Although they share the same artistic vision and the
same origins, they have naturally become two very different productions.

Theatre is never completed by the director alone, it is completed by the actors, and I always try to remain open and flexible to what each company brings to the work.

When I return to Spain, I will continue performing Juana la Loca, which I have been
performing for the past nine years, and Dos Tronos, Dos Reinas, which has been on stage
for the last two. I will also continue leading my acting school, IFAM, where I constantly
develop new productions with my students. One of my greatest passions is creating
opportunities for emerging artists and teaching them the self-management skills that allow them to build their own careers, rather than feeling that their future depends entirely on others.

Looking ahead, I also have a deep personal wish: that the next role I encounter as an actor will be Hamlet, so I can continue exploring this same theatrical language while discovering an entirely new fictional world.