Interview with Ben Norris

Ben Norris takes some time to talk to Voice about The Choir of Man inspirations, and to give advice to young people.

Interview with Ben Norris

Could you first introduce yourself to the reader?

My name is Ben Norris, and I'm an actor and writer. I'm performing in The Choir of Man at Assembly Music Hall in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

How would you describe your show?

It's 9-part choir meets classic pub lock-in. A high-energy, all singing, all dancing, all drinking hour of music and fun, featuring a serious broad range of genres and styles. We want to give audiences everything they would expect and more, as well as one or two things they perhaps won't expect.

Why do you want to perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe?

Ever since I first went to the fringe as an audience member in my teens I've loved it. There's no energy I've ever experienced that's quite like Edinburgh - a melting pot of wildly different artists from all over the world making incredibly diverse and inspiring work. I mean, it's also completely exhausting and ups my caffeine intake by about 400%, but the trade off is very worth it. I just rarely sleep, is all.

What differentiates it from other festivals?

I think the sheer number of shows that are on, and the eclectic mix of spaces that they are performed in, makes it unlike anything else. I read somewhere that the population of Edinburgh doubles in size during the festival, and regardless of whether or not that's true, I think it pretty accurately describes the atmosphere during that month.

Do you think the Fringe has changed over the years? If so, how? Are these changes positive or negative?

I've only been going since 2011, so I have never known it as anything other than the vast hyper-corporate enterprise it is now, but speaking to older fringe vets and performer friends who have been coming since the 70s and 80s it seems like it's changed an awful lot. I think a lot of these changes are good - the fringe is more diverse and accessible every year (although there is still loads more to do) and the work there is also increasingly international, which is more important now than ever given certain people are currently trying to destroy the idea of a global community and encouraging to look backwards and inward again. But there are also loads of negative impacts of the fringe's growth - shows are incredibly expensive, to both put on and to attend, so this is a huge barrier for people. It can mean that, although there are thousands and thousands of shows, a kind of homogeny creeps in, because only certain people can afford to take pieces there. I think the disappearance of some sort of fringe pass, where for a few hundred quid you can see literally anything and everything at the festival, is a shame; that would have levelled the playing field a little more, and perhaps allowed smaller shows from younger companies more exposure than they might receive now, where even amateur student shows cost £11/12 and so fewer people are willing to take a risk on them.

What first motivated you to enter the industry? Who were your inspirations?

My drama teacher at school was the first person to properly introduce me to performance and allow me to channel some of the energy that I had hitherto put into messing around in to acting and writing. The thing that attracts me most to performing and the performing arts is the fact that it can be a vehicle for formative collective experience - allowing us to interrogate some of life's biggest questions, explore incredibly difficult things, and yet also have a seriously good night out. There are many people who continue to be an enormous inspiration, but off the top of my head: Lyndsey Turner, Tim Crouch, Simon McBurney, Emma Rice, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Paul Beatty, Jon Sands, Ken Arkind, Vanessa Kissule, Dizraeli, Kendrick Lamar, Lucy Ellinson, Luke Kennard, Bohdan Piasecki, Maria Ferguson

If you didn't have your current job, what would you probably be doing?

People always say 'only be an artist if you can't bear the thought of doing anything else'. So I'm afraid the short answer is: n/a. Whatever it is, I would almost certainly be deeply deeply unhappy.

If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?

This one.

What is your earliest childhood art memory?

Probably walking home from the Nottm Playhouse having seen the Carlton Operatic Society's amateur production of West Side Story, singing all the songs (words completely wrong) and doing ambitious Fosse-esque choreography down the street, door to door. I remember almost nothing about the production, but I remember loving it.

Do you ever feel any pressure to be a social commentator, or constantly update material to respond to events?

I feel it's a responsibility less than a pressure, per se. I don't necessarily think that material needs to be constantly updates to reflect changing events (although I do sometimes do it with my own work, where appropriate) but rather that existing work takes on new meaning when contexts change. I think even artists that make surreal, left-field work, or work that we might consider to be 'pure entertainment', are always engaged in a social commentary of sorts. Artists make work about and of the lives we live, so whether we like it or not we are all in constant conversation with the world, and I think in times like this we should embrace that role. I'm not saying all art should consistently strive to make the world a better place (and of course what shape that world would take is entirely subjective) but that we have an obligation to wrestle with these things at the very least.

Equally, do you think there has been a shift in public sentiment that has affected your work?

I'm not quite sure what this question is asking. Have I responded to events in the world in my work? Yes.

Describe the last year in 5 words or less?

Messy, divided, deceitful, inspiring, past.

If you could work with anybody, from any point in history, who would you pick and why?

I think I would quite like to have had a cup of tea with Franz Kafka and Virginia Woolf, together or separately depending on how they feel. And I would love to have co-authored something with Gill Scott Heron because the man is an absolute legend and was writing the kind of satirical and urgent spoken word that people have been doing pale imitations of ever since. But really, the only people I want to work with are people I can work with, because they're alive. Like some of the above list.

Why would a performer opt to do either a ticketed event or participate in the free fringe? What are the benefits and limitations of both?

Free fringe means fewer overheads and also that people are more likely to take a punt on the show, and the word-of-mouth potential is enormous (many hits, cult and mainstream, have started out here), but you don't have the sort of stamp of validation that comes with being in a ticketed venue, particular one of the 'big 4', however superficial you feel that is.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to take a show up to the fringe?

Is it ready? Do you love it? Can you afford to lose all your money? If nobody comes to see it, will you still have a good time? Have you surrounded yourself with brilliant people and do you get on with everyone in your team? If you're answering no to any of those questions, have a serious think about whether now is the right time.

I wanted to go to Edinburgh with a show for years, but I was glad I waited 'til I had something that was ready and right, because my god it is an exhausting and expensive month (plus loads of prep beforehand). If the show is good and you really like it, that will help it sell, and even if it doesn't sell very well, hopefully you will still have a fun and instructive month. At some point, though, you've got to take the plunge. So, if you're answering yes to all those questions and you're still not sure, just go!

When and where can people see your show?

The Choir of Man is on from 3rd-27th August (not 14th) at 18:35pm at Assembly Music Hall. Tickets: https://www.assemblyfestival.com/whats-on/choir-of-man

And where can people find, follow and like you online?

I'm on Twitter here https://twitter.com/BenNorris7 and Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/bennorrisactorwriter/

The Choir of Man is on Twitter here https://twitter.com/thechoirofman and Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/thechoirofman/


The Choir of Man is performing at Assembly Music Hall at 18:35 on 3rd-27th August (not 14th). For tickets and more information visit the Ed Fringe website.

Author

Tom Inniss

Tom Inniss Voice Team

Tom is the Editor of Voice. He is a politics graduate and holds a masters in journalism, with particular interest in youth political engagement and technology. He is also a mentor to our Voice Contributors, and champions our festivals programme, including the reporter team at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

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