WINDOW: Witt 'n Camp: SWAG

WINDOW is Brighton Fringe's Arts Industry showcase created to develop and encourage artists ready for the next step in their career. We spoke to Charlie and Holly of Witt 'n Camp, whose show SWAG was selected as a WINDOW participant.

WINDOW: Witt 'n Camp: SWAG

Could you first introduce yourself to the readers?

Hello! We’re Witt ‘n Camp (Charlie Howitt & Holly Campbell). We’re quite witty and pretty camp but, mainly, it’s just our surnames smushed together.

Could you describe your act for us?

Witt ‘n Camp is all about joy, silliness and embracing the female voice in comedy. Smashing musical theatre with clowning, character-comedy and cabaret, our debut show SWAG is a mad circus complete with hip-hop-opera, parole breaking glamazons and the classiest breast feeding burlesque number you’ll ever see.

Why did you want to perform at Brighton Fringe?

It’s like Disneyland. Everyone’s drunk and happy. Or maybe that was just us… But we had a ball at The Warren in 2017 so we didn’t want to miss out on this year’s fun.

Why did you decide to apply for WINDOW? 

There’s not many schemes out there supporting tour ready work - or at least not many which make themselves accessible. Creating the work is one thing but finding the infrastructure to tour is a whole other beast so when we read about WINDOW, we knew we had to apply. Ultimately, we want our work to reach audiences as far and wide as we can, and exposure to other people who may want to be part of that is an exciting thing.

How did you react to being told you’d been selected to be showcased?

Like this.

How has it helped you so far?

Actually, a producer on the panel for WINDOW came along to see us few weeks ago at Vault Festival. We had a lovely chat about Brighton and she gave us some brilliant advice about going up to Edinburgh (which we now will be. Thanks Lou!)

What is the best part of your job?

Making people laugh. 

Bringing audiences together. 

Making absolute fools of ourselves. It reminds us not to take life too seriously. 

Oh, and of course, getting to make work with your best friend. It’s the dream. 

Conversely, what has been the most challenging?

Funding your existence when you work in the arts. We have a very hardcore work ethic but balancing day jobs with your creative ambitions is an ongoing challenge. 

Do you have any pre-show rituals? 

Nothing too exciting. We warm up, sound check, get into character. We save the crazy for the show.

What is the process you go through when looking to create a new show? Are you very disciplined or do you need to be strict with yourself?

SWAG has been a year in the making and it’s been a bloody hoot to create. That said, we’ve been very disciplined about discovering what the show is. One of the most important parts of our process is performing material to mentors and friends for feedback. Proper criticism is essential to development. You don’t really learn from praise so we deliberately group together the most brutal of our friends to get the ugly truth. Usually the only criticism that hurts is the thing you know to be true. 

What has been the single best piece of advice you’ve been given in your career?

“Do it again but just… act better.”

We’re both trained actors but moving into comedy was a sticky shift initially. There’s a temptation to play ‘funny’ and throw out the basic rules of acting out the window. One of our best lessons was that if something’s funny it doesn’t need hamming up. Commit to the character and their truth, especially if it’s absurd, and trust the audience to find it funny without you needing to sign post things.

What do you think has been the most dramatic change to the industry in the last five years?

I think there’s been a clear shift in how work is being made and produced. It’s never been harder to get work funded or more difficult for venues to justify risks, but consequently, there has been some amazing innovation on the fringe scene - if you look the revolution of Vault Festival – emerging artists want to support each other. 

The best actors I know don’t sit by the phone and wait for their agent to call them. They’re out there producing their own work, writing, directing, orchestrating festivals, engaging with other artists… You have to be prepared to wear a lot of hats but artists are learning how to get their own work out there. 

Imagine you possess the power to send one message back in time to 16-year-old you. What do you say?

Next week’s lottery numbers are…

What advice would you give to young people who want to enter the industry? What should they do and not do?

Make the most of the schemes and discounts available to under 25’s while you can. Lord knows when you’re 26 you’ll be just as broke and clueless but those doors will shut in your face (No. We’re not bitter.) Get involved in new writing nights, look to collaborate with others, write to companies that inspire you, get out there and meet people. Be brave and know that the industry doesn’t owe you time, you have to be persistent.

Where can people find you on the internet, and find out more about your show?

We’re on Facebook (/wittncamp) and twitter (@wittncamp). We’ll be at The Warren on 10th & 12th May, tickets are on sale here: https://www.otherplacebrighton.co.uk/3726/witt-n-camp-swag. Then we’ll be heading up to the Edinburgh Fringe. We’ll be around, come find us and say hi!

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.

Recent posts by this author

View more posts by Tom Inniss

0 Comments

Post A Comment

You must be signed in to post a comment. Click here to sign in now

You might also like

West End Actor Interrogates Stereotyping Faced by Latinx People in Soho Theatre Solo Show

West End Actor Interrogates Stereotyping Faced by Latinx People in Soho Theatre Solo Show

by Daniel Miller

Read now