WINDOW: Land of the Three Towers: Vol II

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 Emer and Nina of You Should See the Other Guy, whose show Land of the Three Towers: Vol II was selected as a WINDOW participant.

WINDOW: Land of the Three Towers: Vol II

Could you first introduce yourself to the readers?

You Should See the Other Guy is an all-female political theatre company made up of housing activists from Focus E15 Campaign, people who have been homeless and people who have experienced the social housing system. We are the Artistic Directors Emer Mary Morris and Nina Scott. We set up the company with the ethos of DIY Theatre:DIY Resistance with the aim of making creativity and activism accessible for anyone and everyone.

Could you describe your act for us?

N: Land of the Three Towers: Vol II is a visual essay, creatively answering the question: 'How can we Resist Social Cleansing?' We know that displacement and relocation due to 'Regeneration' severely impacts women and their families and this is why the play is from a first-hand female perspective - exploring emotional and practical ways we can fight back.

E: We are campaigners as well as theatre makers. We have pooled the knowledge of communities fighting eviction and resisting social cleansing to use as source material for this show. We play with our source material, and verbatim song making is a big part of our process. Ultimately, we're making a musical toolkit for resistance! We have a free workshop series that runs alongside our shows in which we skill share some of these practices. We want our work to be a tool for change. 

Why did you want to perform at Brighton Fringe?

E: Brighton Fringe is an inspiring festival! It celebrates diversity and aims to be inclusive, which strongly aligns with our aims. Our Fringe performances are relaxed, children are welcome and we offer touch tours before our shows. We decided early on in the process that we wanted to preview our show Land of the Three Towers, Vol. II here, and bring our crew down!

N: Our performers deserve a celebratory platform where their work can be showcased. We listed and discussed lots of festivals but Brighton Festival seemed like the perfect fit for us. 

Why did you decide to apply for WINDOW?

N: We make community theatre with a high artistic standard. We want that to be recognised across the board and shift audience perspectives. There is always a real buzz and celebration around our performances, in the past we have overlooked inviting industry to our shows as the environment our shows create is really personal and intimate. We understand how important it is for us to have our work reviewed and documented so it still lives past production!

E: Our previous productions have toured estates in London, celebrating local housing struggles happening there. Our company is expanding and it has always been our intention to tour our work across the UK. We feel that the works needs to reach people who need support in our current political climate. Equally our previous work has shown that theatre going audiences want to know what to do about this housing "crisis" and support and strengthen communities that are going through it. 

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

N: Very happy! One of our aims with this production is to reach new audiences and WINDOW is a great help towards doing this. We really appreciate the acknowledgement. And we're chuffed something like this exists. And the prospect of going on a tour is something we've dreamed for this project since the beginning. It's integral to us that community theatre gets seen by more audiences. 

How has it helped so far?

E: It's a great boost for us and our performers. We are normally not very good at building industry hype for our work, but we're getting better at it so this is really exciting for us to have this work recognized as important. 

What is the best part of your job?

E: Being wowed by bunch of powerful women telling important stories :) 

N: Being part of a mutually supportive environment where anything is possible. 

Conversely, what has been the most challenging?

N: Acknowledging the different needs and dynamics in the room and ensuring that everyone is ok. This is an integral part of our process. We do this through daily group check-ins lead by our Company Manager, Kiri Grant, who is incredible and also dedicated to pastoral care. It's a challenge that we have taken on and prioritised!

Do you have any pre-show rituals?

N: We sing together, as singing is an integral part of our storytelling.

E: We show our appreciation for each other and our strength as a group through various different exercises. 

What is the process you go through when looking to create a new show?

N: Our work is process-lead and what this means is that it is a different process depending on the ensemble. Our roots are in old school story telling; we use song, collective research, verbatim through interviews, exclusive footage, puppetry and movement.

E: Collating lots of source material from people working through the struggle. When we visit the estates, we put a lot of time and energy into outreach. We engage with residents through their participation in the play (through the open mic section - which is a paid slot for local people who have something to share) and their participation in the workshops.

Are you very disciplined or do you need to be strict with yourself?

E: We are ambitious, which I believe requires discipline. And much like our activism, we follow the theory of "if you're not enjoying it, what’s the point?". We have a discipline of ensuring our team is supported and protected. We try to create spaces that are open and inclusive, that enables people with various needs to participate and work creatively.

N: One area in which we are much stricter on is Self-Care, and we have amended our processes to make this a priority. The work we create has a fun aesthetic but the material we explore can be challenging and the struggles that many of our team face every day can be draining. 

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

E: Advice from one of my mentors Ali Campbell told me; J.F.D.I - Just F****** Do It. 

N: It’s all about the ensemble - our job as the directors is to facilitate people’s imaginations by making them feel as free as possible.

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

E: More people have started taking power back into their own hands and if there is an area that is misrepresented or under-represented work is being created in these margins. Also, people who have held power and abused it are now being held accountable for their actions.

N: Unfortunately it is an ongoing issue that there is less and less funding for the arts. The Arts Council are putting more emphasis on community orientated theatre with the money that they do have, which is great! 

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

E: I've looked into training as a paramedic...

N: I'd be a drama therapist!

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

N: Keep juggling all the things you love, because one day you'll manage to make a situation for yourself where you can do all of them.

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

E: JFDI 

N: Be yourself. Make work that is honest. Only you can bring what you can bring.

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

N: We have a beautiful new website over on www.youshouldseetheotherguy.com, where you can find out more about our workshops and what we do. We are also on Youtube, Facebook and Twitter. 

E: Yeah get in touch with us, book spaces for our shows and free workshops (via our website) - just come along and see us! 

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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