EDINBURGH 2016: BWW Q&A - BLUSH

BWW speaks to Charlotte Josephine about her new show Blush which runs at this years Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

What inspired you to write BLUSH?

Proper belly-deep rage. Rage at the men who commit revenge porn. Rage at the term 'revenge porn' which in itself is hugely problematic, suggesting the victims have done something that deserves revenge. Rage at a legal system that is murderously slow at changing laws that might protect women. Rage at our pathetic excuse for sex education in school whilst 'rape-porn' becomes mainstream on our children's phones. Rage at the embarrassment I feel at being 'an angry woman' about all this. So yeah, anger.

Were you prepared for what you found once you started researching the show?

No. Haha. I wasn't prepared for the shift of anger into curiosity. I want to remain curious about where that misogyny comes from, what it's the result of. I've learnt that shame grows in secrecy and in silence, and the best antidote for shame is empathy. I've learnt that anger is an emotional response to a perceived threat. I've learnt that most monsters are in fact victims. I've learnt to look deeper, I've not always liked what I've seen, but time and time again I've been astonished by our capacity for empathy, for forgiveness, for love.

This isn't your first Fringe, do you have any advice for any performers making their debut?

Eat well and sleep well. Actress Jenny Jules taught me that and I think it's the golden rule for life. It's a busy month, easy to get distracted so I guess before you go interrogate your reasons for wanting to take your work to the fringe, know your own personal goals and work towards that. Use it as an opportunity to meet new people, see new stuff. Be kind to each other. Have fun.

What sets Blush apart from the thousands of other shows at this year's festival?

It's got an incredible creative team making it. I'm really proud to be one third of Snuff Box Theatre and I feel lucky to be working with such brilliant artists, who are turning some words I've written into something worth spending a tenner on. Sarah Dickenson told me to "write from the belly" and I've tried my best to do that with BLUSH. It's not pretty, it's not polite, I certainly ain't pulled any punches.

Are there any other shows you're hoping to catch at the Fringe?

Loads, yeah. The rest of the Underbelly Untapped season look brilliant, it feels great to be part of that line-up. I'm finally gonna get to see Duncan Macmillan's "every brilliant thing". He really inspires me. I'll be at Forest Fringe a lot this summer, the work they do is really exciting.

Timings and ticket information for BLUSH is available on the edfringe website.

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