EDINBURGH 2017: BWW Q&A- Perfectly Imperfect Women

Tell us a bit about Perfectly Imperfect Women.

I'm a storyteller. A couple of years ago I was invited to create a 'female' story. I said yes without knowing what stories I might tell: folktales, creation myths, legends? But I quickly realised that there was a story clamouring to be told, my biographical story.... I began to explore my matrilineal line, to consider the less than perfect relationship between myself and my mother through the lens of our female ancestors.

As I began to write and speak I made many connections between myself, my mother and hermother which surprised me. What was I passing on to my daughter I wondered?

The story was incredibly personal and I knew that whilst this was fascinating to me it was in the interconnectedness between myself and other women, other daughters and mothers, where the story was most alive. Other women spoke to me about their relationships and about their drive to be better mothers, daughters, business women.

Dani Parr (director), Kate Bunce (designer) and I knew that we had some of the ingredients to make a compelling story but we threw everything up in the air and started again, exploring what connected the three of us, our families and our lives. We joked about our need to be perfect and questioned what perfect is anyway. Is this something uniquely female? What happens if we're less than perfect?..... We were amazed at and delighted by the number of similarities we discovered.

We laughed a lot and consoled each other too. We worked with the personal, the universal and the archetypal to create a modern day fairytale which we've discovered, to our delight, seems to speak to the audience on many different levels....

As one reviewer said 'it is simultaneously her story, my story and our story'

Why bring it to Edinburgh?

I love Edinburgh and in particular the Fringe which is so full of magical experiences, eclectic performances and inspiring conversations. Performing on the fringe allows me to perform to the widest range of people from all over the world, and the length of the run (from 2nd - 27th August) gives me the chance to strengthen and hone my performance and the show - see what works and what doesn't. My previous experience on the fringe has taught me that it's a superb springboard for other opportunities... you never know from one day to the next who will be in the audience and who you might meet. What more could you ask for!

What sets it apart from other shows at the Fringe?

What a tough question! The show is a unique blend of theatrical storytelling with a dollop of standup thrown in. The show includes a fairytale, biographical storytelling and a whole load of questions!

It's simultaneously personal and universal and I'm astonished at the feedback we've received from people so far who've told me how much they've identified with the themes and experiences - or they've thanked their lucky stars for their own back story!!! What I love is how the show has opened discussion between people, provoking them to discuss and explore their own stories.

Who would you recommend comes to see you?

I would recommend all women; daughters, mothers, grandmothers, aged 14+ who are daughters themselves and / or have their own daughter. We've had groups of women and women's groups booking to see the show but also adult groups such as storytelling groups, library users, U3A's - as well, anyone who feels the need to be perfect or who wants to be able to be more comfortably imperfect!

But from the feedback I've received I don't think it's a show only for women, after my last performance someone wrote 'All men need to see this - this is our story too'

I suspect that men and women interested in biography and history, particularly those interested in ancestry, would enjoy the show and people who are interested in exploring their own relationship to their family too.

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

I will definitely see lots of shows whilst at the Fringe but what I tend to do is study the Fringe guide the weekend before I head up there circling all the shows I want to see. Then in the first week or two I'll start to hear what other people are recommending and meet performers leafleting for their shows. I've got the whole month so I can see plenty but I will have to pace myself too!

Timings and ticket information for Perfectly Imperfect Women are available on the edfringe website.