EDINBURGH 2025: CHANNEL Q&A

BWW caught up with creator and performer Jack McGuire to chat about bringing Channel to the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tell us a bit about Channel.

Channel is a deep listening experience, where the audience are invited to use their voice to connect others and to their relationship to listening. It is based on the work of composer Pauline Oliveros, who challenged her audience to develop new ways of listening. The soundscape is supported by a live improvised score that will change each day depending on the sounds of the audience. 

Why do you think a peaceful escape is appealing during the Fringe?

I have participated in the Fringe festival for a few years now and have experienced how hectic it can be for both the performing community as well as the audience. I wanted to create this experience as a way to slow down and reset each day. There is so much amazing work to take in at this festival, and I want to be a place where people can have a moment to take it all in while examining how they are doing so. Deep listening challenges us to notice what we are tuning out every day, and in a festival environment where many things can be tuned out because of the sheer amount of work we consume, I think Channel will be a place to reset and recharge our audience. 

What is your own background in performance?

My background as a performer is originally in classical music performance, specializing in improvisation. Deep listening is a concept that has greatly changed the way I improvise and listen to other musicians, and to other people in my daily life. I also do a lot of live scoring for physical theater and I find the way that I can listen to the movements of the actors as another way to practice this form of collaboration and improvisation. I release music under a variety of projects: electronic and ambient under the name Wet Hands, folk rock under the name Ranch Hands, and experimental R&B with my duo FCTRYDRM. 

Who would you like to come to Channel?

I think Channel is for anyone who is looking for a moment to slow down. We have an excess of information and content that is constantly being pushed towards us by our phones and the pace of life in this digital age. Channel is a work that asks us to challenge ourselves to listen more intentionally, and practice greater attention to the sounds that are all around us. 

What would you like audiences to take away from it?

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