BWW catches up with Jess Thorpe from Glas(s) Performance to chat about bringing Old Boy to the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
What was the inspiration for the show?
OLD BOY began as the seed of an idea in 2010 when we were making a show about women. This show; Hand Me Down featured ten women from a family in Port Glasgow. It explored what is passed down between generations of women and the complexity of the ties that bind in families. We loved everything about this show. The women, the stories and the emotion that they shared with audience every single time they performed together on stage. We took it on tour and each time were surprised and moved by the depth of the reaction from audiences.
Many times we were asked the question; will the next show be about men? And so the theme of OLD BOY began to emerge. We realised we wanted to work with men to explore legacy in families and received notions of masculinity and how these ideas impact on real lives lived. We thought an interesting way to do this was through the unique bond between grandfathers and grandsons.
Why do you feel it is particularly relevant just now?
We live in very turbulent times just now where lots of things make us fearful and uncertain. In lots of ways OLD BOY is a reminder of those things that connect us as human beings and what we can and do and mean to each other. It is a show about love and connection. It is also a show which looks at how received versions of male identity have altered and the impact of these ideas on real lives lived. It is about how things change and people grow. About legacy, but also moving forward. We feel these things are ever more relevant in the world just now and they are about who we are and how we define ourselves.
Who would you recommend comes to see Old Boy?
Anyone who is interested in human relationships and enjoys watching this complexity on stage. It is a show you can bring your family to - especially those that tell you they don't usually like theatre. OLD BOY is real people telling their real stories on stage.
What do you hope audiences take away from the show?
OLD BOY is a feel-good show that reminds us of the love and connection we can share in families. It is also reflective as it explores themes of ageing and changing and the transitions we make as human beings as we grow. It looks to explore love and tenderness and care between men - about what they have meant and do mean and will mean to each other. It is about the things that have been difficult and perhaps have not been talked about before.
We hope that an audience will reflect on these ideas and their own relationship to them through experiencing the personal stories shared in OLD BOY.
