EDINBURGH 2019: SEARCHERS Q&A

Talented TAIGE LAUREN'S debut solo show, SEARCHERS is part theatre, part rock 'n' roll concert, and part spoken word, taking you road-tripping across the expanse of America's history and most radical voices in search of the dark heart of it all. Ahead of the show debuting at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe she had a chat with us here at BroadwayWorld.

Tell us a bit about Searchers.

Searchers is a one-woman performance that contains spoken word, rock 'n roll, and theatre. It is about a woman who sets off to start a new life and questions what it means to start over. She travels across America, East to West, in search of answers and travels back in time... and outside of time. Along the way she confronts strangers, the spirits of the land, the geography of the country and the open road. By the end, she makes a surprising and profound discovery about the heart of America.

What was the inspiration for Searchers?

I have had the privilege to embark on new journeys several times in my life, to start again and pursue something from ground zero. I was thinking about this a lot while researching American history and stories and this seemed to be an intrinsically American ideal - to embark with a dream, to pursue a promise. I was really curious about how my personal narrative intersected with the national consciousness. With religion and politics and the stories of the majority versus the stories untold.

I had a handful of songs that felt deeply rooted in American music. I had driven across the country, West coast too East and back. And I used that music and those experiences as a jumping off point. They became the building place where I could ask questions about what it means to be a white American citizen, where I could throw my existential musings, where I could let the literature and music and artistic legacies that had influenced me so heavily (Patti Smith, Willa Cather, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, W.E.B Dubois, Tom Waits to name a few) percolate. It all came out to be a pretty dense piece of theatre. An hour of poetry, storytelling, rock 'n roll and movement.

What sets it apart from others shows at the festival?

I think that this show is unique for a few reasons. I am a solo artist who is doing it all. This is a self-written, directed and performed piece of theatre. It's got live music showcasing some of the Seattle musicians that are most exciting to me. It has a pretty amazing lighting apparatus that we built to tour with. And ultimately, I'm proud of this work because it defies genre in a lot of ways. A person could walk away from the show unsure if they just listened to a gig, an hour of poetry taking different forms, or theatre. That is exciting for me. The fusion of form.

Who would you recommend comes to see it?

Oh my gosh. ANYONE. Even though this is a story about America that relies heavily on the American landscape, it is also a very human story. About desire and the journey. It contains joy and sadness, hope and violence and these are things that we are all dealing with. I especially recommend this show for people who love music, poetry, storytelling, and literature. So everyone. I recommend this show to everyone.

What's next for the show after Edinburgh?

We hope to tour the show in Europe and the States after the Edinburgh run. I feel that this is just the beginning for Searchers and would love to be able to share it with other audiences.

Taigé Lauren performs 'Searchers' at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 31st July to 25th August (not 12th or 19th). Tickets and more information: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/searchers

Photo credit: Marcia Davis

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