EDINBURGH 2023: PLEASURE LITTLE TREASURE Q&A

BWW catches up with Elina Alminas to chat about bringing Pleasure Little Treasure to the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Tell us a bit about Pleasure Little Treasure.

Pleasure Little Treasure is an autobiographical solo show about growing up in the first post-Soviet strip club in a newly independent Estonia run by my grandmother. It's a multimedia and cross-genre performance blending old vhs footage, theatre, comedy, storytelling, drag and clown. It reflects on my childhood and fatherless upbringing in the strip club; as well as the politics of the tumultuous 1990s, Russian mafia, patriarchy, toxic masculinity and growing up under the male gaze.

Why did you feel this was an important story to tell?

I feel like it's the right time to tell this story because of what is happening in the world today. The post-Soviet criminal 1990s was basically the foundation and the playground of Russian mafia and other similar corrupt and power-lusty entities and individuals, whose mentalities became predominant in many politicians of today. Especially in Russia just now. There's always big money to be made for these guys in the midst of chaos.

It's a show about hope and change, which reflects on the 1990s when people were looking forward towards an independent, bright new future and fighting for freedom of expression and speech. And how the patriarchy screwed it all up yet again.

These themes parallel with my grandma's strip club opening, which was quite revolutionary at the time, not only because it was the first establishment like this in post-Soviet Estonia (before it was illegal, as the propaganda kept preaching that there was no sex in the USSR), but also because it was female run, which was incomprehensible for men.

With it being such a personal story, how are you making sure to take care of yourself during the Fringe?

It's difficult to perform autobiographical material. I've never done it before and this idea has been brewing for a while. So I've decided to throw a few other characters in the mix and have some comedy relief in my stereotypical macho man drag king Elon Must, who kind of helped me to detach myself from this personal story. He's basically a toxic, misogynist, narcissistic obnoxious man that the majority of us have met in our life. Also as I said I've included some political background in the show, so that kind of helped to deliver the story from different perspectives and feel like it wasn't entirely all about me and my childhood.

But generally I'll be taking extra extra care of myself during the Fringe, because I'm actually going to be eight months pregnant performing this show. It's not part of the performance, but weirdly enough it feels quite symbolic as if reflecting on my childhood and preparing for motherhood myself is kind of coming full circle. So I think my focus will naturally shift towards making sure that I get a well deserved rest in between performing, networking and seeing other shows.

Who would you like to come and see it?

Anyone who would like to have some fun, see something slightly different and are interested in feminist theatre, smashing the patriarchy, history and politics.

What would you like audiences to take away from it?

I hope people will take away different things from it and feel as if this story is relevant to them and to what is happening in the world today. Also that there's always hope and the world will change for the better as long as we unite and stand together against inequality and injustice.

Tickets are available here: Pleasure Little Treasure | Theatre | Edinburgh Festival Fringe (edfringe.com)

Photo credit: Henri T

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