INTERVIEW: 'I'm a Complete Perfectionist': Rowan Armitt-Brewster on Slapstick, Mime and Puppets in His First Play A BRIEF CASE OF CRAZY at Riverside Studios

Rowan Armitt-Brewster is an actor, writer, director and producer from North Wales, with a passion for physical comedy. Rowan’s work incorporates mime, clowning, physical comedy and object manipulation, telling simple stories with extreme precision and skill.

A Brief Case of Crazy is Rowan’s writing and directing debut and the show is running at Riverside Studios until April 20. Rowan’s previous acting credits include: Around the World in 80 Days...ish and Aladdin at York Theatre Royal, and Knife on the Table at the Cockpit Theatre.

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How did the idea for A Brief Case of Crazy come to fruition?

I've always loved storytelling using comedic styles of movement. Inspired by Rowan Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, I devised a seven-minute, solo showcase for the physical movement course at East 15 Acting School. I brought fellow students, Lennie Longworth and Samuel Cunningham into the piece for about 20 seconds each. Then after graduating, I further developed their characters and extended the play to an hour. People say it has similarities to Mr Bean, which didn't cross my mind, but they're right.

Why are you interested in physical comedy?

I've always loved using my body to perform. At East 15 [acting school], I really fell in love with the course and respected the sheer level of skill required. My character Thomas looks clumsy, but it is clumsiness with the most precise techniques. People say, "You make it look so easy," but it isn't. Managing the briefcase in the play, in particular, is incredibly hard. The timing is very intricate. I'm a complete perfectionist, so we rehearse for a week and then go home and perfect it – and then come back for more rehearsals. It means doing the same thing over and over again for hours.

There's a combination of puppetry, dance, mime, comedy, romance and object manipulation in A Brief Case of Crazy. Was this intentional or did it just come about?

The combination of things just came about. When we took it to the Edinburgh Fringe last summer, we had to make it seven times longer. I had to work out how to create a love triangle and I wanted slapstick. I kept asking: what can go wrong? There's a lot of raw silliness involving a seagull, fly and computer. I love silly entertainment. You're never too old to laugh at what kids laugh at.

There's an interesting set of skills evident in the play. Did you learn them all at East 15?

Yes, credit goes to East 15 on the Southend-on-Sea campus, as they taught us these skills. Sam created the puppets from scratch, as he's brilliant at art and design. The young Thomas puppet wasn't in the Edinburgh version. He was added when the play was refined.

The play's both funny and poignant. Is it hard to get the tone right?

Although the main character, Thomas, is funny, I didn't want to mock or poke fun at people like him who are different. I wanted everyone to feel deeply for him. The puppet helped a great deal and so did the pacing in the writing. The play's silly one moment and then it lands something thought provoking.

A Brief Case of Crazy is universal, appealing to all ages. Did you plan this from the outset?

I wanted to go for a wider audience. There's more dialogue in the current play compared to the one we performed at Edinburgh. I might reduce the dialogue a bit though. The play's so physical, maybe we don't need so many words.

The soundscape is a huge part of the production. Did you choose the elements in it?

I didn't compose the music but I put the entire soundtrack together using a software package, including all the dings and blinks, at the dining room table in my family home in Wales. If I was a quarter of a second off with a cue or effect, I'd do it again. It took me weeks to finish.

What plans do you have next?

I am doing so many different things, sometimes I wish I could have more time to focus on my performance – and that is possible now that co-producers, Shoddy Theatre, have come on board. As they have more industry experience, they can take some of the pressure off and do things like help pitch to theatres for future touring. It would be wonderful if we could take the show round Britain.

A lot of my work is physical comedy, but I am a natural actor as well. I just finished a show at Cockpit Theatre about knife crime where I play a troubled, young man. I'm a complete performer and don't want to box myself in. I love everything: singing, dancing, comedy, natural acting, etc.

What's the most rewarding moment of the run at Riverside Studios so far?

At the end of one performance, a little boy was pretending to do the thing I do with the briefcase, which was so fantastic. Also, when I go to get a coffee in the building after a show the kids run over to you. Thomas represents the odd one out in the classroom and if his story inspires some kids to do drama or go to the theatre more, then I've done my job well.

Read our review of A Brief Case of Crazy here

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