In our ongoing Edinburgh Fringe interview series, we are speaking to artists and creatives who are bringing their shows to the Scottish capital this summer.
In this interview, Arden Winant discusses their show Bea P. Deigh.
What can you tell me in your words about your show?
"Bea P. Deigh" (pronounced like its acronym BPD - get it?) is a semi autobiographical look at the day to day life of someone living with Borderline Personality Disorder. Using clown and physical theatre, the show hopes to entertain but also to educate its audience about one of the most stigmatized mental health disorders both in and out of the mental health community.
"Bea P. Deigh" (pronounced like its acronym BPD - get it?) is a semi autobiographical look at the day to day life of someone living with Borderline Personality Disorder. Using clown and physical theatre, the show hopes to entertain but also to educate its audience about one of the most stigmatized mental health disorders both in and out of the mental health community.
Where did the inspiration for this piece come from?
After my own Borderline Personality Disorder diagnosis in 2020 I think that this idea came very organically from coming to terms about what having a personality disorder meant for me. There was almost a period of mourning that stemmed from the initial diagnosis, for that pre-diagnosis me, and this show is an amalgamation of all those bizarre, conflicting emotions, and acceptance of this new, more complex person I've become in the years since. As my own understanding of BPD grew, I realized that my community at large either didn't know what it was, or if they had heard of it, spoke about it in generalizations that were largely untrue. I wanted to pull back the curtain a bit, as it were, and try to make BPD more relatable to everyone. It's a love letter to those with the disorder, not glamorizing or excusing it, but recognizing that it's a daily battle that everyone's learned to deal with day by day.
How have you approached developing the show?
It actually started out as my thesis project when I was getting my MA in Acting from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. I had never fancied myself a writer, but was excited by the challenge of creating something entirely unique and my own. Once the idea came to me, it was mostly going through all of my therapy journals and pulling extracts from those to try and give an honest voice to this character I was trying to flesh out. The show is written in movements, with each movement representing one of the nine symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder. Once the structure was in place, it was mostly a lot of me in a rehearsal studio by myself, discovering my inner clown, throwing ridiculous things at the wall and seeing if they would stick. Post-Mountview was when my director (Grainne Robson) and my producer (Hannah Jayne) signed on, and helped streamline everything into a more sleek, more well-oiled machine.
It actually started out as my thesis project when I was getting my MA in Acting from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. I had never fancied myself a writer, but was excited by the challenge of creating something entirely unique and my own. Once the idea came to me, it was mostly going through all of my therapy journals and pulling extracts from those to try and give an honest voice to this character I was trying to flesh out. The show is written in movements, with each movement representing one of the nine symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder. Once the structure was in place, it was mostly a lot of me in a rehearsal studio by myself, discovering my inner clown, throwing ridiculous things at the wall and seeing if they would stick. Post-Mountview was when my director (Grainne Robson) and my producer (Hannah Jayne) signed on, and helped streamline everything into a more sleek, more well-oiled machine.
How would you describe the style of the show?
It's actually incredibly funny, weirdly enough. That was a big thing that I wanted to make sure of - I've always coped and healed throughout my life through humor, and I wanted a palatable way to talk about something very serious and upsetting while still making it entertaining and fun to watch. So why not make my personality disorder a clown? I pulled from a few different schools of clownery, Bouffon primarily, and found that the tragic figure of the clown lended itself perfectly with how I wanted to go about tackling this delicate subject matter. So I'd say it pings back and forth between absurd clown and stark realism.
It's actually incredibly funny, weirdly enough. That was a big thing that I wanted to make sure of - I've always coped and healed throughout my life through humor, and I wanted a palatable way to talk about something very serious and upsetting while still making it entertaining and fun to watch. So why not make my personality disorder a clown? I pulled from a few different schools of clownery, Bouffon primarily, and found that the tragic figure of the clown lended itself perfectly with how I wanted to go about tackling this delicate subject matter. So I'd say it pings back and forth between absurd clown and stark realism.
Can you describe the show in 3 words?
Hilarious, poignant, vital.
Hilarious, poignant, vital.
How do you mentally and physically prepare for a run like the Fringe?
I'll tell you when I figure it out. There are so many moving parts in the months leading up to Fringe that you kind of just take it a day at a time and have faith that everything will land where and when it's supposed to. I've done a lot of plotting of the hours directly before and after the show in regards to what I need in order to deliver a strong performance each day, like taking the time to warm up, to spend some quiet time, to come down from the high emotions of the show after. It's so easy to get caught up in the energy of the Fringe that you forget to take care of yourself, and I think that having a plan in place will definitely help.
I'll tell you when I figure it out. There are so many moving parts in the months leading up to Fringe that you kind of just take it a day at a time and have faith that everything will land where and when it's supposed to. I've done a lot of plotting of the hours directly before and after the show in regards to what I need in order to deliver a strong performance each day, like taking the time to warm up, to spend some quiet time, to come down from the high emotions of the show after. It's so easy to get caught up in the energy of the Fringe that you forget to take care of yourself, and I think that having a plan in place will definitely help.
Away from your show, what are you most looking forward to about being in Edinburgh?
I'm just obsessed with the Fringe in general. The energy, the excitement, the creativity - it's just so wildly inspiring. I'm looking forward to just wandering around, seeing what shows I can stumble into last minute, what gems I can find. It's like roulette, it's thrilling.
I'm just obsessed with the Fringe in general. The energy, the excitement, the creativity - it's just so wildly inspiring. I'm looking forward to just wandering around, seeing what shows I can stumble into last minute, what gems I can find. It's like roulette, it's thrilling.
What is one hidden gem in Edinburgh that everyone should visit?
For any fans of cheesy Netflix Christmas movies, Mimi's Bakery (from The Princess Switch!) has some GREAT brunch.
For any fans of cheesy Netflix Christmas movies, Mimi's Bakery (from The Princess Switch!) has some GREAT brunch.
Are there any other shows at the Fringe you’d like to recommend?
Shoutout to my Mountview classmates and their shows! Catch Don't Tell Dad About Diana with Connor Murray and Hannah Power, and Flush with Jo Strafford.
Shoutout to my Mountview classmates and their shows! Catch Don't Tell Dad About Diana with Connor Murray and Hannah Power, and Flush with Jo Strafford.
What was the first piece of theatre you saw which had a big impact on you?
I come from a family of actors (I'm fourth generation!), and seeing my dad in the original Broadway company of Ragtime in 1996 was the moment I decided to become an actor. I thought it was magic, what he did, and I wanted to play for a living like him. So I joined the family business, so to speak.
I come from a family of actors (I'm fourth generation!), and seeing my dad in the original Broadway company of Ragtime in 1996 was the moment I decided to become an actor. I thought it was magic, what he did, and I wanted to play for a living like him. So I joined the family business, so to speak.
What do you hope an audience member takes away from seeing the show?
I hope that people see a bit of themselves somewhere in the piece, and even if they can't relate to every single topic discussed, that they feel a little less alone. Mental health can be such an isolating thing to talk about, and if I say the quiet stuff out loud, maybe that'll encourage discussions outside the theatre space.
I hope that people see a bit of themselves somewhere in the piece, and even if they can't relate to every single topic discussed, that they feel a little less alone. Mental health can be such an isolating thing to talk about, and if I say the quiet stuff out loud, maybe that'll encourage discussions outside the theatre space.
Where and when can people see your show?
Come say hi from 11-23rd of August at 13:05, theSpace @ Triplex!
Post a Comment