You Never Know weaves together the evolving lives of seven classmates. How does the song cycle format allow you to tell such a rich, multi-character story in just one hour?
The song cycle is a series of memories for those seven classmates – each song focussing on the turning point moments of their lives up to that point. Luckily, this layout allows each character to tell their story, having separate, but intertwining journeys to discover the pieces of who they are. Joey Contreras songs layers his songs with character driven lyrics, and this makes it easy as a producer and performer to convey the important points of the story.
Joey Contreras' music has a real emotional honesty to it. How did you select and shape the songs from In Pieces to build this specific story of seven classmates?
So, I actually didn’t select which songs would be featured! The show In Pieces has, just as the characters, also evolved and changed a lot in the past few years and they recently had a sold out run at The Other Palace in London – which I was lucky enough to be able to see! However, the overall plot and storyline had changed a lot from when the song cycle first came out. The decision to call our version ‘You Never Know’ came from the producers of In Pieces and their hope that audiences wouldn’t get confused if watching both our version and upcoming versions. So, to put it simply – You Never Know is the original version of In Pieces. A bit confusing!
The songs featured are all so relatable and raw and the special thing about the writing is you can tell what the character’s inner thoughts are. These songs are some of the best in this new generation of musical theatre. Our song cycle even features some songs that didn’t make it into the newer version of the show – one of my personal favourites being ‘I Could Fall’ sung by Sam and Hunter at the end of the show. When researching the show and finding it on Spotify, that was the one that I was most surprised I hadn’t heard of before because it’s SO GOOD.
The show touches deeply on identity and relationships evolving over time. What central message do you hope audiences walk away feeling when the lights go down?
Audiences will be taken through a range of emotions. From feeling those butterflies with adorable Charlie, longing for something more with Austyn and Alex, and feeling heartbroken with Hunter – they will walk away reflecting on their own experiences with love and reminiscing on how it all feels when you’re young. Exciting and dramatic and scary. I hope audiences walk away feeling hopeful and excited to explore the pieces of themselves they’ve perhaps been scared to up until this point. Also, I hope people leave feeling reassured that everyone is on their own journey and timelines. Every experience is a learning curve, and it all happens for a reason.
Joey Contreras’ music is loved globally, with millions of streams online. How does it feel bringing songs that fans already know and love from their headphones onto a live Fringe stage?
I am so excited to be able to perform some songs that people will have heard and love, Me and Mr Popularity being one of the most recognisable with Andrew Barth Feldman on the cast recording, and even certain songs with Off Campus star Antonio Cipriano featured! The songs have such a special feel to them which is why people fall in love with them – even in their headphones! I do feel the pressure a bit, but at the same time this is our version of the show, and we are in good hands with the incredible cast performing. Who knows, maybe the next Antonio Cipriano or ABF is in our show!
His sound bridges contemporary pop and traditional musical theatre storytelling. How does that pop energy affect the vocal demands and dynamic of the performance?
Yes, some of the songs are extremely high energy! But we love that, we’re all raring to go. The pop aspects are like performing a concert. For me, I’m just imagining I’m a big popstar like Olivia Rodrigo or Beyonce! Some of the songs are very vocally demanding, but that’s what we trained for – stamina and health are at the forefront of rehearsals and that absolutely comes first.
The Edinburgh Fringe is fast-paced and high-energy. What was the biggest challenge—and the biggest joy—of pacing a 60-minute emotional journey for a 10-person cast?
Well, I must admit, the songs do a lot of the work for me – all I did was find links between them. However, that was the biggest challenge. As a lot of the songs are set in different locations, being able to move the set seamlessly and inconspicuously has been the biggest challenge so far. No movie magic can be used at the theatre unfortunately! As there are seven different characters, they all go through their shaping experiences at different points of their lives. This allows for a variety of songs throughout the show. The biggest joy has been watching all the talented performers put their all into the material. We all absolutely adore the score – it is so special and emotional and heartwarming, and I really hope people fall in love with it just as much as I did.
You’re bringing this show to life with an all-female production team. How has that leadership shaped the creative atmosphere and collaboration in the rehearsal room?
Honestly, it has been amazing so far! We are all very eager and motivated and it’s reassuring that we’re all going through our first production roles together. We all have such different backgrounds in our training and that allows us to steal the best ideas and bounce off each other in the room. I trust the girls so much, the show is in very good hands. In general, the cast are encouraged to have a lot of input as well – I wanted this to be a collaboration from everyone involved. This means it’s an encouraging environment in the rehearsal room, creating the space to take bigger risks in performance and try things out!
The cast features 10 recent graduates from top London drama schools. What kind of energy, hunger, and fresh perspective does this next generation of performers bring to the stage?
Well, exactly that. The performers are so hungry and driven that it brings such a fire to the cast. Unfortunately, at the moment, the industry is so saturated that performance opportunities are hard to come by, so the grads have such a determination that the younger members of the cast can look up to and learn from. Everyone is really making the songs their own, which is more than I could’ve asked for. That’s what makes an artist.
You’re entering your third year at Italia Conti while taking on a full production at Edinburgh Fringe at just 21. How has this experience stretched you as a performer compared to standard drama school training?
Yes! Gosh it has been such an experience. I’m not going to lie, parts of it have been very difficult and there were times that I thought to myself, what am I doing? Especially having to balance my Uni work and Fringe work towards the end of the year. I’ve had so much ‘behind the scenes’ insight as to how putting a show on works and especially the work that goes into putting on a new musical. I have a lot of respect for all the different areas of production. Casting the show was interesting as I’m usually the one sending my self-tape off into the world, and now I was the one receiving them! It’s funny because as a performer you spend so much time perfecting it, and usually I could tell if the performer would fit in the project within the first three seconds of watching a tape.
Performing at the world's largest arts festival before even graduating is a huge milestone. How are you feeling going into the run, and what does this show mean for your journey moving into your final year?
Honestly, I’m feeling all the emotions. Nervous and excited and proud of us all and what all our hard work has created. This industry is all about connections and my goal in doing the show was to make a bit of a name for myself before third year. It’s always good to do as much as you can to put yourself out there! I’m constantly pushing myself creatively and wouldn’t be where I am without my dad encouraging me every step of the way. He has always inspired me to dream bigger, and I would not be pursuing my dreams had he not encouraged me the way he always has. Going into third year, this opportunity is going to help with exposure and performance experience which I am so grateful to be able to have.
Laura Sofia.
If you couldn’t use a flyer to attract audiences, what object would you hand out to people to get them into your show?
I was just talking about this the other day! If we had the budget, I would absolutely hand out puzzle pieces. Maybe there would be a few to collect that made a picture or reveal a discount? Logistically, I have no idea how that would work, but how cool would that be!? Scavenger hunt for the puzzle pieces!
What is the one item in your Fringe Survival Kit that you can’t live without at the Fringe?
You know, I think I’m going to be basic and say iced coffee. Last year (with the goal of putting my own show on this year) I flyered for Underbelly all month and the as much as I enjoyed it, the best days were when Jimmy’s had their coffee stands out. We would text the group chat and all go running for a free coffee! So, I will be keeping my eye out this year too.
What would you deem as success at the end of the Fringe?
Success for me would be a sold-out run. Success is performing to the best of my ability every night. Making connections I can utilise once I graduate. Leaving no stone unturned when it comes to marketing and putting my all into everything I do. That’s what success at the end of the Fringe is for me.
The show touches deeply on identity and relationships evolving over time. What central message do you hope audiences walk away feeling when the lights go down?
Audiences will leave feeling emotional, reminiscent and hopeful. People will leave feeling like they’ve just watched a special piece of musical theatre, and having fallen in love with the show just as much as we have.
When and where can people see the show?
People can come see the show at Surgeons Hall, Aug 17-22nd at 19:25 (55mins).
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