Writer Jack Fairey brings his play, The Sun, The Mountain, And Me to Edinburgh Fringe this summer.
It’s a “multi award-nominated solo show that melds ancient myth, historical anecdote and emotive storytelling to explore art, freedom and the mistakes we make when searching for escape.”
Where: Underbelly, Cowgate
When: 1-11, 13-25 Aug
Ticket link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sun-the-mountain-and-me
Jack talks about how this run of the play has changed, and why Edinburgh audiences love solo shows.
What are you looking forward to the most at Fringe?
I’m so excited to just be surrounded by performance art and theatre for a month! This industry can feel so isolated and lonely, but at the Festival there thousands of artists and audience members who love theatre as much as I do. I’m very much looking forward to making some connections with other industry folk, and getting to see lots of amazing shows!
Tell me about The Sun, The Mountain, and Me. It’s billed as a show that ‘melds ancient myth, historical anecdote and emotive storytelling’. So what should audiences expect?
The Sun, the Mountain, and Me is a solo show about male mental health.
It follows three different stories – Arthur, a painter struggling to finish his work; Icarus, a young man trapped in a tower and longing for freedom; and Felice a (real life!) WW2 prisoner of war who broke out his his prison camp to climb a mountain.
All three stories interweave and intertwine, combining to explore the mistakes we make when searching for escape.
It’s accompanied by a beautiful original score composed by George Jennings, who is currently performing on the West End in Operation Mincemeat!
You are writer [and previously director] of this piece, which has been developed for a solo artist. Have you made any significant changes following the plays earlier London runs?
There haven’t been any significant changes, just a general tightening of the three stories and cutting some of the extraneous material.
I directed the piece the first two times we performed the play, as I wasn’t performing in the show; but now I’m stepping into the role, I really wanted an outside eye on the play.
Laura Hannawin, co-director of Bedivere Arts, is directing this time and has already made the show so much tighter and more engaging. I’m really excited about the changes we have made!
Why do you think solo shows thrive so well on the fringe, and why should people engage with them?
If you want the cynical answer – because they’re cheaper!
But I also think audiences at the Fringe are more generous and open with their time.
Most people only go to the theatre once or twice a year, so when they do they are going for spectacle.
Fringe audiences are sometimes seeing four or five shows a day!
This means there is a lot more space for smaller stories that aren’t necessarily about being big and flashy but rather about sharing something intimate and personal.
What’s next after this run?
Who knows? This will be the third time we’ve performed this show live, plus the radio version we put out during the COVID lockdowns.
I wonder if after 24 shows at the Fringe it might be time to wave this play a fond farewell – but then again, if opportunities arise to take the show on tour and get it in front of a wider audience, or mount it at a dream venue in London, I wouldn’t say no!
I’d also love to take a show to some of the Fringe festivals in Europe and abroad, but who knows if this is the right piece for that?
So, there are no direct plans. I’m happy to be taken where the universe wants to take me!