Producer Sarah Finch joins us today to talk about new Edinburgh Fringe show, Etty … in transit, in which she also stars.
“An inspiring new multimedia play based on the diaries of Etty Hillesum, this is a story for our times. In the play we witness the journey of Etty from being a rootless fragile woman, unable to cope with relationships and her conflicting emotions, into a strong feisty compassionate woman who refuses to hate – all to the background of the terrors of the Nazi occupation of Holland.”
Where: Old Saint Paul’s Church
When: 8-10, 12-17, 19-24, 26-27 Aug
Ticket link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/etty-in-transit
What are you looking forward to the most at Fringe?
The Fringe is a feast of theatre, and I really can’t wait to take part in this feast – with its buzz, the variety of work, and so much more!
It’s also a learning place – each artist brings so much.
Tell me about Etty .. in transit. It’s a multimedia and immersive production set against the Nazi occupation to Holland. So what’s the show all about?
The inspiration for this show came from the Diaries of Etty Hillesum (1941-3). I first encountered them over a cup of tea at the cafe at Shakespeare’s Globe.
My Belgian artist friend suddenly leaned over and said in a voice of great seriousness ‘You must do a show about Etty Hillesum’, my immediate response was ‘Who?’.
The diaries were out of print, but I hunted them down in a local library – and was blown away by what I read.
This mixed-up and depressed young woman, from a dysfunctional family who, through meeting a rather weird healer called Julius Spier, begins a journey of self-discovery: she reaches the point of refusing to hate in the face of the Nazis.
We travel – with her (alsophysically in our theatre space set-up)- from Amsterdam to Westerbork transit camp, where Etty becomes the ‘thinking heart of the Hospital Barracks’.
This show was due to debut at the 2020 Edinburgh Festival – we had a venue, and a sponsor: suddenly all the work freelance artists had lined up collapsed (lockdown), like a pack of cards.
Our writer, Paul Gatehill, heard that some of the festival might go online – he had an idea… A new character emerged.
Sam Edwards, a mature model, living alone in a tiny flat during Lockdown – her mental health wasn’t great, and she began descending into a deep depression – then she discovered Etty’s diaries.
Any more would be too much of a spoiler! We see the past through the lens of the present.
Your show requires the audience to move around during the performance. Why did you make that choice, and can you say a bit more about how it works?
Our designer (Ignacio Llamas) is an installation artist from Toledo, in Spain.
He immediately challenged traditional theatre form – wanting the action to take place among the audience, giving it real intimacy.
He also wanted a physical journey from Amsterdam to Westerbok. In London, we played the Crypt in Bethnal Green, a series of tunnels, which was a perfect fit.
What is the venue of Old St Paul’s Church like to perform in?
Of course, a church is very different, when the designer and myself spent 2 days there – we struggled at first.
However, a new journey is emerging, which contains some shock elements. We wanted to maintain the intimacy so we can only accommodate 32 people in our audience each night.
I notice the wonderful way that our designer embraces a space, makes friends with it, and then comes up with something amazing!
What’s next after this production?
During our preview performances in London, various people have expressed an interest in bringing Etty…in transit to all sorts of amazing places; but we are not counting our chickens…
I have been invited to direct a Christmas children’s play – however, life’s adventures hold no certainty at present: the future is yet to unfold!