CIRCLE, written and directed by Suzanne Baucher, and Kitty Daddy, written and performed by Bob Brader and directed by Baucher, are heading to Edinburgh Fringe next month.
Circle
“In this award-winning comedy and Off-Broadway hit, two actors play eight interconnected characters in a fast, funny daisy chain of sexual encounters. A country music star, an exchange student, a cybersex novice, an estranged husband, an S&M submissive, a frat boy and a lesbian bestie collide in a witty, provocative exploration of sex, power, intimacy and the universal longing for human connection. Bold, timely and sharply observed, CIRCLE turns desire into a revealing – and hilarious – map of modern relationships.”
Kitty Daddy
“How an unexpected cat turned award-winning monologist Bob Brader’s life upside down. After weeks of hissing and growling from under Bob’s bed, his brand-new surprise feline, Jade, is determined to be alone, inspiring Bob to confront his own desire for isolation. A funny and touching examination of rage, love, and healing. And how one impurrfect kitty can change everything. “
Where: Space 1 at theSpace on the Mile
When: 7-29 Aug
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/circle / https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/kitty-daddy
Interview with JMTC Theatre’s Bob Brader (writer and performer of Kitty Daddy) & Suzanne Bachner (writer and director of CIRCLE and director of Kitty Daddy):
What is the show about, and where did the idea come from?
Bob: The show is a true story about working for a temp agency, going to this one temp job for two days, and finding out that the office manager was going to take her cat to a kill shelter. I saved this little kitty, and that little kitty changed my life. The show is about how I became a Kitty Daddy.
Suzanne: CIRCLE is about sex, power, intimacy, desire, and striving to escape isolation through human connection. The play is inspired by Arthur Schnitzler’s 1900 play, Reigen, aka La Ronde. I wanted to explore issues of intimacy and a broader expression of human sexuality and answer the question: what would this work look like if a bisexual woman recreated it?
Sell the show to a potential audience in one sentence!
Kitty Daddy – The story of a man who is saved by the very cat he rescues.
CIRCLE – 2 brilliant actors play 8 delectable characters entwined in a fast, funny daisy chain of
intimate encounters.
What does the Fringe mean to you, and do you have any particular memories?
Bob: The Fringe to me is about feeling safe to express. Almost anything goes on the Fringe, and that is magical. You get a little taste of everything, and you hope to find your audience, and I love being an audience for other performers.
Suzanne: Fringe means free artistic expression, no censorship, collaboration, taking risks, finding community, pushing yourself past your limits, becoming the best artist and artistic citizen you can be. We have spent a lot of time touring our shows in the North American Fringe circuit, particularly in Canada.
In Regina, the smallest Fringe, and in Winnipeg, the second-largest, a game called Switchy Face was invented: you grabbed a group of artists, took a photo, then switched identities, exchanging clothes, using hair for mustaches, and imitating poses to exactly match the first photo.
It was the ultimate acknowledgment of love and understanding: from working together and seeing each other’s shows, we can actually pull this ludicrous exercise off with (near) perfection!
What are you looking forward to in Edinburgh?
Suzanne: I’m an adopted person who recently found out that I have Scottish ancestry, so I have no doubt that I will have tingles when I arrive. I can’t wait to explore EVERTHING!
Bob: As with every Fringe Festival, I’m looking to see shows that make me feel alive. The creativity at a festival is off the charts and exhilarating. It’s fun to see what everyone is doing.