Unseen is an inside look at the politics of Broadway’s backstage and takes inspiration from the experiences of writer and performer, Kimberly Prentice’s, 25 years as a dresser on Broadway. This show is a celebration of all those who work behind the scenes in the theatre industry, and a call out to give voice to their experiences.

We spoke with Kimberly Prentice about creating this show and bring it to Edinburgh Festival Fringe for its UK premiere.

1.     Tell us a bit about the show:

This show is a behind-the-scenes look at life backstage on Broadway. It is loosely based on my life as a “star” dresser for over 25 years.  

2.     How do you keep track of so many quick changes and characters?

I break the script down into smaller sections and map out where I am on stage, what I’m doing, and who I am playing. Each “location” on stage gets a colour; yellow for Centre Stage, blue for Backstage, pink for Dressing Rooms, etc. Each character has their own distinct mannerisms which I note in a few words like “drunk co-star”. And each quick change has its main costume piece that I represent with a symbol. So, I literally draw a map for each section using colour, words, and pictures and then tape them all up on my wall or place them on the floor as I rehearse. That map eventually works its way into my memory which I am able to reference if I ever lose my way while in performance.

3.     How has it been writing and performing your own work?

Well, it has been a lot of laughing and crying while writing down all of these stories, but also quite freeing. Many of these incidents have been locked down in my memory for years. There is an understanding that what happens backstage stays backstage. And now, I get to write my own versions with my own outcomes. I’ve also been chatting with my wonderful community of co-workers who have their own stories which I have incorporated as well. And up until now, my wonderful writers group have been the only recipients of these stories as I’ve been creating them. But to finally be able to step out on stage after what seems like a lifetime hiatus and tell my reimagined stories is awesome!

4.     Was there anything that surprised you about this experience?

My non-theatre friends and my family had no idea what I did for a living until they saw this show. I have been chatting with them for years about my work life thinking they knew what I was talking about. As it turns out, they did not.

5.     What has been one of your favourite memories of working behind the scenes of theatre?

Well, we do try to entertain ourselves on long running shows. One of our favourite pastimes is trying to beat the record for the fastest quick change. On one show, it was me, a hair person and my star. We had to get this person completely out of one costume including dress, tights, shoes, jewellery, makeup, and wig and into the next which included all of those things, plus a hat and a beautifully tied bow. In the beginning, the stage manager had to wait on us before being able to cue the next scene. That bloody bow and gigantic hat were keeping us down! But by the end, we were completely finished and celebrating our victory before the props team even got halfway through their re-set. We crowned ourselves “Champions of the Changeover” and gloated for days!

Unseen is at ZOO Playground, Playground 1, 2 – 25 Aug 2024 (not 12 & 19), 15.15 (16.10). For tickets go to https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/unseen