We sat down with Maria and Becky to discuss their new show Degenerate, playing as part of Edinburgh Fringe Festival at Pleasance Courtyard from the 30th July to 23rd August. Get your tickets here.
Hello Maria and Becky! Thanks for chatting to us, could you tell us a little about your upcoming Fringe show Degenerate?
Hi! Thank you for having us! So… Degenerate is an absurdist comedy-horror show (say that 5 times fast) about one woman simply trying to do her debut hour-long show. You meet an actress contemplating her next casting bracket meanwhile something or someone keeps trying to derail her show. It’s a satirical contemplation on aging in a youth obsessed culture, and a deep dive into the world women are forced to survive (and dare I say thrive) in. It’s sexy, stupid, fun, chaotic, frightening, a little interactive and hopefully hilarious (?!) with a sprinkle of theatre magic. Did I mention it’s really silly? Cause it’s really silly and fun… and a bit scary too. Think Twilight on edibles.
We started devising this show through live performances in London and South England over the last 2 years. It was a kernel of an idea and we thought we knew exactly what the show was going to be about until we started devising around it and the show started to reveal itself to us. This very technical process basically entails me (Maria) being an idiot on stage and Becky being a sieve for my chaos.
How does it feel to bring Degenerate to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival? What are you most looking forward to?
If I am totally honest, it is equal parts exciting and nerve wracking but I think that’s how the first one is supposed to feel?!? I’m so excited to get to introduce people to Degenerate and for it to get better every single night! We’re just going to try to ride the wave for the month, see loads of other shows, and meet people and artists from all over. I’ve decided I’m gonna embrace the exhaustion and remember to eat.
Can you tell us a bit more about your role(s) in the show?
Sure! I’m Maria – performer, deviser, co-producer and resident tea drinker on Degenerate and Becky is director, dramaturg, co-producer and coffee aficionado. Our hot beverage preferences alone illustrate that Becky is very much the yin to my yang. Together we started a new theatre company called this is not a test.
What inspired Degenerate? What work inspires you in general?
Becky and I were introduced eight years ago when she was looking for an actor for a project and we instantly clicked, but we had to take time off to care for our kids. The last show we did together, I was 8.5 months pregnant on stage at Camden Peoples’ Theatre thinking – well if anything goes wrong at least there’s a hospital across the street..? That was followed by the pandemic and I came out the other side with another baby, shell shocked and thinking – so what do I do now? I’m not old – but I’m not exactly young. Where do I fit in? I started seeing how loads of women, and especially younger women, were having cosmetic work/going under the knife and it made me wonder if youth and beauty really are our only currency. So it seemed like a no-brainer to sink my teeth into something new and write a comedy-horror show about it.
Work that inspires us? Where to even start… Natalie Palamides (especially Laid), Zack Zucker, Sh!t Theatre, Katie Mitchell, Self Esteem, Thomas Ostermeier, Kae Tempest, Wet Leg, Forced Entertainment, Hofesh Shecter and Pina Baush. I could go on.
Are there any other shows you’re looking forward to seeing at the festival?
So many! Ontroerend Goed: Thanks For Being Here, Pussy Riot: Riot Days. I’ve only seen Elf Lyons show Swan – I’d love to catch the trilogy of all her bird shows. Oh and also Patti Harrison! I’m an alumni of Soho Theatre Labs so not that I’m biased (I probably am) but they’ve picked some really exciting artists and some stonking shows to support this year (this one included) so I can’t wait to catch those too!
What 3 songs would be on your Edinburgh Fringe playlist?
Only 3? Oh man ok… um in no particular order…. Deceptacon (Le Tigre), I Love It (Icona Pop, Charlie XCX) and Is That All There Is… (Peggy Lee).
Where can audiences see your show?
Degenerate is on at Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker One), 30 Jul – 23 Aug (not Tuesdays), at 23:10 every night. We’re gonna need as much tea and coffee as we can get our hands on.