Award-winning Dear Annie, I Hate You tells the true story of writer and performer Sam Ipema’s diagnosis with a brain aneurysm. The show is a visceral multi-media exploration of coming to terms with the possibility of death at the age of 20. Pleasance Courtyard (Pleasance Two) from 30th July – 25th August at 12:00. Buy your tickets here.
Thank you for chatting with A Young(ish) Perspective! Introduce us to who you are and what you’re doing at the Edinburgh Fringe this year?
Hi, my name is Samantha Ipema and I’m bringing “Dear Annie, I Hate You” back to the Fringe at Pleasance Courtyard (Pleasance Two @ 12pm) this year! It’s a piece based on my life at age 20 and the wild series of events that pretty much leads all the way to the making of the piece, with a very unwelcome visitor coming and crashing in along the way.
2. A Youngish Perspective platforms accessible arts and champions the huge scope of different perspectives – can you tell us about the show you’re taking to Edinburgh Festival Fringe as if you’re flyering to both a young first-time-Fringe goer and a festival veteran returning every year?
Oh man! Okay, I try?
“Dear Annie I Hate You” is a show about a time in my life when I was told I had 3 weeks to live and my first response was: “Can I still go on Spring Break though?” It’s a wild, hilarious, immersive piece about life and death and questioning the moments that define us.
…And there’s free tequila shots and an All-American spring break in it.
3. This piece is deeply personal and vulnerable, how are you able to retell this story while also protecting your own mental health and wellness.
That’s a great question! Truly, I find the show quite cathartic to perform most days. However, there are certainly days it can take quite a toll. It’s just about being very open about where I am, performing the piece from that place that day as well, and communicating with members of my team and friends that are able to support me through it! I’d say, surrounding myself with good people is mostly the key.
And drinking lots of water and going out in the sun– remembering there is a lot more to life than just my show 😉
4. There are moments in this piece that are deeply revealing, have you found that these moments (such as the ‘live’ brain surgery) are the most impactful of the piece? Or have you found the quieter or more comedic moments to be most powerful?
Ah, yes. I love this question.
No– it’s the moments of silence that I think really get people. The entire show from start to finish I would describe as being quite ‘full on’ and incredibly stimulating, so it’s the moments of rest, where there’s a moment to breathe, reflect, or where we aren’t quite sure what’s about to come next that I feel are the most impactful– for both myself and the audience, since I feel we go on the same journey together each time.
I think people leave remembering the wilder moments like Spring Break, Brain surgery, etc. – But I think they leave moved and affected most by the reflective moments where the characters are truly asking a question that needs to be answered inside of ourselves.
5. Who would your surprise dream audience member be?
Hm.
Honestly– it’s usually someone that comes in who is completely skeptical of the piece and is completely turned around by the end of the show. I really like watching the diverse age ranges the piece attracts. So, it’s the most fun for me when young people come in looking for a comedy and surprise themselves by how much it hits them and vice versa– when an older audience member comes in looking for a drama and is the one shouting and dancing in their seats during Spring Break.
But if I had to name names? God. I guess Phoebe Waller-Bridge since it seems she’s the queen of the Fringe or Michaela Coel since I love her and the essence of her work so much – and I like to think they’d take a bit of a liking to the mechanisms of this piece. It seems to be asking similar questions to their body of works– or perhaps even in response to?
Yeah. I don’t know. Just any audience member that thinks they have nothing to gain from a piece like this and leave moved and changed by the end of it. That’s always the dream, isn’t it?