60 Seconds With… the creative team of ’30 Neo-Futurist Plays’

Briefly introduce yourself/your company…
Bramble Theatre Collective is a new Vancouver-based group focused on making exciting theatre, building community and creating spaces for all people to participate in theatre regardless of training or experience. We saw a need in Vancouver for a space that welcomed new people in with open arms, and we prioritized providing those opportunities. We focus on collaborative processes; positive, safe spaces; and great experiences working together! The company is led by (in alphabetical order) Claire deBruyn, Deanica Galo, Emily Saint, Elsa Yuan, Jessica Wong, and Oliver Spilsbury. We are new and growing every day and are so excited to being doing our first production at the Vancouver Fringe!

What is it that makes your work/company unique
“30 Neo-Futurist Plays from Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind (30 Plays in 60 Minutes)” was the PERFECT show for us to do because it has the opportunity for a BIG TEAM! This show takes 30 different plays and throws them together in a race-against-time fight to try to finish all of them before the 60 minute timer ends!

We have a team of 4 co-directors who worked on this show– each taking responsibility for a subset of plays in the show. The overall vision of the show was kept cohesive by our facilitating director who worked alongside our co-directors. Our lively cast has 10 actors all from a range of backgrounds and with experience in different kinds of theatre–musicals, improv, classical theatre, and more! This leads to an exciting mix of experience and creativity in the rehearsal room and on-stage.

What kind of experience do you hope audiences will have during your show?
Laugh, cry, scream, ANYTHING! We want audiences to feel the thrill of live competition as our cast rushes to finish 30 plays in 60 minutes. We want audiences to have fun, and to cheer and twist in their seats as they witness the success and failures of the performers. We want audiences to come along with us for the ride. We want audiences to be curious about how the show goes on other nights – as the order changes with each audience! Finally, we want everyone to walk out of the room reinvigorated by the ability of live theatre to tell stories in new forms.

Without spoilers, tell us what you think audiences will remember most about your show?
We think they will remember the fast-paced changes, and how the show jumps from comedy, to drama, to honest heartfelt moments from the cast. We want them to remember the strong ensemble nature of the show. The interesting nature of a show directed by four separate directors and pulled together into one vision. The earnest performances by the cast and how they deal with successes and failures throughout the show.

What do you think is the best thing about the Fringe?
The range of shows and talent you can see, the community of theatre artists and theatre lovers being together for two weeks, seeing a LOT of shows, and having an open space for emerging groups to create theatre together. We love the supportive atmosphere from the volunteers, organizers, and fellow artists who all come together to create an amazing space.

What is the most important thing you hope audiences will take away from your show?
We want audiences to leave feeling tired from laughing and connected to the performers. We want them to feel they have experienced fast “get-to-the-point” theatre that didn’t sacrifice substance.