Actor James McGregor joins us on Close-Up Culture to tell us about his show, Did You Mean To Fall Like That, which he will perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This new comedy, which explores contemporary masculinity and male bisexuality, is written by Stephanie Martin and directed by Scott Le Crass.
Hi! First things first, how are you?
Busy. Excited. Nervous. Often tired. Usually pretty happy.
In your own words, can you describe for us what your show is about?
A man on a journey of discovery catalysed by trauma. We explore the fluid nature of sexuality, modern masculinity, inter-personal relationships, fertility and readjusting to a new reality that we didn’t even know existed. And how to make all that a bit funny.
And if you were to condense that into three words, what would they be?
Nothing is fixed.
What has preparation for the Fringe looked like for you so far?
Learning lines. Lots of learning lines. Rehearsals in Soho, script edits, playing with props. All whilst fitting it around my day job. You know, the one every serious actor has.
What do you want audiences to take away from seeing your show?
Hope for themselves and their futures. Knowledge that no matter how low we get, or deep into our expected realities we entrench ourselves, things can change for the better if we let them.
How did you come up with the concept of your performance?
We wanted to explore male bisexuality (an under represented part of the queer spectrum) and celebrate and stage non traditional life paths and shine a spotlight on male mental health.
Edinburgh Fringe is certainly an incredibly busy event, what are you most looking forward to doing whilst there?
Absorbing the atmosphere. Seeing my piers and colleagues perform in their myriad shows. Testing myself as a performer. All the stand-up. Getting out of London!
Where can people catch your show this summer?
Bunker 3, Pleasance Courtyard, 11.35 a.m.
And where can people follow your work?
On Instagram I’m @jamesmactor. I’m posting stuff on there. Our production company is Fake Escape @FakeEscapeTC run by David Shopland @shopland88, who are also on the insta. There you can also find our director Scott Le Crass @scottlecrass and writer Stephanie Martin @steph_martin_ Look for #falllikethat.
Finally, what would be your dream venue or theatre to perform at?
It has always been an ambition to perform a new piece of writing like this at The Royal Court. But honestly I don’t think there is just one. So many theatres have such different vibes from one another and give such different energies and experiences when performing in them. Weather it’s a small fringe venue where you can smell the audience’s sweat or a 1200 seater in the West End, they all offer the thrill of live performance in unique ways.