Fan/Girl is an absurd and tongue-in-cheek ride through British adolescence set against a backdrop of 90s football and pop. Directed by Fringe First winner Ben Target and packed to the brim with playful audience interaction, 90s bangers, clown comedy and drag.
Performer and writer Bryony Byrne joins us on Close-Up Culture to tell us more about the show…
Hi! First things first, how are you?
Hi! I’m good, thank you. How are you? I’ve just moved house so I’m pretty tired but I’m also happy.
In your own words, can you describe for us what your show is about?
The show’s kind of an homage to the 90s, as well as being about growing up and discovering sexism. It’s based on my own experience of playing football as a pre-teen and then being stopped from playing it when I went into secondary school. It’s a funny show though! It’s about the absurdity of these arbitrary boundaries we draw.
And if you were to condense that into three words, what would they be?
Absurd, nostalgic, playful.
What has preparation for the Fringe looked like for you so far?
I’ve rewritten bits of the show and built some new set and props. I’m really excited about getting it in front of an audience again.
What do you want audiences to take away from seeing your show?
I hope they leave in a good mood, remembering all the thing they used to love as children and laughing at the show.
How did you come up with the concept of your performance?
It’s a show about football but it’s also a coming of age story and I wanted it to feel very playful. With that in mind, I incorporated lots of different forms into the show – audience participation, comedy, drage, theatre. Hopefully it feels a bit like how it felt to play when you were a child. I also wanted to include some of the more performative elements of football, and to blur the lines between football and theatre, between reality and fiction.
Edinburgh Fringe is certainly an incredibly busy event, w hat are you most looking forward to doing whilst there?
There are so many amazing artists at the Fringe this year! I can’t wait to see Piotr Sikora’s Furiozo again, Natalie Palamides has got a new show. I want to see Show Pony and Shit Theatre and my friends Lewys Holt and Anna Morris have got new shows as well, which will be brilliant. I also like to slip away to catch some events at the Book Festival if I can find the time.
Where can people catch your show this summer?
I’m on at Summerhall, in the Demonstration Room from 1 – 26 August (except 12th and 19th) at 12.10pm.
And where can people follow your work?
You can find me on Instagram at brybo87 or on my website www.bryony.byrne.com
Finally, what would be your dream venue or theatre to perform at?
I feel lucky that I was able to perform this show at the National Football Museum, which felt like a good match, and I think the Demonstration Room is going to be the perfect venue, because it feels like a small, intimate stadium. But, of course, if we’re dreaming, I’d love to be able to perform in larger venues, like La Criee in Marseille or at The National in London.
SHOW LINK:https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/fan-girl
INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT: Bryony Byrne (@brybo87) • Instagram photos and videos
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