Unfiltered #5 – The Reality of Preparing for Fringe with “Catafalque”

WRITTEN BY AMY CONWAY

The many hats of the creative freelancer. And what are you doing?… The question I dread the most. And I know I’m not alone. I know there are plenty of creative freelancers out there who wear multiple hats. Often more than one in a day, sometimes more than one at a time. And when it comes to the question, “What do you do?” I can honestly say that I don’t think all of the answers I’ve given are exactly the same.

I trained as an actor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, but after graduating I quickly realised that acting wasn’t going to earn me a full-time income. And it’s not. I’ve been doing it professionally for over ten years now and I would say it’s never accounted for more than 50% of my annual income.

So what do I do the rest of the time? Well, that’s where I’ve had to get creative. And to be honest, looking back, it’s the need to fill the gaps between my acting activities that has made my professional life really interesting.

During the pandemic, the theatre world came to a grinding halt. It was a devastating time for many in terms of creative projects and I know we continue to feel the effects. But without the lockdown and the gaping chasm in my work, I would not have trained to become a civil celebrant. A celebrant, for those unfamiliar with the term, is someone who writes and delivers bespoke ceremonies to celebrate important life events, including births, marriages and deaths.

During lockdown and for a long time afterwards, weddings and naming ceremonies weren’t really happening, so I took my first tentative steps into the world of funerals. I met with bereaved families, spent time talking to them to find out as much as I could about the deceased and their wishes, wrote a eulogy and ceremony that everyone was happy with, and delivered it to a room full of mourners (the numbers grew as lockdown was gradually lifted) in the space of about two weeks.

CatafalqueThe show I’m doing with Scissor Kick at the Edinburgh Fringe this year is inspired by my experience as a funeral celebrant. It’s a show about death, but more so about those left behind and how they tell and receive the stories of those who are no longer here to tell the story. And there are a number of parallels between the work of a funeral celebrant and that of a theatre maker.

For example, the production timeline is very short. You spend a lot of time in the theater waiting for an idea to come, for a proposal to be ready to submit, for a potential collaborator to respond, for funding to come through. And then, when it finally does, everything suddenly speeds up and you find yourself with whiplash from the jolt of your usual daydream. Development days are booked, another draft of the script needs to be written, and suddenly there are a lot more people who need clarity to do their jobs.

Similarly, grieving families may disagree about Jim’s first job, where he was stationed during the war, or whether to mention his ex-wife in the greeting. Funeral directors need confirmation of the music for the procession, but the family hasn’t decided yet and you don’t want to push it, but time is of the essence.

And then there are the hats. The reason there are so many actors and creatives in the celebrant profession is that their skills are brilliantly transferable. A celebrant must be a gifted storyteller, of course, but also a speaker, a stage manager, an active listener, a facilitator. And as with so many fringe artists, you often wear all the hats.

Many writers, especially these days when the cost of attending the Fringe is so high, do all the producing, marketing, production management, writing and performing themselves. This time around, it’s a little different for me. I have a team: a brilliant, talented team with a budget and resources (including hard-earned experience that’s worth its weight in gold).

So this time around, I only have two hats to wear. For now, I am just a writer (and this is actually my first job as a fully commissioned playwright) and I just have to focus on telling the best and most appropriate story. Then, when rehearsals start, I will take off my writer’s hat and pick up (and dust off) my performer’s hat. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to be supported and only have to wear one hat at a time. It allows the luxury of focus and attunement that I know will make such a difference to the quality of the show and to my own job satisfaction.

But I remember the many times I’ve had to wear many hats, both as a theatre maker and as a celebrant. And I’m particularly aware of all the Fringe artists who are doing so many different things to make their shows possible this year. I see how hard you work, how adaptable and versatile you are – and I take my hat off to you.

About the show

Catafalque

Appointment): 1-11 August

Times): 12:25 p.m. (1 hour)

Location: Summerhall – TechCube 0