After an amazing response last year we have once again resurrected our Brighton Bites mini-interviews. These short and snappy Q&As offer an, occasionally witty – often hilarious, insight into the acts strutting, sailing, surfing (insert preferred form of transport here) in to join the line-up of England’s largest arts festival, Brighton Fringe. 2018 was a record-breaking year for the Fringe with over 575,000 people attending the festival; and with 2019 promising to be more inclusive than ever, our Bites aim to give you a taste of what’s in store across the 4,500+ events and performances that are on offer.
Next up, Holly Delefortrie tells us about I’ll be your baby tonight..? which is coming to The Warren: The Nest.
Describe your show in one sentence?
A combination of clowning, stand-up/confessional storytelling and interactive ‘gameplay’ which aims to uplift its audience, celebrating the messier side of human nature: cock-ups, vulnerability and all.
Why Brighton Fringe?
Brighton Fringe is one of the most exciting theatre festivals in the country with a vibrant interactive comedy and dating scene that tick’s all of I’ll be your baby tonight’s..? boxes!
How did the show get to where it is today?
I’ll be your baby tonight..? was inspired from my own slightly ‘haphazard’ personal experiences of dating and my romantic perceptions of what the perfect relationship would be like after years of being feed 80/90s classic romcoms and music videos versus the reality of finding love in an era of apps and online dating.
This show has seen me through three partners (included one unrequited, one heartache and one I am still figuring out!)
After sell-out runs at the Wandsworth Fringe, Guildford Fringe and Dreams Before Dawn Festival (Paris) 2018, this will be the I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight…? team’s debut at the Brighton Fringe Festival before heading off to Camden Fringe later in the year. Our new speed-dating nights have been trialled early this year in collaboration with UK Dating award winners – Play Date London.
What do you think sets your show apart from all the other festival offerings?
I’ll be your baby tonight…? allows you to feature in your very own ‘Off Kilter’ Rom-Com, giving its audience the opportunity to create their own tailor-made relationship experience. The ultimate relationship ‘to-do list’, that plays out the different stages of the relationship through a series of semi-improvised, interactive games.
For those of you who are currently trying to navigate your way around the world of dating/relationships and are looking for an outlet for your previous and current relationship track records, this show provides the perfect remedy at Brighton Fringe. Forming an alternative version of relationship therapy for millennials that is funny, heart-warming and honest; formed from the romantic expectations of one performer and fifty… something audience members.
Our new attached Speed-Dating Nights follow the last two shows on 28th-29th May. Whether you are looking to set some romantic sparks flying or just having fun with friends, this event will provide you with a heady night-out of light-hearted timed games, glitter glue and interactive theatre that is open to all dating experiences, relationship statuses and sexual orientations.
What show do you not want to miss at this year’s Brighton Fringe (apart from your own!)?
100% Alex Cofield’s epic hip-opera – Supernova (Hot Fuzz vs Hamilton). Saw this show last year at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival and it was fantastic, absolutely loved it, can’t wait to see it again!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given, or would give, for performing at a fringe festival?
Get out there, support other artists work, see as much as possible and reach out to the local community and enjoy it all!
With the theme of this year’s festival being ‘DARE to Discover’, we’d like you to tell us a TRUTH – something about you or the show that fans may not know.
Come and find out how I met the love of my life after wetting myself twice in a ping pong bar in Berlin! (I would like to add that this doesn’t happen all the time…depending on what part you’re talking about)
I’ll be your baby tonight..? runs at Brighton Fringe from 25-29 May 2019. Brighton Fringe takes place between 3 May – 2 June 2019; www.brightonfringe.org
Nicole Craft | Image: Matthew Kaltenborn
