EDINBURGH FRINGE 2024
Interview
& PHOEBE
LADENBURG
SWITHINBANK
SOPHIE
SURRENDER
Mother is in prison. Daughter, from whom she has been estranged for 12 years, has come to visit. Closely watched by security personnel, they have 1 hour. As unreliable as she is charming, Mother recounts her version of events, knowing this is their last chance to reconnect. Along a blurry journey of sleep deprivation and abandoned love, we discover the true reason for her imprisonment and ask: how can you keep a hold of yourself when you're forced to get lost in your keeper? A new play from the writer of multi award-winning Bacon.
Hi Sophie & Phoebe, it’s great to talk with you ahead of your Fringe adventure with Surrender. How has your build up to the festival been going?
Sophie Swithinbank: Pretty chill. It’s the calm before the storm (the storm being the 4 hour tech which we are diving into on Wednesday).
Phoebe Ladenburg: We’ve just done four weeks in London, so the show feels very bedded in - I feel lucky I don’t have to go through the same type of opening night jitters!
What was the experience for you both in previewing Surrender at the Arcola Theatre Studio 2 this past July?
Sophie: It was incredible to watch Phoebe grow her performance and play around with the nuances of the text. Everytime I watch it, Phoebe has found something new. She is so powerful, I can’t wait to unleash the show onto Edinburgh audiences!
Phoebe: aw, Soph! London was intense - performing a solo show night after night away from my family was a powerful experience and one that I will cherish, even though it was tough at times! I couldn’t be happier with how the play was received and I definitely grew as a performer and a person.
As preview venues go nothing quite beats the Arcola’s legacy for being a launchpad of new, innovative theatre. When playing several venues like Arcola, and Summerhall during the Fringe, does this add additional pressure on you?
Sophie: Not really, it just feels like being given another canvas to experiment on. I feel very lucky to be taking the show to Summerhall.
Phoebe: Pressure is an inescapable part of this industry and one that goes hand in hand with a desire for excellence. I try really hard to keep it in check because it can interfere with the creative process!
Your previous play Bacon gained several Offies in 2023/4, did you imagine you would get such an incredible response to your play?
Sophie: Bacon won Offies for Best Performance (x2), Best Director and Best Lighting Design. It was also a finalist for Best New Play (this category was won by Waleed Akhtar’s incredible play The P Word). This spread of accolades in every aspect of the production felt incredibly exciting, and well deserved across the whole team.
I definitely imagined this happening - I think every artist has the fantasy of ‘and the crowd goes wild!!’ - but I never thought it would actually happen. It has been a huge confidence boost for the whole team and we move forward into new projects holding that confidence.
What does Edinburgh Fringe mean to you?
Sophie: tired, buzzy, pints.
Phoebe: It is very nostalgic for me. I first performed here in 2005 when I was 18. I’ve spent my 18th, 21st and 30th birthdays at the festival and I also lived in Edinburgh for five years!
Can you tell me a little bit about how Surrender came about, what was the inspiration behind your new play?
Sophie: Phoebe was my muse!
Phoebe: After having my daughter, I commissioned Soph to write a piece in response to the Taming of the Shrew, but through the lens of motherhood, not marriage. Over the next five years, Sophie and I developed the script into a fictionalised narrative, using my experiences working with prison leavers and in the community.
What would you say have been the most interesting things you’ve discovered about yourself in the process of bringing Surrender to the stage?
Phoebe: That, even though I feel like a vulnerable, terrified mess a lot of the time, I’m actually brave. I’ve learned that I need to listen much more carefully to my gut feelings and initial thoughts. I’ve learnt to (at least try) to treat myself with the same respect with which I treat others.
Had you always intended to play the mother and how easy was it for you to keep your roles as co-creator, co-director and actor separate?
Phoebe: Yes I had intended to play her, at least initially. I hope that there will be many other actors who get to play her too. After mounting the pre-preview at Tom Thumb and the initial week of rehearsals for Arcola, I stepped back from a lot of the directorial tasks and handed over to Sophie who did a really fantastic job.
Do you have some routines or superstitions before you head out on stage?
Phoebe: Yes, quite a solid routine in the two hours before a show. Lots of special, weird breathing, lots of stretching and movement, a fair amount of dancing!
Have you always had a passion for theatre?
Phoebe: Always.
Do you recall the first production you saw that gave you the bug?
Phoebe: The first school play I did in which I had a substantial role, when I was 10. I remember just feeling extremely focused and quite serious about it (unusual for me). I just knew it was different and that I would do it forever. It was like being shown a different language for the first time, but one which I understood better than my mother tongue.
How different is your approach to the theatre and stories you want to tell now compared to when you started out?
Phoebe: My approach has never changed. Clarity, honesty, integrity….. Simplicity. The types of stories I want to tell don’t really change a huge amount either - I’ve always searched for nuance. For the space in between ‘good’ and ‘bad’.
What advice would you each offer to anyone wanting to start their journey in theatre?
Sophie: keep going.
Phoebe: Listen to your instincts when you are creating, but also when you are navigating the industry.
And finally, what would you like your 2024 Fringe audiences to take away from Surrender?
Sophie: Some kind of lovely complement that we can put on our Instagram. But also, a deepened understanding of the way in which women who become mothers frequently fall foul of the social care system.
Phoebe: I would like people to feel seen. And to forgive their monsters.