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Jello Biafra

At dawn, the nation of the Gummy Bears declares war against the nation of the Dinosaurs. The Gummies will prepare for war, there will be a battle, and the Dinosaurs will win the fight. But even if the outcome is tragically obvious, the question remains: What makes the candies so obstinate? The Gummy Bears’ Great War is an object-theatre show that takes place on a table, with real candies, small lights, and few spectators. An existential tragicomedy about our search for meaning.

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Hi Angelo, Valentina and Leonardo, it’s lovely to talk with you both ahead of your Edinburgh Fringe UK debut, how’s your build up to the festival going?

 

Amidst many opposing emotions, we are rehearsing and preparing everything we need for our month in Scotland. We are struggling with many pounds of Bears, each with their own emotionality and needs, it is very difficult to tune everyone in! 

 

Are there any nerves ahead of The Gummy Bears’ Great War run at C Arts?

 

Very much so! The Edinburgh Fringe has always been at the top of our desires and now that we are only a few days away from its realisation, tension and excitement are running high! We are very excited and look forward to introducing you to our Bears.

 

This has been a 15 year journey, what inspired you to bring The Gummy Bears’ Great War to the fringe, was this always the dream?

 

Since the debut, we realised that this work had something special. We found that we had discovered a path that combines creativity and intensity. It is probably our most bizarre but also our most honest show. When Leonardo and Valentina proposed to me to bring it to Fringe I thought it was a wonderful idea. In such a diverse festival we are sure that there is also a place for our out-of-the-box show.

 

What have been some of the biggest changes the show has gone through since its premiere?

 

Over the years we have perfected the technical part, which is fundamental in this work. We found more and more accurate solutions to be able to make the table where the performance takes place more functional to the story being told. Our goal was to translate the theatrical box into a small one, with lights and sound but also to make our small scene totally autonomous, like a self-sufficient raft ready for a long journey.

 

And what does Edinburgh Fringe mean to you all?

 

We have always looked at the Edinburgh Fringe with great interest, as one looks at a destination to be reached. The idea that for almost a month artists, practitioners, and theater lovers from different parts of the world would meet in the same city has always fascinated us. We find it highly stimulating to be within a festival that has distinguished itself by its history, a kind of revenge against an “official theatre” that fails to be inclusive. This is what the Fringe means to us: feeling in the right place.

 

What was the feeling like for you all to get to premiere The Gummy Bears’ Great War at Festival Strabismi, did you imagine you would get the type of reaction you got for the show?

 

It was the first performance of the show. Until then friends, colleagues, and operators did not believe we were serious when we talked about a show to be performed entirely with candies. Festival Strabismi was the first to welcome our idea with curiosity. We didn't quite know what to expect, the narrative was about the nation of Gummy Bears declaring war on the more powerful nation of Dinosaurs, for us it was a pretext to talk about defeat, but how would it be received? There was immediately great enthusiasm, and it has since been a guest at numerous festivals. Before the debut we also had doubts but then thanks to the audience we realised that a show with candy could be done.