We Experiments in action

Led by resident professional Ewan Cameron at macrobert arts centre, We Experiments is a production performed by the innovative macrobert Young Company. We caught up with Director Ewan to find out what we can expect from this brand new piece.

mFEST: You were selected (and commissioned) by the festival young programming team at mFEST – What do you think it was about your production that appealed to our programmers?

Ewan: I think young people like to be challenged - to see things that excite and challenge them. We Experiments is that bit different from a more traditional theatre show because it is designed to be a series of intimate performances in unusual performance spaces. The audience are separated into smaller groups to follow different routes throughout the macrobert and university in search of a missing character. Each audience member experiences a different show as no one person will see all of the same performances!

mFEST: Why did you apply for the Young Persons commission at mFEST?

Ewan: We didn't. The macrobert Young Company are a core group at macrobert. The company believed it was extremely important that they produce a performance for mFEST to both showcase what they do and illustrate how integrated mFEST and the macrobert core groups are for each other.

mFEST: What/who do you cite as creative influences?

Ewan: People, who randomly look at something, find it intriguing so go to it and inquire further. 5 yr olds and cats excel at this. Visually strong and spectacular arts. Other than this I have a wide range of creative influences, including braces, odd socks and brightly coloured underwear... here's a few others:

Guillermo Del Toro; Jim Jarmusch; [film] Derevo; [physical theatre] Spalding Gray [solo performer] Shave Koyczan; [performance poet] Tom Waits... [Musician]... Banksy [artist]... LIFT festival; graffiti arts...

mFEST: What can audiences expect from We Experiments?

Ewan: We Experiments... is an investigation where audiences, as detectives, meet strange and bizarre characters through a series of intimate performances throughout the buildings. Expect to be taken to places you never knew existed...

mFEST: If you had to describe We Experiments in three words, what would they be?

Ewan: TWISTED - INTRIGUING - MYSTERIOUS -

Alternatively and more accurately -more-confusing-than-driving-through-spaghetti-junction-backwards-and-blindfolded.

mFEST: Apart from your piece who/what are you looking forward to seeing at the festival?

Ewan: Daniel Sloss. I knew him when I did stand up, he was funny, and I wasn't. That's why he's headlining and I'm not doing comedy any more! La Fura Del Baus - because they are, simply, awesome and Fallout.

mFEST: You have the keys to a time machine. You can go back in time, perform on stage at venue and artist of your choice. Who, where would it be and why?

Ewan: Tom Waits, Edinburgh Playhouse July 2008. I'd just be on stage hitting a triangle. Other than the Cookie Monster, Tom Waits is probably one of the world's greatest living artists...Or, Cookie Monster's Monsterpiece Theatre version of Spalding Gray's 'Monster in the Box' c. sometime in the 1980's

We Experiments perform at macrobert Friday 30 July – Sunday 1 August

Check out the team in rehearsals...