Art of the Eight Limbs by Kat Taddei at the Victoria Fringe Festival 2016. Interview.

Art of the Eight Limbs by Kat Taddei at the Victoria Fringe Festival 2016.  Interview.

Pick of the Fringe 2015 playwright Kat Taddei (“Best New Playwright for TWO) returns to the Victoria Fringe with her latest work Art of the Eight Limbs, and this year, has chosen to self-produce with her company Vino Buono.

I had the opportunity to interview Taddei about this experience.

Can you speak to the creation process of this work?

Art of the Eight Limbs was partially written during a 4^th year workshop at UVic with award-winning playwright and UVic instructor Joan McLeod.  I was attempting to emulate the dark, gritty, but engaging feeling of plays like Iceland (Nicolas Billon) and Terminus (Mark O’Rowe)—both of which were featured at the Belfry Theatre during the successive SPARK Festivals.

Then, a friend from UVic, Blair Moro (a graduate of the Applied Theatre program) who was working and travelling in Australia, premiered it at the Adelaide Fringe. (Review HERE).  Since then, I’ve refined and polished it, through a third draft, and then we started rehearsals in July.

I’ve chosen Chase Hiebert as my director—he directed my play Bad Touch for SATco (Student Alternative Theatre Company) at UVic and Fringe audiences will know his work as the director of Daughter of Turpentine by Leah Callen in 2015

The cast of three includes Arielle Permack who recently graduated from the theatre department at UVic -where she played Tatiana in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Scarlett (among other roles) in Lion in the Streets, Mrs. Peachum in The Threepenny Opera, and Anna Petrovna Wild Honey)—cast as a man; Alex Judd (Tommy in Female Transport—Langham Court Theatre, Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival 2015) and Lucy Sharples (who is going into her 3^rd year at UVic and for whom this is a first local production and first Fringe; look for her in the upcoming UVic Phoenix season).

What would you say to entice a potential audience member to come?

Art of the Eight Limbs has been called “psychologically penetrating”.  It is meant to push people’s boundaries and take them out of their comfort zones.  Our director, Chase Hiebert, calls it “a really good story”.  It’s extremely atmospheric—lighting design uses functional lights that are actor-operated.  Sound design is by Zoë Wessler who designed the sound for Describe My Lonely this spring, produced by Catador Theatre. Production design is by Delaney Tesch (who stage managed last year’s Fringe hit Lieutenant Nun).

It’s “cheaper than therapy”.  Art of the Eight Limbs is relevant to contemporary society—two of the characters are gender neutral.

Who will your show appeal to? 

People who like psychological thrillers that are fast-paced and funny.

Is there anything I’ve missed asking you, or that you would like to comment on?

We set up an IndieGoGo campaign and were able to reach our goal of $1000 thanks to our community of supporters.  You can view a promo video on the page.  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/art-of-the-eight-limbs-at-the-victoria-fringe?fse_2=e#/

Art of the Eight Limbs
Vino Buono Productions, Victoria BC
Written/Created by Kat Taddei
70 mins. Adults only. Coarse Language/Adult Theames/Violence/Contemporary Monologue Play
Tickets: Regular $11/Sr & St $9

The Roxy Theatre (2657 Quadra Street)
Fri Aug 26 6:45 pm
Sun Aug 28 6:15 pm
Tue Aug 30 9:30 pm
Wed Aug 31 6:00pm
Thur Sept 1 8:00 pm
Sun Sept 4 4:45 pm

Art of the Eight Limbs is the latest work by last year’s “Favourite New Play” winner Kat Taddei. Three different eccentrics are torn out of their comfort zones and thrust into a bizarre chain of causally-related events. Don’t. Get. Comfortable. “psychologically penetrating” – ADELAIDE NOW “a thought-provoking piece that delves into the dark side of human nature… bewildering yet brave…” – GLOBAL MEDIA www.facebook.com/vinobuonoproductions