Wrong Tree Theatre bring INFERNO to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Name: Wrong Tree Theatre
Name of Edinburgh show: Inferno
Venue: The Space on North Bridge (Argyll theatre Venue 36)
Performance time: 11.15 am
Show length: 55 mins
Ticket price: £7 (£6 concessions)

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your performing background?
Wrong Tree is a theatre company from Durham, with our primary focus being on devised physical theatre. We use obscure stimuli, games and physical techniques to create completely new shows from scratch, often incorporating completely original music as well to enhance the story telling.

Tell me about your show, what it is all about?
Inferno was originally inspired by Dante’s epic poem of the same name. Our show is a modern twist on it, following the story of Bella, a high flying lawyer who is dragged into Hell by the Devil.

How long have you been working on this show and what is it that makes it relevant to audiences in 2018?
We first got together as a cast in October 2017 to start devising the show and we basically had nothing except the original text of Inferno. After 3 months of devising we performed it for a run in Durham, and now it’s 9 months on, you could say this show has literally been our baby. Obviously as it’s a modern interpretation, we’ve tried to update each circle of Hell, while keeping the original themes in tact which should make it more relatable to a modern audience. Also one of the big questions we ask is, are the circles of Hell that people imagine actually reasonable as a punishment when looked at through our modern morality, which we feel is a pertinent question nowadays.

Do you have any top tips for surviving the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – both for performers and visitors to the event?
Ok so top 3 tips: 1) Make sure you eat well; no one wants to get ill at Fringe; 2) Make a list of shows you absolutely have to see, and then improvise everything else 3) Put Inferno on that list

What has been the funniest or most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you on stage?
One night of our Durham run, a wardrobe malfunction caused one cast member to be left a little more than exposed on stage.

Who are your biggest inspirations in the industry and why?
Obviously Dante inspired the original idea, but to adapt it to stage we took a lot of inspiration from devising theatre companies like Frantic Assembly and Theatre di Complicité. We used a lot of techniques of theirs to help us devise scenes and choreography for the more physical elements of the show

Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Our director has a particular affinity for getting us to chant a whole chorus of “I get loose” to bring everyone’s energy up.

What other acts are you looking forward to seeing at Edinburgh Fringe?
We are so excited to watch all the other talent that is coming to Fringe from Durham University such as Marsistan and Yen

Why do you think people should come and see your show over the thousands of others on at the fringe?
Inferno is the perfect mix of comedy, drama and all-round entertainment for everyone. It’s completely unique and blends modern and classical styles in such a surreal way with electric violin combining with electric guitar and drums. It will be one hell of a wild ride.

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