Kat Burton
In his one-man play about smashing pianos, Rob brings family tradition into question, asking; when is it just peer pressure from the dead?
Catch Piano Smashers at CC Blooms between 10-16 August at 5:30pm, on the PBH Free Fringe. No need to book – just turn up!
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Kat: Hey Rob! Tell us about your show and its journey from creation to ending up at the EdFringe stage.
Rob: Hi Kat! Piano Smashers is a play about smashing pianos. Vera bequeaths a piano to her children, they really do not want it because of what it represents to them. Will they smash it up or will the obligation to retain it win out?
My dear friend, Rupert Page and I wrote it in 2023 in a six week burst for Ventnor Fringe as a WIP. It was a thirty minute show then. It was a success and we knew the idea was strong. In 2024 we booked the show in to Brighton, Ventnor and Edinburgh knowing that we could develop something special and here we are at Edfringe.
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Kat: Tell us about the inspiration behind your show and why you think its themes are relevant to an audience in 2024.
Rob: The big idea is that we, as humans, inherit all sorts of stuff that we just do not really want or need, but we get tied to it.
And if this stuff actually damages us, do we accept that damage because of our obligations to keep it? This is the main tension that drives the play.
We’re both drama graduates and always admired the work of Brecht, Brook, and Beckett. Lately, Tim Crouch has been a big influence on form/style, weaving the audience in to the performance.
The play is about a piano, it’s about how we commune in theatre in a live interactive/non digital space in real time. It’s about abuse, its about history, it’s about legacy. It’s about giving permission to rip stuff up and start again.
There’s a lot going on. You, the audience will decide what resonates with you. That’s your call, but we’ve left you some good choices.
It’s a metaphor so it will hopefully resonate throughout time but we hope it will connect with any audience member who reflects and thinks about what they have inherited, be that values, items, money, nothing or neglect. We’re all shaped by our inheritance, let’s a have a look at that idea via our story and challenge the notion that we’re obliged.
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Kat: What are you hoping the audience will walk away thinking/feeling?
Rob: Enjoyment, thought, fun and a level of engagement that only live theatre can give you. It’s especially good in a non digital space.
Kat: But we only serve digital pints, Rob!
Rob: Sorry.
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Kat: Now that we’re in the midst of Fringe season, what are you most excited for?
Rob: The sheer scale and size of the festivals, Edinburgh in full flow and being humble to recognise that there are soo so many talented people here from all over the world and that the arts and culture matter so much, so so much.
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Kat: Audience interaction strikes fear into the hearts of many… What’s the KEY to making people want to take part?
Rob: Audiences at the three festivals we’ve been at have all played along. They will play if they feel they can and the form and content of this show enable the audience to feel part of it. We’ve worked hard at our craft to ensure that the audience is always making choices for themselves. It’s very inclusive.
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Kat: Your show explores themes of generational inheritance. We know we learn from generations above us, but what have you learned from generations below you?
Rob: Both Rupert and I are/were drama teachers in schools and we never had a day when didn’t learn from our students. That was the basis of our teaching philosophy: negotiated learning, a meeting of minds, not this bullshit nonsense dictatorial shite that is the current school curriculum.
We’re both parents of amazing people who we constantly learn from. We’re challenged, questioned, quizzed by them all. We love them all unconditionally and love to support their journeys and whatever that brings. They are their own people whom we love. If you’re not learning the world as it changes and moves along from those who are the future then you’re an idiot.
I admire my children for being who they are and for continuing to explore their identities. We’ve learned to think in spectrums and nuance, and binary thinking is so stupid and dangerous. It might work for mathematics but not human flippin beings.
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Kat: What outdated values do you think need to be smashed up?
Rob: Fascism.
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Kat: There are eight keys in an octave. What’s the last thing you eight?
Rob: This is the funniest question I’ve ever read. (Editor: he didn’t say this, but he didn’t answer the question, so let’s pretend he did.)
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Kat: Fitting with the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was an alcoholic beverage (think cocktails, shots, beers, be creative!) what would it be?
Rob: Whisky on ice. Potent, sophisticated, intoxicating, cool to taste and to be seen with. Underestimated, packs a lot in in a small drink, layered, nuanced. I could go on…
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Entry is free but artists on PBH Free Fringe may ask for a donation at the end.
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