Interview: Daisy Boulton, ‘Edge of Time’

Ahead of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024, we’re chatting with a range of creatives who will be heading to the city over August to find out more about their shows. Today we’re chatting with Daisy Boulton about her piece, Edge of Time.

Can you tell us a bit about you and your career so far..

I worked before I trained which was, for me an amazing start. I did that thing of writing a letter and then the dream happened, and Mike Sttenborugh took a chance of me cast me in his last show at the Almeida Theatre – Measure for Measure. I then went to RADA for three years. I have done a lot of theatre in and aournd the UK, London and the West End, as well as TV and Film for Sky and A24. 

What is your show about?

Hope, the need to communicate and break free from conformity. It follows a contemporary woman in a crisis who finds a book and is transported back to the 1960’s where we are immersed in a dreamworld of original music and she lives through key moments in the life of prominent sociologist and pioneer of feminism, Hannah Gavron. It is inspired by the book about her, which her son Jeremy Gavron wrote and has kindly given me permission to use; the book is called ‘A Woman on The Edge of Time’.

What was the inspiration for the show and what’s the development process been to get to this stage? 

The inspiration was Jeremy’s book and the subject of it – his mother Hannah. Creatively I have been inspired by David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti’s process of making the music at the same time as the story, as I am a musician as well as actor and this made sense to me. I am heavily influenced by Pina Bausch in the movement exploration of the piece and Carlo Rovelli conceptually – I felt permission to follow my creativity from reading his books on physics and he helped me understand the scientific bases for spacetime being fundamentally connected (from my very non-scientific standpoint), which was important as this is a piece in which modern day and the 1960’s come together.

What made you want to take this to the Fringe?

To get it on and in the best possible position to be seen and experienced by people who could help me bring the fully realised vision to life – I have been working with an incredible tech company called Dandelion and Burdock (Harry Potter Stage play, Landrover, Volvo ads) to design a tech immersive world which is what I ultimately want to do, so that the 1960’s comes to life through tech and nature, the wisest party starts to break into the space until it has fully taken over, and we are connected to our most natural and wildest selves. To be part of the festival is an amazing opportunity to do the show in its first iteration, to explore as I go, share it which I’ve been aching to do for a while now and to platform it so it has every chance of its ultimate artistic goal.

Apart from seeing your show, what’s your top tip for anybody heading for Edinburgh this summer?

Go and see Daisy Doris May at Assembly Roxy in her show How To Mate: The Ted XXX Talk o at 21:45 6-24th Aug. Tiffany Stevenson the brilliant comedian. And Charlotte Anne Tilley has got two shows which I am very impressed by in the first instance and will be checking out – ‘Oh, Calm Down’ at SummerHall and ‘Serious Theatre from Serious People’ at Gilded Balloon.

Why should people book to see your show? 

People should book to my show because this is a unique and original theatrical/dance/music piece making its premiere at Edinburgh. It follows the story of an extraordinary woman from the 1960’s, filled with original songs I have written, and beautiful Pina Bausch inspired dance moments. I’m so excited to share it and will be releasing the music at some point too so this is your chance to hear it and see it in its very first iteration on stage!

When and where can people see the show?

1-25th August at 12.50pm (not 12th Aug), at Cowgate, Underbelly!