Interview: Joe Sellman-Leava, ‘It’s The Economy, Stupid!’

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 Joe Sellman-Leava about her piece, It’s The Economy Stupid!

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

I’m a writer and performer from Devon, and I run Worklight Theatre, who often make theatre which draws from memory and autobiography. I started out in devised theatre, so when I moved into asking solo shows, this collaborative approach remained at the heart of how I create. Worklight’s shows have explored topics like heritage and displacement (LABELS), fandom and masculinity (FANBOY), and civil unrest (HOW TOSTART A RIOT).

What is your show about?

This year Worklight are bringing a new show called IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID! which explores the way elections are always framed around the economy, and why most of don’t understand the force that dominates our lives.

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

The title comes from a phrase coined by James Carville–a strategist for Bill Clinton’s 1992 Presidential campaign, who framed that election around the 90s recession. New Labour built on this for their 1997 victory. In the many elections we’ve had over the past few years, I’ve continued hearing that phrase-“it’s the economy, stupid”-and been fascinated by it. I began to think about what happened to my family in the early 90s, when parents lost their shop to the recession, and in turn, the house we lived in. A truly awful thing for them to go through, but the safety net of the welfare state meant our basic needs were still met, and their grit and determination gave my siblings and I happy childhood, shielded from the immense stress they endured.

I knew that was a story I wanetd to tell, but specifically in the context of the stories we are continually told about the economy: that there’s no money left; that we must have growth to have public services; that the economy always wins elections. As living standards have fallen and inequality has increased dramatically since the 2008 financial crisis, I kept coming back to the question of what would happen to families today, who are living through similar circumstances to mine in the early 90s. The safety net that caught us, is full of holes now. The process for the show has been bringing this story to life in away that probes today’s economic realities: specifically the housing crisis.

What made you want to take this to the Fringe?

If you’re able to do it, I think it’s one of the best platforms for brand-new work–and a great way to build atour, so your show can reach more people.

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

Plan ahead for shows you really want to see, and leave some space for ones you haven’t heard of yet!

Why should people book to see your show?

It’s funny, moving and magical.

When and where can people seethe show?

Pleasance Dome (Jack Dome) 13.10, 31st July-26th August (not 7th, 14th or 21st)