My Festival: Natalie Palamides

Natalie Palamides: WEER | Natalie Palamides

There are thousands of shows in Edinburgh this month. Please explain why we should come and see yours.

Lol, tryna make me beg? You guys are twisted for this one. 

What will we learn from your show that we didn’t know before? 

If you are from the UK you will learn an epic Pearl Jam song that you will have wished you knew a long time ago. If you are from anywhere else in the world, you will be reminded how great that Pearl Jam song is. 

Who or what was the biggest inspiration for your show? 

If I told you, I’d have to kill you. Lol, joke . Violence is never the answer. I’ve pulled inspiration from 1990s romance films, my own relationships, relationships that I’ve witnessed and first hand accounts of friends’ relationships. 

What’s the best review you’ve ever had, and the worst? 

The best review I’ve had was five stars from Dominic Maxwell from The Times for Nate - A One Man Show. He mentioned something about how he laughed a lot but was also moved to tears, which was the reaction I was intending to elicit from the audience in that show. The worst review was three stars from The Scotsman for Laid, where the critic said I was insensitive to women’s fertility issues. That was not my intention, so reading that was tough, but it’s fair, she has every right to feel however it made her feel.

People can take away whatever they want from your art whether it’s the artist’s intention or not. I think that enigmatic element of not always fully knowing what the audience will take away with them after they witness your piece is really exciting. I’m always very interested to hear an audience members’ take away, especially when it differs from what I intended. Interpretation of art is so vast, it could have an exponential amount of outcomes depending on who is witnessing it and which performance they witnessed.

Wow. Pretty cool when you think about it like that, huh? It’s infinite. I wonder what the takeaway from The Crucible would be from someone who lives on Galarkitija. 

Who or what are you most excited about seeing this year?

I’m really excited to be at the Traverse this year because they always have really great legitimate plays, and I’m a theatre lover, so I’m really excited to see everything playing there. I’m also excited to see all of my friends’ new as well as returning shows: Furiozo by Piotr Sikora, BriTANick, Three Sisters Not by Chekhov, Erin Farrington, Demi Adejuyigbe Is Going To Do One (1) Backflip, Underground Monk Show, Mr. Chonkers, Jack Tucker, Stamptown, and Riki Lindhome. 

Who do you most like spending time with in Edinburgh? 

I love hanging out with all the clown freaks of course. They’re like my family away from LA (ironically a lot of them are also from LA). I feel like I see the clowns from the festival circuit more than I do my friends from back home. Even if they also happen to be from back home, I tend to see them more in the GMT time zone than anywhere else. 

 

Tell us something about you that would surprise people. 

I sting myself with honey bees… but I feel like most people know that. Maybe people wouldn’t expect that I’m kind of bougie. I like going to the spa - I have a sauna in my living room back home. But is that bougie or just self care? 

What are the best and worst things that have happened to you at a festival?

The best thing is always hiking Arthur’s seat on the last day at sunrise. The worst thing was maybe getting picked up and thrown down by a drunk punter in the middle of my show. 

What’s the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night? 

The first thing I do in the morning is open my eyes. The last thing I do at night is close my eyes. 

Thanks for the interview! We’d like to buy you a drink. Where are we going and what are we drinking? 

Let’s get wrecked on raspberry vodka body shots in someone’s dorm room.

Natalie Palamides: WEER, Traverse, 9.30pm, until 25 August