COMMON WEALTH
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‘W
NTNEY
PICTURE: JON POU
e don’t see these stories on stage. And these are the stories of now: the most relevant stories we have.’ So says Rhiannon White, co-artistic director of Common Wealth. Stories told by (and for) those who have lived them: that’s at the heart of two shows which the Bradford and Cardiff-based theatre collective are bringing to this year’s Fringe. Payday Party, for instance, is a spirited, extraordinary celebration of ordinary life. At the Pleasance Dome, six contemporary Welsh artists will share not only their enormous talent (from opera to spoken word to fire-dancing) but their stories. These stories involve racism, classism and the impact of the cost-of-living crisis. Yet there are also onstage games of pass-the-parcel and something that can only be described as ‘budget-cut limbo’. Both of which beg the question: what is there to party about? That was exactly the point, says director Darren Pritchard of the show’s origins. ‘The reason it’s a party is because I didn’t want to do poverty porn!’ he explains of the show’s rounded portrayal of lives being lived in the UK’s most economically challenged areas. Prior to Edinburgh, Common Wealth toured their parties around Britain, creating site-specific shows in deprived areas where the arts are particularly difficult to access. Pritchard’s inspiration
Payday Party (above and previous page) Peaceophobia (right)
12 THE LIST FESTIVAL | 16–29 August 2022 | list.co.uk/edinburgh-festival
was the grim depiction of the working-class experience in popular culture. ‘It was all Ken Loach and Benefits Street. And I was like, “yeah, some of this is dire”. But there is also working-class joy and there are elements here to be celebrated. I’ve got millions of artist friends that are doing really well!’ he continues, his passion brimming through Zoom. ‘So I wanted it to be a real celebration of working-class spirit and humanity, recognising that we might start from one place, but we’ll get somewhere. And there’s always a party, there’s always a celebration.’ At this point in the journey, the team are proud to have given 24 writer/actor/performers a platform to tell their stories: some who are doing well, and others who might never have had the chance. Pritchard is constantly bowled over by people’s surprise at the calibre on show, aware of the metropolis-centric view of culture in the UK. ‘People are like, “ohmygod, the cast is so amazingly talented: where are they from?”’ He makes a face. ‘They’re there; you just have to have ways of looking for people, because the normal world of theatre is designed to keep us out.’ It’s these kinds of issues within the arts industry that the show looks to highlight; not just its inherent elitism, but the problematic working models it fosters. Payday Party is a reimagining of Pritchard’s 2018 show Rent Party, itself inspired by the fund-raising parties Black Americans used to throw in 1920s Harlem as a means to meet their rent. Now, similarly, Fringe-goers are also being asked to recognise, and reward, the fact that people really are singing for their supper. It’s confrontational, but it’s meant to be, says Pritchard. ‘It’s my challenging call to the arts industry.’ There’s just as much political punch to Peaceophobia, Common Wealth’s other Fringe show. The play began life