Our 10 selected WINDOW companies for Brighton Fringe 2018 have now been announced! In our final WINDOW interview, we speak to James Lorien MacDonald about their show, Gender Euphoria.
What is your event about?
Gender Euphoria is a stand-up comedy show about transitioning, and the weird things that happen to you when you do. It’s about masculinity and femininity and both and neither, about the way we all obsess over our own “normality” and get caught up between resisting and conforming. Also, most of the dick jokes involve a detachable penis.
Why did you decide to make it?
I first presented the show as part of a Master’s degree in Live Art and Performance Studies at the National Theatre Academy in Helsinki – but apart from that, it’s a continuation of my stand-up work, which I’ve been doing for 7 years now. As a transgender man, I’m aware that my work can’t escape being activism, but my activism takes the form of laughter instead of protest.
Who should see your show?
The most obvious audience is queer folk; those who have had to confront their own gender and sexual identities in their lives, and I often hear how mind-blowing it is to see themselves represented on a stage. Having said that, I also write a lot for “mainstream” audiences—and I perform a lot for people who have never knowingly met a trans person before.
What should audience members expect?
Expect a load of stories so unbelievable they simply must be true! Gender Euphoria is a solid hour of stand-up that’s also part ad-lib, part storytelling, part confessional. I dive deep into some of my most personal anxieties to show people they’re not alone.
What are the technical requirements of the event?
A microphone, a projector, and a screen.
What are your plans post-Brighton Fringe, with this or other work?
I’d love to tour Gender Euphoria as extensively as I can. I’m just breaking in to the professional level of the comedy scene where I’m based in Helsinki, and it’s time to expand that scene. The next steps are touring, touring, and more touring.
What does it mean to you to be selected for WINDOW?
It’s a fantastic opportunity—being a total outsider, it means a lot to have the trust of the Fringe behind my work, and to have an opportunity to show that work to a lot more people than I otherwise would have done.
What do you hope to gain from inclusion in WINDOW?
Gigs! New contacts are fantastic, new ideas are great, but gigs are where it’s at.
Gender Euphoria
8 & 9 May, 19:30
Marlborough Theatre, 4 Princes Street, BN2 1RD