Northern Power Dramaturgy: Cassie Atkinson, Kat Butterfield and Charlotte Pearson @ Edfringe 2017

Northern Power Blouse

A right good sketch show

3:45PM (45 mins)

5^th August – 26^th August (not 15^th or 22^nd)

PBH Free Fringe at Opium (upstairs) venue 96

Free (non-ticketed)

•  Semi-finalists for this year's Leicester Square Sketch Off competition
• From the writer of Comic Relief sketches The Designers ft. Nick Mohammed, Rhys James, Lolly Adefope, Natasia & Jamie Demetriou, described as 'hilarious' by Metro and Stephen Hawking’s New Voice (aired on BBC One & NBC Red Nose Day America, with over 7 million views online) described as ‘hilarious’ by Rolling Stone
• As heard on Radio 4 (Dead Ringers, News Jack, Show What You Wrote) and seen on E4’s Drifters
• Finalists for BAFTA Rocliffe, Funny Women, TriForce WriterSlam, London Sketchfest and Best of Bolton writing competitions

Join Northern Power Blouse for a right good sketch show from a power house of feisty northern lasses hailing from Bolton, Tynemouth and Morecambe.

It’s an energetic quick-fire sketch show packed full of big characters, silly songs, meat pies and highly flammable 80’s blouses. With sketches ranging from sharp observations, to surreal silly fun, with a dash of feminism and a little bit of George Formby thrown in.

What was the inspiration for this performance?

Being three northern lases, we’ve a fair few northern inspirations in there - George Formby, meat pies, flat caps, whippets, the non-stereotypical list goes on. The rest's inspired by life as three totally normal and emotionally stable females living in 2017 –  we’re worrying about making small talk in the office, being prematurely middle aged, getting lost in the vortex of the internet, eating yoghurt on the beach and dangly balls. Just classic woman stuff really.

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas? 

Of course. We hope that the modern day themes of our show will strike a chord with our audience and that people will come away discussing our show – ‘What the hell was that?’ ‘Why so much polyester?’ and other vital issues.

How did you become interested in making performance?

We love comedy, and grew up watching Victoria Wood, Julie Walters and French & Saunders who all threw themselves into a performance tits first, making utter plonkers of themselves just to make people laugh. We want to do that too. We have sturdy enough bras.

Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?

Despite our quite ‘rough and ready’ on stage persona, we do lots of writing and re-writing. We all studied comedy writing at the National Film and Television School so good writing is (we hope) at the heart of everything. We’ll always start with a solid script, then improvise around it and ruin it later on in the process.  

Does the show fit with your usual productions?

It’s a full 45 minutes of our trademark songs, slightly surreal silliness and larger than life characters. This is our debut Edinburgh show, and it’s at Opium, Cowgate at 3:45pm. Pop along and we’ll put the kettle on for you.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

We’ve got songs, sketches and borderline offensive blouses from the 1980s, so we’re hoping the audience will feel immense joy and wonder - like the first time they ate a pie. Some (other Northerners) may even feel a sense of patriotism. Others (Southerners) may feel jealousy, or confusion. In general, we hope the audience have a bloody good laugh and a bit of escapism from the drudgery of life down the coal mines.

Northern Power Blouse are emerging female comedy writer/performers Cassie Atkinson, Kat Butterfield and Charlotte Pearson who met studying comedy at the prestigious National Film and Television School.

They've got a wealth of comedy credits between them including hit sketches for Comic Relief starring everyone from new comic talents Nick Mohammed and Rhys James to the world-famous Stephen Fry and Rebel Wilson. They’ve also written for Radio 4 shows Dead Ringers, NewsJack & Show What You Wrote and have their own sitcoms in development.

After blousing it up in Brighton this month, they're now bringing their debut 45-minute show to the Edinburgh Fringe, and they're right chuffing excited about it too.