Jamie Finn is the writer and performer behind the highly anticipated show Nobody’s Talking About Jamie, which is poised to make a splash at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. In a candid interview, Jamie shares his thoughts on the show, his journey as a performer, and his excitement for the upcoming festival.
Jamie’s background as an actor, trained at Central School of Speech and Drama, led him to explore stand-up and musical comedy. However, his love for theatre remained strong, and he found himself drawn back to the stage. Describing his journey, Jamie said, “I’ve never really left that love of theatre, of acting and performing. I’ve formed this show with this version, and with this facet of myself.”
The show follows the story of a character named Jamie, who aspires to be a singer-songwriter but is hindered by his lack of talent. When his girlfriend leaves him for a gym-goer, Jamie decides to reinvent himself. He moves to trendy East London and shares a flat with an American spin instructor who becomes instrumental in his personal transformation. Jamie explained, “The platonic love that he finds with this American spin instructor is the real heart of the play.”
The show is an exploration of platonic love and the impact it can have. Jamie shared, “This is a love letter to all the women that I’ve encountered in my life that have helped shape me, I’ve rolled them into this one amazing character.”
Inspired by his personal experiences, Jamie delves into the complexities of losing a friend and the profound emotions associated with these platonic relationships, “We all know about the pain we go through when we split up with a partner, but no-one ever talks about the pain of ‘splitting up’ with a friend; that can be just as traumatic and I really wanted to explore that.”
Reflecting on his previous run at Vault Festival, Jamie learned the importance of storytelling and condensing the narrative, “Fifty-five minutes to tell a story well, with details, and with heart, and with character development can be difficult. What I learned from Vault is just tell them what happened and let the audience really get to grips with how they feel about the characters, if I’m telling the story well, the audience will understand.”
Taking a show to the Edinburgh Fringe comes with its challenges, especially on a financial level. Jamie acknowledged the financial strain but is determined to showcase his commitment to the story and the responsibility of delivering an authentic performance. He said, “I’ve got a job to do now, which is to tell my story, and tell it well.”
Excited about performing at Underbelly Cowgate, Jamie can’t wait to perform his own show and have the opportunity to see other incredible acts. He shared, “I love Cowgate, I love the vibe around Underbelly, it’s the perfect home for Nobody’s Talking About Jamie.”
When asked how he would pitch the show to potential audiences, Jamie’s humour and warmth shone through. He quipped, “If you’re up for an amazing, heartfelt hour of comedy, with music and a story about the romance of platonic love with a guy who looks a bit like Macaulay Culkin mixed with Ellen DeGeneres, I think you’d be in for an absolute treat.”
More information about Nobody’s Talking About Jamie can be found here.
