Tamsin Hurtado Clarke is one of the founders of award-winning Popelei, who celebrate their tenth anniversary by returning to Edinburgh Fringe with the world Premiere of PUSH.
Having graduated from Lecoq, Tamsin wasn’t having much luck in finding work as an actor, “but I just decided to get on with it and do it myself,” says Tamsin, “founding Popelei was basically born out of a desire to see the kind of stories that we wanted to watch.”
Tamsin adapted the book, Knowledge of Angels, and then did a site-specific performance at Shoreditch Church, and Popelei was born.
Tamsin left London and moved to to Bristol, and although Scarlett Plouviez and Penelope Saward, who are also part of Popelei, are based in other parts of the country, the company considers itself to now be Bristol based.
As Popelei celebrates its tenth anniversary, Tamsin reflects on the last two years, “the pandemic has taken up some of our time as a company, and that feels a little unfair, because I definitely would have liked to have been a little bit further along. But those two years weren’t wasted, we did a lot of digital work, which actually was beautiful, because sometimes when you’re a small company just working on your own, you tend to forget about reaching out to your fellow peers and theatre makers.”
The pandemic has also given the company time to devise their new show that now comes to Edinburgh Fringe, “It’s been 8 years since we were last at The Fringe, and it was such a big effort to take the show up, financially and emotionally. We really wanted to be ready before we decided to take the next one up. I go to the Fringe every year to see shows and to program shows, so I feel like PUSH is the right show to go up with.”
“I think a lot of people can get something out of PUSH,” says Tamsin, “it’s a story about the 3 minutes that you wait for the pregnancy stick to tell you if you’re pregnant, and the multitude of emotions that you go through at that moment.”
“It’s high energy, it’s funny, it’s honest, very honest! It’s one of those shows that I guess you think it’s one thing and then it turns out to be another, in a very positive way.”
PUSH has been devised in the same way the company always works, “I’ll have something that I want to do, either adapt a book, or attempt a 1-person show, and then I’ll start researching it,” explains Tamsin, “and I’ll write a very rough script, maybe it’s 10 hours long and just way too much, or it’s just the beginnings of an idea.”
“I’ll connect with Scarlett, who is co-director of the company, and she’s also director of the shows, and we’ll work on our feet in the room. We’ll work on every part and she will curate it, making sure the pace, the rhythm, and also that the information that we’re getting across is succinct and not too fluffy. We’re quite a direct company. We don’t do fluff!”
Tamsin thinks that audiences will be able to relate to PUSH “as most people, but probably mostly women, feel when they get to their mid-30s, and everybody’s starting to have babies and going off and procreating, and for a long time you think you’ll figure it out later, but unfortunately, there’s a limit for women.”
“But then it’s also a lot to do with motherhood and maternal or unmaternal instinct, and all of those realities. Everyone who’s come to see our previews has found something exciting about it, it’s very physical, so people who enjoy watching physical theatre will also enjoy it.”
Tamsin is looking forward to returning to the Edinburgh Fringe, “I’m most looking forward to the performing element, being pregnant is going to be an interesting one. It’s every actor’s dream to perform their show every day, and that’s why the Fringe is so fantastic. But it has its challenges. Edinburgh isn’t just an hour a day with your show, it’s the work of promoting, schmoozing, trying to sell tickets.”
“But after the 2 years that we’ve just had, I think a lot of the performers going up are just so excited. We’re so ready.”
PUSH, co-created and performed by Tamsin Hurtado Clarke, is at Pleasance Courtyard Wednesday 3rd – Monday 29th August 2022 (not 15th) at 14:00
