Joe Sellman-Leava and Dylan Howells try to uncover how the economy wins elections, and why the force that dominates our lives is so bloody complicated! Developed with and directed by internationally acclaimed Katharina Reinthaller, and produced by Worklight Theatre, It’s the Economy Stupid! is a bold new show from the Fringe First winning creators of Labels and Fanboy.
Using paper bags, an old board game, and a pinch of theatrical magic, Joe and Dylan calculate how their lives have been shaped by the economies they grew up in. Their story centres around three recessions: the Early 90s Recession, the Great Recession of 2008 and the COVID-19 Recession. From the post-war economy their parents and grandparents grew up in, to the post-covid economy and cost-of-living crisis we’re all navigating today, Joe and Dylan try to discover the true cost of low financial literacy in a world dominated by money.
Taking its title from James Carville (who successfully framed the 1992 American Presidential election around the recession), It’s the Economy, Stupid! will be underpinned by magic, storytelling, and auto fiction.
Joe Sellman-Leava comments, It’s the Economy, Stupid is the culmination of two years of research, development and a few burning questions I have about how our economy functions, the way it shapes our politics, and why it has, thus far, failed to solve the climate emergency and cost of living crisis. It is also the result of a collaboration with Dylan Howells and Katharina Reinthaller – both of whom I’ve worked with separately, but never as a trio. Knowing the joy, creativity and tenacity they bring to every show they make, I think this one is going to be mischievous, moving and magical, and I can’t wait to bring it to Edinburgh, this August.
FANBOY will also be returning to Edinburgh Fringe from 15th – 26th August (not 21st), 14.55 at Pleasance Dome (10 Dome).
