Early morning interviews are always a great way to start the day, and this one with Brandon Kiziloz, really questioned the value and power of student theatre in Edinburgh and what needs to be done to support student theatre, whether that’s during the August festivals or all year round.
Originally from New York, Brandon Kiziloz is a writer and director living in Edinburgh to complete his MA in Intermediality. Brandon is excitingly bringing his show back to the Fringe this year. Most recently he performed his Fringe show in New York, and it was fascinating to hear how the festival in Edinburgh compares to the theatre scene back at home which is, in the words of Brandon, “less open” and the Edinburgh Festival audiences he described as “less cynical,” by that meaning the audiences will always be willing to see a magic show, before lumbering to a single hander focussing exclusively on the loss of one’s mother.
Speaking about himself and his influences, Kiziloz quickly noted that “he is quite a neurotic person” “who works tirelessly on whatever [he does],” and this was made clear in the interview with his profound passion for improving student theatre going forward. He spoke of “perfectionism,” which becomes particularly relevant when bringing his latest show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which he both wrote and is now directing — no mean feat for someone getting started at the festivals.
With Brandon’s experience, learning-on-the go and relying on student theatre for much of his theatre education per se, he is fully aware of its pitfalls and traps. At school he had “a passion for theatre but no formal training.” In order to better develop his taste and know-how he “essentially focussed on watching other student theatre.” He explored how this was his way of learning how to write, and then transfer those skills into directing most recently.
After this well-formed introduction I came to the key question for me: what can be done to improve the scene which often hangs in the balance or provokes controversy? He noted that student theatre is not “actually supported” by the LLC(Literature Languages and Cultures) department at the University, and the way of producing shows means that there are “no actual industry mechanisms” which is something Brandon felt he missed before moving into the Edinburgh festival space. He explained how “more monitoring” of student theatre from the world-class literature department at Edinburgh would be game-changing.
Recent changes have brought increasing focus on the lack of support for young writers at the university. Brandon spoke passionately about the impact of slashing the Playwriting MA, and how the Creative Writing MA is incomparable when it comes to educating on theatre-based writing.
Possible solutions to find common ground between student based opportunities and the department of Literatures, Languages and Cultures are numerous for Brandon and need reevaluating. He described how “a project to give mentorship and logistical help” would be welcomed with open arms, and some kind of “programme strictly tied to the university.” Important to remember is the department’s backing with their English Literature Play award, which grants up to £1,500 annually to support a play developed exclusively by students at the university. Still, Brandon sees that there is more to be done to aid young creatives as they develop their theatre craft.
As a student, Kiziloz draws from bad student/staff experiences in his piece, writing about a “professor who has a nervous breakdown” when they come face to face with their students. His production explores the students in the face of the professor: one being the teacher’s pet, and the other being the class prankster. He described the genre excitedly as a “dark comedy.” Returning to the Fringe with this hit will be exciting indeed.
Broadening my lens wider than his Fringe hit, Brandon assured me that playwrighting programmes like that previously offered at the university will retain their value. This is especially relevant given recent politicians calling into question university degrees. Brandon noted that “there should be more of a focus on playwriting courses at other schools.” An interesting debate as university places are coming under question.
This year looks to be a big one for Brandon, and his keen interest and enthusiasm for the student community.
Bedlam Theatre Image provided by Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons sourced via Openers
50 George Square image by Stinglehammer, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons sourced via Openers
