Q&A with Bebe Cave

SWOON explores beauty, femininity and the horror of being looked at. What first sparked the idea for the show?

I was obsessed with the pre-raphaelite brotherhood (both their artwork and the glamorous bohemia of their lives and muses) in my late adolescence and early adulthood. Is it just because I wanted to be a wistful beautiful girl with long red hair smelling a flower in the garden? I couldn’t possibly say. I dyed my hair copper and wandered aimlessly around art museums for a few years to really try and seal the deal, but unfortunately nobody ever attempted to paint me. I have always had tonnes of posters, postcards and poorly imitated line drawings of their paintings stuck over every wall I’ve slept under for the last ten years.

However, it was only in the last year that I decided I wanted to explore them even further in the form of narrative comedy. Pretentious artsy boys are my special interest (and the objects of my affections)! My writing tends to follow a woman trying (and failing) to express herself, and the pursuit of being observed, whether that's as a failed actress or doomed mystic. But then I wondered: who is more observable yet unexpressed than a woman in a painting? Silent, beautiful and frozen in time. I have always been drawn to the romantic and wistful quality of their work, and the mystery of the women featured in them. I wanted to write something that explored the glamour and tragedy of musehood, hugely inspired by the beautiful Victorian artist and model Lizzie Siddal. I also wanted to write about someone who wants this life despite the toxicity of the male artists. So this is a show about Lizzie and her fictional sister, Bertrude. The muse who gets chosen, and the wannabe who doesn’t. Who ends up happily ever after? You’ll have to come and watch it to find out.

CHRISTBRIDE was such a breakout success. Did following up an award-winning debut feel creatively freeing or intimidating?

Thank you!! I have learnt so much from Christbride. I love researching my show topics, and I let my writing process be guided by real life stories. I was so deeply fascinated by the history and context of medieval mysticism, and went on to write so much waffle about the actual specifics of this topic - but in previews I realised that to make a comedy show you have to mostly write jokes and keep the story moving along very quickly. It turns out audiences are very smart and can pick up on the background even with a very light touch. Then it was time to be in Edinburgh and so I turned up at the fringe with a slightly unfinished show, and it felt very risky! But it made me release all expectations of what would happen, and instead I tried to focus on enjoying the performances and working things out in front of people based on their reactions. I normally like to feel more prepared, but I learnt that the pressure made me able to tap into something funnier! I have grown in confidence so much, and I am still carrying that sense of freedom with me in my writing and performing for this show,regardless of how unfinished it may feel by the time the fringe starts (answer: very).

Is there a character in the show you particularly love performing?

There is a character I have titled ‘steampunk gentleman’ that might be my favourite I’ve ever written. He is the godfather of all vintage themed adults.

The show asks what happens after the “happy ending.” Do you think fairy tales have emotionally damaged generations of women? Definitely! But I think emotional damage is what creates depth and growth. If we didn’t have fairy tales and fantasy to expand our imaginations, and create yearning in our souls, and then subsequently feel disappointed by the reality of the world - then we wouldn’t seek adventure and experience to bridge this gap! I have made all the art and work that I am most proud of in response to times of deep despair and longing. Pain and beauty are soulmates.

Your comedy feels very intelligent but also deeply silly. Do you enjoy making audiences unsure whether to laugh or write an essay afterwards?

Absolutely! I love to laugh and feel on edge at the same time. Is that bad? Maybe I have eaten too many preservatives and listened to too much loud music in my life and now my nerve endings are so fried I require intensity at all times. I have tried in many of my past lives (failed job pursuits in my 20s) to be ‘intelligent’ and ‘profound’, but it often felt inauthentic. Comedy requires you to be truly authentic, and cut out the clutter. I have had to shed many layers of trying to be ‘cool’, and I’m learning to follow my heart with the topics I write about. Most of the time it's the same things I was interested in as a little girl. Princesses, movies, paintings, medieval fantasy and dreams. Sometimes writing about this stuff can feel deeply indulgent and hyper specific, and even a bit repetitive. Women play roles in society, femininity is a performance, to be seen is to feel like I matter… we get it bebe. Pipe down. Get a job! But I find it so thrilling to discover the interconnecting themes and layers between these topics. I love going to shows or watching films that are super specific and make me want to sit down on a sofa and dissect afterwards. But I don’t know about writing an essay, I haven’t written an essay in over a decade. I hope that if someone does write an essay about my show they send it to me!

Bebe Cave: Swoon performs at Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 5th - 30th August. For more information visit: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/bebe-cave-swoon