WEBVTT 00:00:30.769 --> 00:00:33.890 Welcome everyone to this special bonus episode 00:00:33.890 --> 00:00:37.270 of Valhalla Conversations podcast titled Legends 00:00:37.270 --> 00:00:40.530 of Jorvik. Now there are many tales of Jorvik, 00:00:40.810 --> 00:00:44.369 but this is more particular to the modern era, 00:00:44.469 --> 00:00:47.609 because I am an annual pilgrim to the annual 00:00:47.609 --> 00:00:50.509 Viking festival held in Jorvik, run by the Jorvik 00:00:50.509 --> 00:00:52.770 Viking Museum and the Jorvik Archaeological Trust, 00:00:53.049 --> 00:00:55.590 and every year they have a great set of acts, 00:00:55.890 --> 00:01:00.049 academics, historians, authors, performers, storytellers, 00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:03.060 drama shows, you name it, they've had it on and 00:01:03.060 --> 00:01:05.180 it's all to do with history or mythology or both 00:01:05.180 --> 00:01:07.640 and I've decided you know what, I like them all 00:01:07.640 --> 00:01:09.819 so why don't I get them on and talk to them about 00:01:09.819 --> 00:01:12.120 their work and how they creatively use history, 00:01:12.280 --> 00:01:15.099 mythology and more to make wonderful pieces for 00:01:15.099 --> 00:01:17.239 audiences to engage with and I'm delighted in 00:01:17.239 --> 00:01:19.420 this debut episode of a mini series that I'm 00:01:19.420 --> 00:01:22.700 working on to welcome two of the three members 00:01:22.700 --> 00:01:26.579 of Old York Theatre, Charlie and Ollie. Welcome 00:01:26.579 --> 00:01:28.959 gentlemen. Thank you, thank you for having us. 00:01:29.239 --> 00:01:32.620 Hi, yeah, thank you for having us. Now, I'm going 00:01:32.620 --> 00:01:35.500 to say Old York Theatre is a very new theatre 00:01:35.500 --> 00:01:37.599 company of sorts on the block, is it not, Charlie? 00:01:38.379 --> 00:01:41.500 Yeah, very new. Yeah, not like its name, it's 00:01:41.500 --> 00:01:43.939 not old. It is a very new theatre company and 00:01:43.939 --> 00:01:47.920 this was our first show, yeah. Yes, now these 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:49.700 guys, if you're wondering, audience and listeners 00:01:49.700 --> 00:01:52.340 and viewers, or whatever platform you may be 00:01:52.340 --> 00:01:54.900 listening or watching, they performed a debut 00:01:54.900 --> 00:01:59.019 play called Jorvik. kind of aptly at Yorby Viking 00:01:59.019 --> 00:02:01.480 Festival and I was one of the first audience 00:02:01.480 --> 00:02:05.079 group to participate in some way or at least 00:02:05.079 --> 00:02:07.920 immerse myself in it because it is a play that 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:11.319 doesn't have a stage. it is an immersive play, 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:14.020 you are literally not just an audience watching, 00:02:14.439 --> 00:02:16.520 you're participating, you're witnessing, you're 00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:18.900 experiencing it all and I definitely experienced 00:02:18.900 --> 00:02:21.460 it and I absolutely loved it and I ranted and 00:02:21.460 --> 00:02:23.080 raved at these guys afterwards because I loved 00:02:23.080 --> 00:02:25.439 it so much and I haven't scared them off, that's 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:27.500 why they're here, but they might not come back 00:02:27.500 --> 00:02:32.870 here after tonight so we shall see. I would like 00:02:32.870 --> 00:02:34.750 you, Charlie, then, because I know you were the 00:02:34.750 --> 00:02:37.550 matter behind the wonderful script. Would you 00:02:37.550 --> 00:02:40.849 explain to our audience and listeners what Jorvik's 00:02:40.849 --> 00:02:44.870 play is and what it's about? OK, so Jorvik is 00:02:44.870 --> 00:02:48.229 set exactly at the moment of the fall of Efuik 00:02:48.229 --> 00:02:52.409 and the rebirth as Jorvik, which in history is 00:02:52.409 --> 00:02:55.289 a major moment. And throughout history, cities 00:02:55.289 --> 00:02:58.120 go through these changes. as we've seen all over 00:02:58.120 --> 00:03:01.560 the country and the world. And this moment, even 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:04.719 though it's about this moment, really, it's about 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:07.099 humans, it's about human connection, it's about 00:03:07.099 --> 00:03:09.939 legacy, the one to be remembered. Like, instead 00:03:09.939 --> 00:03:13.620 of now using TikTok and Instagram to get fame, 00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:16.060 the Vikings use Tigers. So we're really we're 00:03:16.060 --> 00:03:18.379 not that far away from our ancestors as we think 00:03:18.379 --> 00:03:21.539 we are. And Yorvik is an exploration of that. 00:03:21.639 --> 00:03:23.840 But meanwhile, bringing a new style of theatre 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:26.699 to the north, something a bit different. immersive 00:03:26.699 --> 00:03:29.139 so like every audience member plays as big as 00:03:29.139 --> 00:03:31.960 well as me and Ollie and genuinely without the 00:03:31.960 --> 00:03:35.139 audience there is no show. All the theatres you 00:03:35.139 --> 00:03:36.819 can get away with being no audience that you 00:03:36.819 --> 00:03:39.439 can't see them it's like it's dark but in our 00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:42.039 show it lives and it dies by the people who turn 00:03:42.039 --> 00:03:45.060 up in the room that evening so yeah it's a really 00:03:45.060 --> 00:03:47.080 fun new exploration of something different and 00:03:47.080 --> 00:03:49.599 people seem to really enjoy it which was lovely. 00:03:51.060 --> 00:03:55.449 It was a real treat. an experience. It was so 00:03:55.449 --> 00:03:58.669 massively done. I wish it could be recorded and 00:03:58.669 --> 00:04:00.310 shared with the world or that it could just be 00:04:00.310 --> 00:04:02.849 put on weekly so people can just always go get 00:04:02.849 --> 00:04:06.150 a dose of Vikingness because it started off pretty 00:04:06.150 --> 00:04:11.490 strongly with you, Ollie, because you play, should 00:04:11.490 --> 00:04:13.509 I spoil it? I'm going to spoil it because I don't 00:04:13.509 --> 00:04:15.870 know what you guys are next showing it, but you 00:04:15.870 --> 00:04:19.310 play the character of Odin, am I correct? Yes, 00:04:19.310 --> 00:04:24.569 you are. I suppose to some extent there's an 00:04:24.569 --> 00:04:26.850 element of interpretation, but certainly in our 00:04:26.850 --> 00:04:32.009 headcanon, I play Odin. I'm Odin in the script, 00:04:32.329 --> 00:04:36.550 and one of the things that I deliver to an audience 00:04:36.550 --> 00:04:39.029 member that has a bit of script for them to read 00:04:39.029 --> 00:04:45.029 is labeled Odin's fave. So yeah, I'm pretty much 00:04:45.029 --> 00:04:46.790 Odin, but I think there's like a little bit of 00:04:46.790 --> 00:04:49.410 room for interpretation there as well. You might 00:04:49.410 --> 00:04:51.920 think he's lucky, maybe. yeah people might think 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:55.060 he's Loki. Now that is one line that really made 00:04:55.060 --> 00:04:57.300 me chuckle especially because of course you Charlie 00:04:57.300 --> 00:04:59.839 you're not just the writer you also acted out 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:02.860 yourself because you play the role of Ubba one 00:05:02.860 --> 00:05:05.680 of the legendary sons of Ragnar Lothbrok that 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:08.279 came over and caused havoc and did leave them 00:05:08.279 --> 00:05:12.040 up especially in York and England in history 00:05:12.040 --> 00:05:16.519 and it's a wonderful if not beautifully majestic 00:05:16.519 --> 00:05:21.279 debate almost between Odin although uber may 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:23.180 not name him as odin but he certainly appears 00:05:23.180 --> 00:05:26.180 as a scale the storyteller and this storyteller 00:05:26.180 --> 00:05:29.399 keeps opening up the conversation to of course 00:05:29.399 --> 00:05:32.800 the issue as you mentioned of legacy and remembrance 00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:36.199 and that's beautifully paired not just with the 00:05:36.199 --> 00:05:38.439 human experience of these warriors wanting to 00:05:38.439 --> 00:05:41.579 live forever and dying off to fell ha which every 00:05:41.579 --> 00:05:44.759 good norseman seems to stereotypically want um 00:05:44.759 --> 00:05:48.560 but of course odin as a as a god of a forgotten 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:52.209 pantheon of limited worship these days, I mean 00:05:52.209 --> 00:05:54.790 there are still some that do follow the old ways 00:05:54.790 --> 00:05:58.449 to some variance degree out there, but I thought 00:05:58.449 --> 00:06:01.750 that was a beautiful reflection, especially an 00:06:01.750 --> 00:06:04.449 explanation of Odin's character, because of course 00:06:04.449 --> 00:06:09.750 people know him as a god of war, a god of glory, 00:06:11.930 --> 00:06:15.889 god of prophecy to some degree, but he's also 00:06:15.889 --> 00:06:18.829 a god of knowledge and fate because he's always 00:06:18.829 --> 00:06:22.240 trying to outrun if not out prepare, Ragnarok 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:24.220 in a way which is why he wants all these warriors. 00:06:25.300 --> 00:06:29.100 And I think that was a really good mirror representation 00:06:29.100 --> 00:06:31.379 you did Charlie with the script for these two 00:06:31.379 --> 00:06:33.500 characters. Especially because not many people 00:06:33.500 --> 00:06:35.560 think of Ugo. I mean I think of Ugo and I think 00:06:35.560 --> 00:06:38.019 of just the guy from The Last Kingdom which I 00:06:38.019 --> 00:06:40.480 actually have to meet. He was, he was a mate, 00:06:40.540 --> 00:06:44.060 he's as tall as he is on the screen. I felt even 00:06:44.060 --> 00:06:49.660 smaller. Of course there's Aivar, and there was, 00:06:49.699 --> 00:06:51.639 the third name is going to elude me now, there 00:06:51.639 --> 00:06:57.120 was Ivar, Uba and I want to say Sven, but it's 00:06:57.120 --> 00:06:59.639 not Sven. I'm sure someone will come in to correct 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:03.420 me. I don't want to put a name out there because 00:07:03.420 --> 00:07:06.339 it's wrong. I know Uba and Ivar were there, so 00:07:06.339 --> 00:07:09.459 we'll go on. There was a conversation during 00:07:09.459 --> 00:07:12.379 rehearsals where there was an earlier version 00:07:12.379 --> 00:07:15.160 of the script where we mentioned lots of Ragnar's 00:07:15.160 --> 00:07:17.769 children by name and then during the course of 00:07:17.769 --> 00:07:19.629 like researching the show, we realized that there's 00:07:19.629 --> 00:07:22.350 a great amount of debate as to how many of them 00:07:22.350 --> 00:07:25.050 are authentic children. And so we were just like, 00:07:25.110 --> 00:07:27.129 you know what, let's just stick with Uber and 00:07:27.129 --> 00:07:30.629 Ivar because we know those ones are pretty solid. 00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:34.019 My brains just said half -dan, but I could be 00:07:34.019 --> 00:07:36.139 wrong on half -dan as well. But anyway, there 00:07:36.139 --> 00:07:38.220 are supposedly at least three brothers. We know 00:07:38.220 --> 00:07:40.680 that much. Certainly from The Launching of the 00:07:40.680 --> 00:07:44.139 Last Kingdom, I know there were three. But again, 00:07:44.300 --> 00:07:47.879 that's kind of an open interpretation. So I'm 00:07:47.879 --> 00:07:50.339 going to suggest a question kind of like, how 00:07:50.339 --> 00:07:55.300 did this all begin then? OK. So it really began 00:07:55.300 --> 00:07:59.209 while I was still at drama school. to my final 00:07:59.209 --> 00:08:03.230 project, I wrote a play about Sigurd, who was 00:08:03.230 --> 00:08:04.870 supposedly the son of Ragnar as well, but that 00:08:04.870 --> 00:08:07.730 is still up for debate. But in the interpretation 00:08:07.730 --> 00:08:09.529 of the film that I did, Sigurd was the son of 00:08:09.529 --> 00:08:12.670 Ragnar. And it was about legacy, and I picked 00:08:12.670 --> 00:08:15.149 Sigurd because he's briefly mentioned in history, 00:08:15.790 --> 00:08:17.889 about as Ragnar's sons, and then he's forgotten 00:08:17.889 --> 00:08:21.829 about. So I did a film about Sigurd, and that 00:08:21.829 --> 00:08:25.189 got shown at the Viking Festival. Really? Oh, 00:08:25.189 --> 00:08:28.160 wow. That was two years ago. I must have missed 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:30.899 it that year. I haven't been to the Viking Festival 00:08:30.899 --> 00:08:33.179 in person for a number of years simply because 00:08:33.179 --> 00:08:34.840 Canterbury Nine Trains couldn't get their act 00:08:34.840 --> 00:08:38.460 together for a long time. Now they have. I'm 00:08:38.460 --> 00:08:41.460 a bit more mobile. So I'm gutted I've missed 00:08:41.460 --> 00:08:49.679 out on that. When I was there, I realised it 00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:51.580 would be great if there was a theatre show here. 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:56.940 And there wasn't. So I simply emailed the Orvik. 00:08:57.759 --> 00:08:59.559 I was like, well, actually, no, I wrote a script 00:08:59.559 --> 00:09:05.340 in an hour. Ollie loves his story. I'm not a 00:09:05.340 --> 00:09:08.120 trained playwright. Playwriting literally just 00:09:08.120 --> 00:09:10.539 comes from, like, how I write it just comes from 00:09:10.539 --> 00:09:13.600 my head. So I just logged in, wrote a play, as 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:16.879 you do. And then I sent that to the Orvik and 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:19.860 was like, any chance I could put this on? And 00:09:19.860 --> 00:09:25.730 they were like, yeah. And I went... Okay. Because 00:09:25.730 --> 00:09:28.590 I've always been an actor, trained as an actor, 00:09:29.490 --> 00:09:31.370 professional as an actor, but never producing, 00:09:31.529 --> 00:09:35.090 never writing or directing. So I brought on some 00:09:35.090 --> 00:09:37.169 experienced heads, like Ollie and Jack, who are 00:09:37.169 --> 00:09:39.450 just, yeah, they know the industry well, and 00:09:39.450 --> 00:09:41.649 they're great people. And I was like, help me 00:09:41.649 --> 00:09:44.289 make this real. Because I've signed a contract 00:09:44.289 --> 00:09:48.769 to put it on. Yeah, and then we went from there 00:09:48.769 --> 00:09:50.490 really, then Ollie came on board and I let Ollie 00:09:50.490 --> 00:09:54.320 take over the story. Well, yeah, as Charlie says, 00:09:54.580 --> 00:09:56.879 he sent me the script and said, I hope you'll 00:09:56.879 --> 00:09:58.919 be on board because I've already signed the contract. 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:01.279 I was like, well, as your friend, I haven't really 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:04.799 got much of a choice now, have I? No, no, I read 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:08.639 the script and I thought it was incredible. I 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:10.820 think, you know, you've seen the show. I think 00:10:10.820 --> 00:10:15.519 some of the poetic writing in there is phenomenal. 00:10:16.100 --> 00:10:17.960 And, you know, I sort of fell in love with the 00:10:17.960 --> 00:10:21.500 script straight away. I actually read through 00:10:21.500 --> 00:10:25.259 it and then highlighted two lines right near 00:10:25.259 --> 00:10:29.220 the end of the script and Charlie will be able 00:10:29.220 --> 00:10:31.179 to tell you what those lines are. I can't remember 00:10:31.179 --> 00:10:33.120 off the top of my head but they're his lines 00:10:33.120 --> 00:10:39.299 anyway so it's fine. Why must we wait until we 00:10:39.299 --> 00:10:41.399 are over another world to hear this praise? Why 00:10:41.399 --> 00:10:52.629 must it come when we are gone? Yeah, I think 00:10:52.629 --> 00:10:54.529 it's those two lines. Yeah, it was those two. 00:10:54.769 --> 00:10:57.750 I read those two and like, I felt like a, you 00:10:57.750 --> 00:11:01.090 know, like almost like a hit to the heart. And 00:11:01.090 --> 00:11:03.110 I thought that's the message of the show. You 00:11:03.110 --> 00:11:06.950 know, like why... Why do we wait? Why do we wait 00:11:06.950 --> 00:11:09.610 for our to be gone before we celebrate our legacies, 00:11:09.730 --> 00:11:11.809 right? Like we should be celebrating those people 00:11:11.809 --> 00:11:15.710 that we love around us all the time because there's 00:11:15.710 --> 00:11:17.870 only we only have one one go around, you know 00:11:17.870 --> 00:11:21.090 what I mean? So that for me, that really spoke 00:11:21.090 --> 00:11:23.250 volume. So I highlighted that and I sent him 00:11:23.250 --> 00:11:25.169 back the script and I said, yes, I'll do it. 00:11:25.210 --> 00:11:28.570 And this is this is this is it. This is the show. 00:11:28.889 --> 00:11:32.129 That's brilliant. It was lovely. And and then, 00:11:32.149 --> 00:11:36.950 yeah, we We got Jack on board not too long after. 00:11:37.549 --> 00:11:39.370 We sort of reached out to him. I've worked with 00:11:39.370 --> 00:11:42.610 Jack before on different projects. He's a very 00:11:42.610 --> 00:11:45.830 accomplished producer, theatre maker, actor himself. 00:11:46.809 --> 00:11:49.549 He's done a lot of amazing work with VR and stuff 00:11:49.549 --> 00:11:53.549 like that. He's a really talented guy. And I 00:11:53.549 --> 00:11:55.269 said to Charlie straight away, I was like, if 00:11:55.269 --> 00:11:57.429 we want someone who really knows their stuff 00:11:57.429 --> 00:12:00.129 inside out backwards, this is the guy we want. 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:02.940 Um, so we had a meeting he read the script got 00:12:02.940 --> 00:12:06.000 back to us and said, yeah, I love it i'm on board 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:10.639 so we've worked kind of like um in a in a We 00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:12.940 worked with jack quite significantly for a while 00:12:12.940 --> 00:12:16.700 and then in a slightly less, um intense capacity 00:12:16.700 --> 00:12:19.500 more recently, but um, he's still always on board 00:12:19.500 --> 00:12:22.480 to sort of help us out and And and step in and 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:24.759 he's our all father, isn't he? He watches Yeah, 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:31.169 we need like we need some help. Yeah. Yeah Is 00:12:31.169 --> 00:12:34.070 it because of the way you highlighted those particular 00:12:34.070 --> 00:12:36.490 words, Ollie, that maybe you were thinking you'd 00:12:36.490 --> 00:12:38.789 have the role of other in the end of production? 00:12:38.950 --> 00:12:42.909 Or did you always want Odin? No, I knew Charlie 00:12:42.909 --> 00:12:50.149 was from the get -go. I think I'm more suited 00:12:50.149 --> 00:12:52.090 to Odin and I always kind of felt like I was. 00:12:53.350 --> 00:12:57.960 And I made the mistake of... of suggesting to 00:12:57.960 --> 00:13:00.259 Charlie at one point that I needed more lines. 00:13:02.639 --> 00:13:06.519 I was like, mate, I already had so much to learn. 00:13:06.620 --> 00:13:12.240 And then I was like, mate, you've said like, 00:13:12.759 --> 00:13:15.340 oh, you know, you're such a wordsmith is like 00:13:15.340 --> 00:13:18.259 the next line. But what Odin had said before 00:13:18.259 --> 00:13:19.860 that was something very simple. And I was like, 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:22.399 you've set this up perfectly for a monologue 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:24.279 here. And he was like, you know, that would have 00:13:24.279 --> 00:13:30.940 to be you. Yeah Well, I must admit I after once 00:13:30.940 --> 00:13:33.620 it kind of really dawned on me how much she both 00:13:33.620 --> 00:13:36.980 had to remember and the same cues I mean I can 00:13:36.980 --> 00:13:39.460 still remember kind of like the intro of you 00:13:39.460 --> 00:13:41.980 Ollie thinking of like welcome Harold Bluetooth 00:13:41.980 --> 00:13:43.659 and of course I was looking at the door thinking 00:13:43.659 --> 00:13:45.399 someone's gonna come through and no one does 00:13:45.399 --> 00:13:48.039 and then you pull the little joke slash stunt 00:13:48.039 --> 00:13:50.600 with the Bluetooth speaker, which I thought was 00:13:50.600 --> 00:13:52.919 really really clever. I quite like not just the 00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:55.879 way completely broke the fourth wall that there 00:13:55.879 --> 00:13:58.399 was no fourth wall we were all in that moment 00:13:58.399 --> 00:14:02.419 in that room in that scene is not just being 00:14:02.419 --> 00:14:05.080 an indirect passive observer but kind of like 00:14:05.080 --> 00:14:07.960 you doubly break the fourth one that you kind 00:14:07.960 --> 00:14:10.059 of you acknowledge that oh yes um we're speaking 00:14:10.059 --> 00:14:11.799 in the past but really i know you guys are all 00:14:11.799 --> 00:14:13.259 from the present and here's what you've been 00:14:13.259 --> 00:14:16.379 doing with the legacy of mr bluetooth here and 00:14:17.230 --> 00:14:19.570 I still like the line that the bluetooth speaker 00:14:19.570 --> 00:14:22.970 appears to say at the end, it really made me 00:14:22.970 --> 00:14:26.529 chuckle. And of course you do give one of the 00:14:26.529 --> 00:14:30.889 audience members or kind of like the immersive 00:14:30.889 --> 00:14:33.250 audience a script and another one a script and 00:14:33.250 --> 00:14:36.049 have them do a little bit of acting. I'm curious, 00:14:36.629 --> 00:14:39.070 is the script that they get the same for every 00:14:39.070 --> 00:14:41.090 time you've done the show or have you done a 00:14:41.090 --> 00:14:43.720 different one? per show because you've done a 00:14:43.720 --> 00:14:47.179 little bit of a tour with Jorvik so I know we've 00:14:47.179 --> 00:14:50.980 not just seen it in York it's been to Hull and 00:14:50.980 --> 00:14:53.399 I want to say Liverpool but I could be wrong 00:14:53.399 --> 00:14:56.159 Manchester that was the one I knew it was somewhere 00:14:56.159 --> 00:14:58.759 past where I am from which is Huddersfield so 00:14:58.759 --> 00:15:00.700 you've kind of like you've been one way and then 00:15:00.700 --> 00:15:05.000 passed me the other way yes so the script we 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:08.200 gave out is the same every show but it's always 00:15:08.200 --> 00:15:10.639 the interaction is always so different Yeah. 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:14.500 Which is really lovely. The venue and the audience 00:15:14.500 --> 00:15:18.600 inform the show massively. No two shows are generally 00:15:18.600 --> 00:15:21.840 the same, which is really nice as a performer. 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:25.559 It's nice not to get stuck in that, like, trap 00:15:25.559 --> 00:15:28.100 of, right, we do the show, we know, we go through 00:15:28.100 --> 00:15:31.100 it. You end up going on autopilot. Even the best 00:15:31.100 --> 00:15:32.899 actors in the world, you can't help but go on 00:15:32.899 --> 00:15:35.940 autopilot. But with this, every show is alive 00:15:35.940 --> 00:15:38.590 and every show is different. And we did four 00:15:38.590 --> 00:15:41.590 different venues in four days, very contrasted 00:15:41.590 --> 00:15:44.629 venues. So we didn't have rehearsals in the venues. 00:15:44.830 --> 00:15:47.169 We only had rehearsals. Valley Hall was the only 00:15:47.169 --> 00:15:49.909 place we got a rehearsal. Wow. Just because of 00:15:49.909 --> 00:15:54.269 time and money and resources. So the first time 00:15:54.269 --> 00:15:57.509 I was doing it in that venue for the show was 00:15:57.509 --> 00:15:59.470 the first time we were doing it in that venue. 00:15:59.950 --> 00:16:02.090 So like we're figuring out as we're going along, 00:16:02.350 --> 00:16:05.860 like in Manchester in a cabaret bar. So we've 00:16:05.860 --> 00:16:09.460 gone from Bali Hall to Cabaret Bar, it was totally 00:16:09.460 --> 00:16:13.240 different and it's like using that space to inform 00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:15.340 the show. So yeah, the script's a bit of a shame, 00:16:15.879 --> 00:16:17.940 but everyone brought their own different unique 00:16:17.940 --> 00:16:20.299 story to it, which is what I love about the format. 00:16:20.940 --> 00:16:23.940 That's the great thing about a show like that 00:16:23.940 --> 00:16:27.750 is that we sort of... We set up the audience 00:16:27.750 --> 00:16:30.269 essentially and go like, here you go, here's 00:16:30.269 --> 00:16:34.169 the baseline of what we've got here. We've got 00:16:34.169 --> 00:16:36.870 all the bits we've planned, but really this show 00:16:36.870 --> 00:16:40.029 is what you make of it. An audience that's super 00:16:40.029 --> 00:16:42.370 involved and super engaged and it's like joining 00:16:42.370 --> 00:16:45.529 in and pitching in ideas and stuff like that. 00:16:45.870 --> 00:16:50.629 They're going to get a great deal out and obviously 00:16:50.629 --> 00:16:53.429 it's on us to like... draw the audience in early 00:16:53.429 --> 00:16:56.509 doors. And that goes back to the Bluetooth speaker 00:16:56.509 --> 00:16:59.070 thing. There's a few different moments at the 00:16:59.070 --> 00:17:00.950 beginning of the show, like the Bluetooth speaker 00:17:00.950 --> 00:17:04.710 or what happens just after the fight, where we 00:17:04.710 --> 00:17:07.490 sort of break the fourth wall again and make 00:17:07.490 --> 00:17:10.650 a kind of joke of it. And all of those are there 00:17:10.650 --> 00:17:13.569 very deliberately to kind of set the audience 00:17:13.569 --> 00:17:16.369 expectation, to set that contract between us 00:17:16.369 --> 00:17:19.430 and the audience and say, look, You know, this 00:17:19.430 --> 00:17:21.329 isn't gonna be you're not gonna have to sit there 00:17:21.329 --> 00:17:23.490 quietly this whole time and just watch two actors 00:17:23.490 --> 00:17:26.390 go at it You know, we're we're here to sort of 00:17:26.390 --> 00:17:29.150 bring you in and engage with you and and the 00:17:29.150 --> 00:17:31.109 more response you give us the more we've got 00:17:31.109 --> 00:17:34.230 to play off and And and it makes this show better 00:17:34.230 --> 00:17:37.269 and and more like Charlie says more alive You 00:17:37.269 --> 00:17:40.190 can't switch off. No you can't switch off which 00:17:40.190 --> 00:17:43.009 is nice it's nice you know like we surprise each 00:17:43.009 --> 00:17:46.430 other as well sometimes yeah sometimes yeah i 00:17:46.430 --> 00:17:50.970 surprise charlie in manchester yeah oh i want 00:17:50.970 --> 00:17:54.190 to know more about that tell me more uh i just 00:17:54.190 --> 00:17:57.690 i i i don't even know why i just forgot one of 00:17:57.690 --> 00:18:00.609 my lines uh thankfully it was when charlie was 00:18:00.609 --> 00:18:02.730 on stage so we're just staring at each other 00:18:02.730 --> 00:18:06.470 for like About 15 seconds. I'm waiting for him 00:18:06.470 --> 00:18:08.529 to speak. He's waiting for me to speak and then 00:18:08.529 --> 00:18:11.069 I realized like oh I think actually this is one 00:18:11.069 --> 00:18:13.210 of mine. So we're just like really intensely 00:18:13.210 --> 00:18:17.210 looking at each other and I just go oh It's me 00:18:17.210 --> 00:18:21.150 in it And the whole audience laughs and I think 00:18:21.150 --> 00:18:23.789 because we've established that contract that 00:18:23.789 --> 00:18:25.950 like we are gonna step out and we are gonna ignore 00:18:25.950 --> 00:18:33.950 or at least Odin is pretty separate. I'm in the 00:18:33.950 --> 00:18:38.170 wild. Because he's been brought into Odin's space. 00:18:38.529 --> 00:18:41.029 Odin's in control. Odin can talk to the audience 00:18:41.029 --> 00:18:44.670 in the future and in the past. He can control 00:18:44.670 --> 00:18:50.410 that realm. Uber is very set where he is and 00:18:50.410 --> 00:18:53.130 he's being taken along for the ride almost more 00:18:53.130 --> 00:18:55.970 than the audience is. The audience is more in 00:18:55.970 --> 00:18:59.710 on it than he is, I think. Certainly by the end. 00:19:01.210 --> 00:19:03.109 And what I love about that was I had so many 00:19:03.109 --> 00:19:05.250 people coming up to me after. In any other show, 00:19:05.470 --> 00:19:08.069 someone forgets a line, always. Yeah, it's not 00:19:08.069 --> 00:19:11.210 good. But in this show, it's beautiful and I 00:19:11.210 --> 00:19:13.690 love it. People are coming up and saying, how 00:19:13.690 --> 00:19:15.650 did you write that in? That was really cool. 00:19:16.029 --> 00:19:18.349 That was so well rehearsed that bit. I was like, 00:19:18.349 --> 00:19:22.670 yeah, it was. But what I love about that is it's 00:19:22.670 --> 00:19:24.650 the realness and the rawness. And it's what I 00:19:24.650 --> 00:19:29.730 want to bring to theatre. Like, there is no hierarchy, 00:19:30.049 --> 00:19:35.009 performer, audience. We're just two blokes who 00:19:35.009 --> 00:19:38.329 are just in the costume telling a story. But 00:19:38.329 --> 00:19:40.890 we're all in the room together. And that's what's 00:19:40.890 --> 00:19:42.910 magic about it. It's the magic that it's real, 00:19:43.009 --> 00:19:45.779 it's raw. And that's why we want to take it to 00:19:45.779 --> 00:19:48.460 unconventional spaces do something a bit different 00:19:48.460 --> 00:19:50.880 and really like break that barrier of theatre 00:19:50.880 --> 00:19:53.619 and like what people expect a theatre experience 00:19:53.619 --> 00:19:57.279 is because it's not for everyone and it is elitist 00:19:57.279 --> 00:20:00.779 like it's expensive it's all these things that 00:20:00.779 --> 00:20:03.380 it really shouldn't be and really is for the 00:20:03.380 --> 00:20:06.019 people and we hope to keep doing that and in 00:20:06.019 --> 00:20:08.940 our raw honest approach yeah I think that's another 00:20:08.940 --> 00:20:11.099 thing that if you think about like the format 00:20:11.099 --> 00:20:16.369 of theatre and you know There's so much on TV 00:20:16.369 --> 00:20:18.769 now, there's so many movies, you know, it's all 00:20:18.769 --> 00:20:21.410 accessible via streaming. And the thing that 00:20:21.410 --> 00:20:25.150 theater really still has to offer is that, is 00:20:25.150 --> 00:20:27.710 the fact that you're there in person with it. 00:20:27.910 --> 00:20:29.970 And like a lot of theater, when you're just sat 00:20:29.970 --> 00:20:32.829 in an auditorium looking up at a stage, I mean, 00:20:33.029 --> 00:20:35.490 yes, they are there in front of you, but for 00:20:35.490 --> 00:20:37.369 all intents and purposes, it could just be a 00:20:37.369 --> 00:20:39.289 screen. Do you know what I mean? But with this, 00:20:39.650 --> 00:20:42.140 like I can come on lean on. lean on an audience 00:20:42.140 --> 00:20:44.660 member's shoulder and chat to them and like carry 00:20:44.660 --> 00:20:47.420 on with the scene and you can't you know that's 00:20:47.420 --> 00:20:49.359 the this is the only medium where you can do 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:52.480 that really yeah so i think the fact that we 00:20:52.480 --> 00:20:54.259 it was really important to us that we were using 00:20:54.259 --> 00:20:57.539 every you know, like every option available to 00:20:57.539 --> 00:20:59.559 us to kind of make this immersive and make this 00:20:59.559 --> 00:21:01.539 something special and unique that people would 00:21:01.539 --> 00:21:04.279 go home and be like, Oh my gosh, we saw this 00:21:04.279 --> 00:21:06.000 thing and it was like amazing. And they were 00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:08.240 talking to us and like, you know, they came over 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:09.859 and patted me on the shoulder and gave me a fist 00:21:09.859 --> 00:21:12.240 bump and like shouted in my face. And like, you 00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:14.880 know, we want it to be sort of unique and special 00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:18.559 and, and yeah, truly like immersive. And then 00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:20.299 make it that massive accessible as well. Cause 00:21:20.299 --> 00:21:23.789 not everyone, not everyone is confident. or wants 00:21:23.789 --> 00:21:27.190 to be picked on or spoke to. So one thing that 00:21:27.190 --> 00:21:29.190 we really made an effort was, even the people, 00:21:29.430 --> 00:21:32.470 like my mum, for example, she's the shyest person, 00:21:32.809 --> 00:21:35.890 she has a general phobia of being on the stage. 00:21:36.769 --> 00:21:38.809 So it's like, how do we get people like that 00:21:38.809 --> 00:21:41.230 to come see the show and enjoy it? So we made 00:21:41.230 --> 00:21:43.390 a real effort of just, even just a simple bit 00:21:43.390 --> 00:21:45.690 of an eye contact, just to like a bench mile, 00:21:45.890 --> 00:21:48.029 just to like, but we hopefully, and I think we 00:21:48.029 --> 00:21:50.750 found that balance across the top. We found the 00:21:50.750 --> 00:21:52.990 people who wanted to, Take that next step and 00:21:52.990 --> 00:21:54.869 we found the people who wanted to just enjoy 00:21:54.869 --> 00:21:57.730 and be there and still have those moments So 00:21:57.730 --> 00:21:59.990 it's how does everyone leave with an equal experience 00:21:59.990 --> 00:22:03.109 like an equal satisfaction from the show, but 00:22:03.109 --> 00:22:04.990 with a different involvement level So, but I 00:22:04.990 --> 00:22:07.569 think we found that yeah There's there's little 00:22:07.569 --> 00:22:09.569 tips and tricks you can do to make sure that 00:22:09.569 --> 00:22:12.490 you you know that you you aren't picking on anyone 00:22:12.490 --> 00:22:16.450 that isn't gonna want to be involved and then 00:22:16.980 --> 00:22:18.880 You know the feedback that we've got I think 00:22:18.880 --> 00:22:21.019 really reinforced that which was really lovely 00:22:21.019 --> 00:22:23.359 a lot of feedback We got was people saying oh, 00:22:23.359 --> 00:22:26.000 you know I felt like comfortable like I was made 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:28.180 to feel comfortable and then I really did want 00:22:28.180 --> 00:22:30.099 to get involved or you know I was glad I didn't 00:22:30.099 --> 00:22:32.160 get chosen and all that kind of stuff. So that 00:22:32.160 --> 00:22:36.759 was really nice I was really impressed with the 00:22:36.759 --> 00:22:39.490 kind of like gradual way you introduced ways 00:22:39.490 --> 00:22:41.670 the audience could get involved from the kind 00:22:41.670 --> 00:22:44.190 of like the chanting and banging of the chest 00:22:44.190 --> 00:22:46.990 ollie to kind of like raising the toast and scale 00:22:46.990 --> 00:22:49.910 and then of course I remember when Shelley joined 00:22:50.119 --> 00:22:52.240 the performance and then sitting next to the 00:22:52.240 --> 00:22:54.079 guy on the bench opposite because I was at the 00:22:54.079 --> 00:22:56.140 barely hole performance and I was on the back 00:22:56.140 --> 00:22:58.099 row I managed to squeeze at the end as on my 00:22:58.099 --> 00:23:00.319 own son because my husband doesn't do biking 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:02.059 things plus I have a kid so he does stay with 00:23:02.059 --> 00:23:04.539 the kids so he's fine he was fine I was happy 00:23:04.539 --> 00:23:07.420 so it was all good but one of the two American 00:23:07.420 --> 00:23:10.140 ladies I sat with we're talking before the show 00:23:10.140 --> 00:23:12.160 started goes I hope I don't get picked to do 00:23:12.160 --> 00:23:15.559 anything and she did she get picked to row with 00:23:15.559 --> 00:23:18.200 other and one of her friends just sat there videoing 00:23:18.200 --> 00:23:22.160 the whole thing it's like and she actually enjoyed 00:23:22.160 --> 00:23:24.259 it, and I thought, well, that's the quirk. But 00:23:24.259 --> 00:23:26.700 I suppose, did you ever find when you were doing 00:23:26.700 --> 00:23:28.339 kind of like will you row with other, will you 00:23:28.339 --> 00:23:31.279 row with other, did anyone ever say no? Or has 00:23:31.279 --> 00:23:36.299 everyone said yes so far? Someone very sneakily 00:23:36.299 --> 00:23:38.859 put their partner, they went, oh, they were talking 00:23:38.859 --> 00:23:42.099 to you. It was good, it was clever. Which I had 00:23:42.099 --> 00:23:43.839 to respect, that was very good. They were like, 00:23:43.880 --> 00:23:45.740 oh yeah, he was definitely talking to you. And 00:23:45.740 --> 00:23:48.599 then their partner kind of begrudgingly got up. 00:23:49.740 --> 00:23:51.559 But that was the only one, no, nobody else said 00:23:51.559 --> 00:23:55.099 no. Everybody else seemed, you know, well up 00:23:55.099 --> 00:23:57.000 for it at that point. I think it comes in a good 00:23:57.000 --> 00:23:59.480 point in the show where you know that we're not 00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:01.839 going to ask you to do anything like, you know, 00:24:02.440 --> 00:24:03.539 really, really awkward. Not going to embarrass 00:24:03.539 --> 00:24:06.519 you or anything like that, yeah. We try to always 00:24:06.519 --> 00:24:09.059 make sure that like, We're the butt of the joke, 00:24:09.220 --> 00:24:12.680 if there is one. You know what I mean? That all 00:24:12.680 --> 00:24:14.599 the show is, you know, and rather than like the 00:24:14.599 --> 00:24:22.240 people. I'm guessing if you wrote the overall 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:24.140 script, Charlie, then you must have written the 00:24:24.140 --> 00:24:26.759 script that the two nominated members of the 00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:30.339 audience got given. Is that correct? Yeah, I 00:24:30.339 --> 00:24:34.079 did. There's a story behind that as well. Oh, 00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:37.099 please tell, please tell. Ollie is your story 00:24:37.099 --> 00:24:40.380 man, you love it. Alright, so we were working 00:24:40.380 --> 00:24:44.460 in rehearsals and at this point the play was, 00:24:44.460 --> 00:24:49.849 I think, 47 or 48 pages long. Um, which is for 00:24:49.849 --> 00:24:52.710 a show that is aiming to be about You know 45 00:24:52.710 --> 00:24:55.710 minutes to an hour Probably slightly too long 00:24:55.710 --> 00:24:59.369 Only a bit. So I said to charlie, um, you know, 00:24:59.390 --> 00:25:00.930 we got we're getting done with the first week 00:25:00.930 --> 00:25:03.230 of rehearsals We were going to go away over the 00:25:03.230 --> 00:25:04.869 weekend. I said just while you're away over the 00:25:04.869 --> 00:25:07.049 weekend Just maybe think about you know any cuts 00:25:07.049 --> 00:25:09.650 that you might want to make Um, you know if there's 00:25:09.650 --> 00:25:11.970 any if there's any bits you can trim out. Let's 00:25:11.970 --> 00:25:15.529 do that Uh, he was like, yeah. Yeah. Sure comes 00:25:15.529 --> 00:25:19.559 back on monday The script is five pages longer 00:25:19.559 --> 00:25:24.319 I'm like what's happened here Charlie. He's like 00:25:24.319 --> 00:25:27.859 I've written this scene that I want the audience 00:25:27.859 --> 00:25:33.180 to like do to each other I was like, okay, we 00:25:33.180 --> 00:25:37.700 read it through and it was It was the scene that 00:25:37.700 --> 00:25:41.000 we ended up with but it was four extra pages 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:44.420 and it was about pig farmers instead of rooster 00:25:44.420 --> 00:25:46.640 farmers. And the whole thing was just, I was 00:25:46.640 --> 00:25:50.440 just like, this is so long and so unnecessary. 00:25:50.519 --> 00:25:56.279 I don't know where my mind went. Yeah, it was 00:25:56.279 --> 00:25:59.900 long. It was really long. But that's the beauty 00:25:59.900 --> 00:26:03.200 of her. So I was like, the script, I said, I'm 00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:05.420 writing an hour. That's not what you saw. It 00:26:05.420 --> 00:26:07.720 was what was written an hour. The base was written 00:26:07.720 --> 00:26:11.519 an hour. Yeah. And it was wonderful how like, 00:26:11.640 --> 00:26:14.579 Throughout that we only had two weeks to rehearse 00:26:14.579 --> 00:26:18.200 and just me and all and then and it wasn't even 00:26:18.200 --> 00:26:21.039 really two weeks No, cuz I was in I had to go 00:26:21.039 --> 00:26:24.079 to London twice for a different project during 00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:27.339 the rehearsals and yeah I'm feeling very well 00:26:27.339 --> 00:26:36.200 as well. Yeah Charlie was really lazy You've 00:26:36.200 --> 00:26:41.049 got 80 % of the lines anyway, it's fine But yeah, 00:26:41.089 --> 00:26:44.009 the script changed so much in those two weeks. 00:26:45.569 --> 00:26:47.730 But yeah, it was wonderful to see that and how 00:26:47.730 --> 00:26:51.349 it developed. And like I said earlier about who 00:26:51.349 --> 00:26:54.309 was going to play who, I did write it with Ollie 00:26:54.309 --> 00:26:58.450 and Odin. I knew before Ollie knew that Ollie 00:26:58.450 --> 00:27:03.849 was playing Odin. So yeah, it was that voice. 00:27:04.069 --> 00:27:05.670 And then when Ollie actually was reading it out 00:27:05.670 --> 00:27:07.769 loud, I was like, right, OK. and the story changed 00:27:07.769 --> 00:27:11.130 and our dynamic came into it more. But yeah, 00:27:11.150 --> 00:27:12.950 it's just a wonderful experience in general, 00:27:13.089 --> 00:27:15.470 really. The script and how it changes, it's beautiful 00:27:15.470 --> 00:27:20.089 to watch. Well, we can, as an audience member, 00:27:20.170 --> 00:27:22.470 we can tell there is a definite connection between 00:27:22.470 --> 00:27:25.089 you two, both in and out of character, and that 00:27:25.089 --> 00:27:28.329 just helps the whole magic of it feel even stronger. 00:27:29.049 --> 00:27:33.230 It was really, really, I just still applaud you 00:27:33.230 --> 00:27:36.490 both. I do, because it was just awesome. Absolutely 00:27:36.490 --> 00:27:41.390 awesome. Thank you. So I guess another question 00:27:41.390 --> 00:27:43.450 I had in mind was have either of you been to 00:27:43.450 --> 00:27:45.750 the Yorby Viking Festival before then, assuming 00:27:45.750 --> 00:27:51.549 this is where you chose to debut it? So I went 00:27:51.549 --> 00:27:56.430 to watch my film. That sounds like such a big 00:27:56.430 --> 00:27:58.549 ending. I went to watch my own film. Such an 00:27:58.549 --> 00:28:02.130 act to answer that. Was that the red carpet? 00:28:03.130 --> 00:28:07.930 Yeah, I went to watch my film. But I, so I grew, 00:28:08.269 --> 00:28:11.049 so I was born like in a village called like Londbrecht, 00:28:11.190 --> 00:28:13.490 which is just south of the York. And my grandma 00:28:13.490 --> 00:28:17.109 still lives there today. We moved to Hull, me 00:28:17.109 --> 00:28:18.970 and my mum and dad, when I was like four or five. 00:28:19.349 --> 00:28:22.950 So I've always like, like had York and Hull as 00:28:22.950 --> 00:28:26.730 home cities. So I hadn't been to the festival, 00:28:26.730 --> 00:28:29.710 but I grew up going to the Yorvik every weekend. 00:28:29.710 --> 00:28:32.470 And I grew up sitting in the pubs with my grandparents, 00:28:33.029 --> 00:28:35.170 learning about the history, walking the walls. 00:28:35.420 --> 00:28:38.000 and I realised what inspired me like as a kid 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:40.660 I was like I used to be like who's in here before 00:28:40.660 --> 00:28:44.339 I was like I always used to think like who's 00:28:44.339 --> 00:28:47.940 walked who's done that who's done that so I've 00:28:47.940 --> 00:28:51.220 really been to the festival but Yorvik in York 00:28:51.220 --> 00:28:54.119 and the idea of the Vikings has influenced my 00:28:54.119 --> 00:28:57.480 life from from being a very young age um probably 00:28:57.480 --> 00:29:00.059 why I have long blonde hair and half a beard 00:29:01.470 --> 00:29:04.809 Because he's not as good as Ollie, so he reminds 00:29:04.809 --> 00:29:07.069 me all the time that it's not as good as his. 00:29:08.210 --> 00:29:10.250 But yeah, so I haven't been to the festival, 00:29:10.690 --> 00:29:12.970 but the Yorvik as a centre and as an institution 00:29:12.970 --> 00:29:16.069 and the history of that has always had an influence 00:29:16.069 --> 00:29:22.930 on me. How about you, Ollie? So I believe I've 00:29:22.930 --> 00:29:26.490 been to the Viking festival when I was a child, 00:29:26.730 --> 00:29:33.240 so I actually grew up in Wales and I but my my 00:29:33.240 --> 00:29:37.180 family's roots are all in Yorkshire or at least 00:29:37.180 --> 00:29:41.960 my mum's side so I used to come to Yorkshire 00:29:41.960 --> 00:29:47.299 a lot as a child and went to the Yorvik Viking 00:29:47.299 --> 00:29:50.859 Center and you know came away with wooden swords 00:29:50.859 --> 00:29:54.660 and you know so I believe that I've been there 00:29:54.660 --> 00:29:58.720 as a kid but then obviously lived in Wales for 00:29:58.720 --> 00:30:03.259 most of my sort of uh for most of my child and 00:30:03.259 --> 00:30:07.180 teenage life and then I moved to Hull um when 00:30:07.180 --> 00:30:11.680 I was like 20 um and then haven't haven't really 00:30:11.680 --> 00:30:15.200 been to York much since then I don't don't know 00:30:15.200 --> 00:30:21.660 why uh just I got to Hull and stopped um but 00:30:21.660 --> 00:30:26.039 no so I've I've been a lot um when I was younger 00:30:26.240 --> 00:30:29.980 but not recently. So to be honest with you, it 00:30:29.980 --> 00:30:33.519 was completely out of my sort of consciousness 00:30:33.519 --> 00:30:36.700 until Charlie brought the show to me and I was 00:30:36.700 --> 00:30:40.019 like, one, this is a brilliant show and two, 00:30:41.519 --> 00:30:44.059 like, Jorvik Viking Festival. That sounds fun. 00:30:45.660 --> 00:30:48.019 So yeah, so I'm a bit of a newbie to it other 00:30:48.019 --> 00:30:52.839 than, you know, child me. But yeah, it was very 00:30:52.839 --> 00:30:55.170 exciting. being able to go there because like 00:30:55.170 --> 00:30:57.210 obviously we did a lot of research on the festival 00:30:57.210 --> 00:31:01.970 during the build -up because we wanted to kind 00:31:01.970 --> 00:31:04.150 of anytime we were you know talking about it 00:31:04.150 --> 00:31:06.569 we want to accurately represent it and and be 00:31:06.569 --> 00:31:10.769 a good advocate an advocate or you know we're 00:31:10.769 --> 00:31:13.109 not we're not an ambassador for the that they 00:31:13.109 --> 00:31:15.009 have their own people to do that but like we 00:31:15.009 --> 00:31:18.039 didn't you know we wanted to be We wanted to 00:31:18.039 --> 00:31:20.500 be respectful of the history and everything that's 00:31:20.500 --> 00:31:23.240 come with it. And they've been great. We had 00:31:23.240 --> 00:31:25.380 such a wonderful time working with them. They're 00:31:25.380 --> 00:31:30.579 such a lovely team. Like on and off site, do 00:31:30.579 --> 00:31:32.700 you know what I mean? They just couldn't do enough 00:31:32.700 --> 00:31:35.640 for you. And they were lovely to us when we arrived. 00:31:36.160 --> 00:31:39.000 And yeah, it's just been great. Well, I think 00:31:39.000 --> 00:31:42.339 Barley Hall was a beautiful thing for your debut 00:31:42.339 --> 00:31:45.240 performance. Equally, I'm still glad that you 00:31:45.240 --> 00:31:47.099 found other venues for it, especially kind of 00:31:47.099 --> 00:31:49.359 like giving you the dynamic of other spaces you 00:31:49.359 --> 00:31:51.759 could sit, child Charlie, when you decide to 00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:56.740 grace it with your presence kind of thing. Well, 00:31:56.880 --> 00:31:59.480 we know obviously you've had a very long childhood 00:31:59.480 --> 00:32:01.880 passion or an interest in the history of York, 00:32:02.079 --> 00:32:04.660 Charlie. But Ollie, have you ever had an interest 00:32:04.660 --> 00:32:07.279 in Viking Age history or even the mythology? 00:32:07.539 --> 00:32:10.559 Or is this all just coming new to you now through 00:32:10.559 --> 00:32:14.880 the play? So I would say so. Yeah, I always liked 00:32:14.880 --> 00:32:19.980 history in general. You know, when I chose subjects 00:32:19.980 --> 00:32:22.000 at school, history was one of them because I 00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:25.119 just always found it interesting. I've always 00:32:25.119 --> 00:32:28.000 been a firm believer that we can learn a lot 00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:30.259 about where we are and where we're going from 00:32:30.259 --> 00:32:33.720 where we've been. And I think looking at history 00:32:33.720 --> 00:32:36.920 can inform a lot about like, you know, what we 00:32:36.920 --> 00:32:39.440 can do as individuals Going forward to kind of 00:32:39.440 --> 00:32:43.539 like uh curate our best sort of existence. Um, 00:32:43.940 --> 00:32:45.880 and and off the back of that, you know, there's 00:32:45.880 --> 00:32:51.380 a lot of um, there's a lot of like viking, uh 00:32:51.380 --> 00:32:54.039 Associated media that I really love, you know, 00:32:54.099 --> 00:32:57.220 I watched last kingdom and I watched some of 00:32:57.220 --> 00:33:00.690 vikings i've always enjoyed like the um The god 00:33:00.690 --> 00:33:03.130 of war games which starting they start in ancient 00:33:03.130 --> 00:33:05.869 Greece, but then they become Yes, um, like the 00:33:05.869 --> 00:33:07.630 more recent ones have been like norse themes 00:33:07.630 --> 00:33:10.349 and those are really really exciting um, you 00:33:10.349 --> 00:33:12.890 know, I I know a lot about the you know, the 00:33:12.890 --> 00:33:16.289 I say I know a lot, you know, I I've enjoyed 00:33:16.289 --> 00:33:20.109 uh viking in a bunch of different Things I wouldn't 00:33:20.109 --> 00:33:22.289 say that I particularly know a lot about the 00:33:22.289 --> 00:33:24.930 about specifically the history of it but again, 00:33:24.930 --> 00:33:27.029 I know the history is like kind of shaky anyway, 00:33:27.029 --> 00:33:30.750 because you know, there was not a As far as I'm 00:33:30.750 --> 00:33:33.710 aware, there's no like actual written like prime 00:33:33.710 --> 00:33:36.390 resources of Viking history. So it's kind of 00:33:36.390 --> 00:33:41.450 like it's hard to have any kind of like inclusive 00:33:41.450 --> 00:33:43.589 information, but I love the kind of mythology 00:33:43.589 --> 00:33:45.789 of it. And that was really important. That was 00:33:45.789 --> 00:33:47.670 a really important conversation that we had during 00:33:47.670 --> 00:33:50.430 the kind of the creation of the show was like 00:33:50.430 --> 00:33:52.369 what we didn't want to do was sell it as something 00:33:52.369 --> 00:33:55.609 that's like super historically accurate. There's 00:33:55.609 --> 00:33:59.769 one that's impossible and two like it you know 00:33:59.769 --> 00:34:02.730 the whole point really is the mythology and the 00:34:02.730 --> 00:34:04.970 mythos and the storytelling and the excitement 00:34:04.970 --> 00:34:08.250 and like if a story doesn't get embellished throughout 00:34:08.250 --> 00:34:10.769 its life cycle and if it doesn't get like you 00:34:10.769 --> 00:34:12.630 know made larger than life and grandiose and 00:34:12.630 --> 00:34:15.349 all that stuff then it you know i think it it 00:34:15.349 --> 00:34:18.769 sort of dies as a story so um i think like that 00:34:18.769 --> 00:34:19.909 was something that was really important to us 00:34:19.909 --> 00:34:21.849 we wanted to make it really clear that this show 00:34:21.849 --> 00:34:25.130 was like not trying to be historically accurate 00:34:25.130 --> 00:34:28.539 it was trying to be mythology, it was trying 00:34:28.539 --> 00:34:33.000 to be storytelling, it was trying to be larger 00:34:33.000 --> 00:34:38.219 than life. I really respect that and I think 00:34:38.219 --> 00:34:41.000 the storytelling is I think almost like the heart 00:34:41.000 --> 00:34:44.139 of the magic of it all because that's all the 00:34:44.139 --> 00:34:46.960 North people had were stories, they were not 00:34:46.960 --> 00:34:49.300 illiterate writing people, yes they had people's 00:34:49.300 --> 00:34:51.159 carved rune stones but that was usually a memorial 00:34:51.159 --> 00:34:54.969 to someone. Again, that, I guess, strikes the 00:34:54.969 --> 00:34:56.769 issue of the theme of legacy, really, that they 00:34:56.769 --> 00:34:59.909 carve a runestone in memoriam to anyone. But 00:34:59.909 --> 00:35:01.929 that, for me, is what also drew me into this 00:35:01.929 --> 00:35:04.469 whole crazy podcast and everything else in between. 00:35:04.969 --> 00:35:06.949 Because I literally devour, like you, anything 00:35:06.949 --> 00:35:10.630 Nordic, whether it's games, TV or film. I have 00:35:10.630 --> 00:35:12.869 not been able to play the God of War games last, 00:35:12.909 --> 00:35:16.650 because I'm not a PS4 owner. I only have a humble 00:35:16.650 --> 00:35:20.050 xbox one that is definitely aging because no 00:35:20.050 --> 00:35:22.809 more games coming out for it alas But anyway, 00:35:22.809 --> 00:35:25.250 um, but yes, it's the mythology which got me 00:35:25.250 --> 00:35:28.949 because they seem so human so so flawed They 00:35:28.949 --> 00:35:32.329 just happen to have lifelonging fruit, which 00:35:32.329 --> 00:35:34.849 echoes the message of eat five a day and you 00:35:34.849 --> 00:35:38.809 live longer kind of thing, um, I really like 00:35:38.809 --> 00:35:41.230 the storytelling aspect. This is why I really 00:35:41.369 --> 00:35:43.690 was in awe of the fact that he picked Odin of 00:35:43.690 --> 00:35:45.690 all the gods you could pick to have a conversation 00:35:45.690 --> 00:35:47.349 with him in. It would have been a different play 00:35:47.349 --> 00:35:52.590 if it was Loki, totally. But Odin is famous for 00:35:52.590 --> 00:35:55.809 his storytelling aspects and I think I was mentioning 00:35:55.809 --> 00:35:58.130 just before we hit the record button on this 00:35:58.130 --> 00:36:01.010 wonderful episode. I got to see the finale which 00:36:01.010 --> 00:36:03.210 was about the cursed sword Tiefing which is a 00:36:03.210 --> 00:36:06.769 very long historical saga of a famed cursed sword. 00:36:06.949 --> 00:36:09.389 Again it's more fictional than historical but 00:36:09.389 --> 00:36:12.510 Odin makes an appearance in that as a master 00:36:12.510 --> 00:36:16.590 of riddles and tries to trick a king out of killing 00:36:16.590 --> 00:36:18.369 a particular person because he'd done something 00:36:18.369 --> 00:36:21.070 wrong. The king then tries to strike Odin down 00:36:21.070 --> 00:36:23.750 and he gets cursed by Odin for daring to do so. 00:36:24.909 --> 00:36:28.230 But yes Odin is a wanderer and a storyteller 00:36:28.230 --> 00:36:33.070 and It's a really good character choice. I mean, 00:36:33.230 --> 00:36:35.929 I guess another question is like, Charlie, well, 00:36:36.030 --> 00:36:38.170 and Ollie, if you had the option of making this 00:36:38.170 --> 00:36:44.889 a longer play, would you? Or do you think it's 00:36:44.889 --> 00:36:50.869 of its moment in its current form? I think the 00:36:50.869 --> 00:36:54.510 show has room to develop, definitely. But what 00:36:54.510 --> 00:36:58.639 I love about the essence of this show is It's 00:36:58.639 --> 00:37:01.320 two people in a room telling a story with loads 00:37:01.320 --> 00:37:03.579 of other people who are there to be a part of 00:37:03.579 --> 00:37:06.219 it. So I think there is room to get longer, definitely. 00:37:07.420 --> 00:37:10.440 But this is like bigger picture questions. So 00:37:10.440 --> 00:37:13.260 we have Jorvik, but there could be other shows 00:37:13.260 --> 00:37:18.320 on the horizon. Jorvik has just been born, but 00:37:18.320 --> 00:37:21.800 who knows what else will happen. There is conversations 00:37:21.800 --> 00:37:26.320 about other shows, other things going on. a wider 00:37:26.320 --> 00:37:28.820 circle than just me and Ollie bringing some other 00:37:28.820 --> 00:37:31.519 people into Old York who are very experienced, 00:37:31.579 --> 00:37:36.360 very knowledgeable. So yeah, there is the stuff 00:37:36.360 --> 00:37:39.780 in the horizon. But as far as this show goes, 00:37:39.860 --> 00:37:42.199 what I love about this show, what makes the show 00:37:42.199 --> 00:37:45.619 special for me is being able to do it within 00:37:45.619 --> 00:37:49.000 the hour. And people can come have a drink, come 00:37:49.000 --> 00:37:51.769 to the show. then go downstairs have a few more 00:37:51.769 --> 00:37:53.829 drinks and have a great time alcoholic or non 00:37:53.829 --> 00:37:56.869 -alcoholic i don't really drink so i don't really 00:37:56.869 --> 00:37:58.690 drink either that's why unfortunately i was the 00:37:58.690 --> 00:38:01.150 only one there like cheering you on without an 00:38:01.150 --> 00:38:03.110 actual glass so if there's a particular meaning 00:38:03.110 --> 00:38:05.929 in the photo there's a fictional glass there 00:38:05.929 --> 00:38:08.170 we wanted to make it like we want to make it 00:38:08.170 --> 00:38:10.489 a show where people come to have fun so i feel 00:38:10.489 --> 00:38:12.590 like that hour like 50 minutes an hour is a sweet 00:38:12.590 --> 00:38:15.110 spot where people enjoy the experience and go 00:38:15.110 --> 00:38:17.750 but is there going to be other shows that are 00:38:17.750 --> 00:38:22.059 longer We'll see what the fates have in store. 00:38:28.320 --> 00:38:30.820 There's always a sweet spot with theatre shows, 00:38:31.420 --> 00:38:33.940 especially something where your audience is a 00:38:33.940 --> 00:38:39.780 little bit captive. People can get up and go 00:38:39.780 --> 00:38:41.619 at any time. I can't remember if it was the show 00:38:41.619 --> 00:38:45.380 you were at or the one... before were you the 00:38:45.380 --> 00:38:49.119 i wasn't the first one i don't think anyone left 00:38:49.119 --> 00:38:53.920 that one someone got up to go and get an extra 00:38:54.329 --> 00:38:56.809 Thing of me which we like made a little joke 00:38:56.809 --> 00:39:00.429 about as they got up and went and like So that 00:39:00.429 --> 00:39:02.030 you know, that's that's nice that we can kind 00:39:02.030 --> 00:39:04.409 of have that but I think if it was too much longer 00:39:04.409 --> 00:39:06.829 You know if it's in like a pub venue, you might 00:39:06.829 --> 00:39:08.730 get people needing to get up and go to the toilet 00:39:08.730 --> 00:39:12.730 That's when you when you hit that kind of length 00:39:12.730 --> 00:39:16.340 it starts to People's attention spans start to 00:39:16.340 --> 00:39:19.400 go a little bit as well. I think at the length 00:39:19.400 --> 00:39:21.480 it's at now. It's pretty good I think we could 00:39:21.480 --> 00:39:25.500 maybe squeeze another five minutes in But I think 00:39:25.500 --> 00:39:27.360 like at the moment we're sort of telling the 00:39:27.360 --> 00:39:30.920 story we want to tell you know I think like there's 00:39:30.920 --> 00:39:34.639 a we both had objectives for what we wanted the 00:39:34.639 --> 00:39:39.219 audience to leave thinking We sort of had individual 00:39:39.219 --> 00:39:41.320 ones, but sort of a joint one as well Charlie 00:39:41.320 --> 00:39:44.980 yours was Mine was, I wanted someone to leave 00:39:44.980 --> 00:39:47.019 there with a smile on the face and to go, oh, 00:39:47.280 --> 00:39:49.539 I should text my mum and tell her I love her. 00:39:50.719 --> 00:39:53.679 That's what I wanted people to like. Text a family 00:39:53.679 --> 00:39:57.860 member, text a loved one and be like, just let 00:39:57.860 --> 00:40:00.699 you know, I love you, have a great night. That's 00:40:00.699 --> 00:40:03.219 what I wanted people to leave with that action 00:40:03.219 --> 00:40:06.340 in mind. That absolutely rings true for the theme 00:40:06.340 --> 00:40:08.159 and especially with the lines that you quoted. 00:40:08.719 --> 00:40:11.099 Quite eloquently earlier on about kind of like 00:40:11.099 --> 00:40:13.880 why do we have to wait so long? To hear such 00:40:13.880 --> 00:40:18.619 praise. Yeah No, no, yeah, and for me it was 00:40:18.619 --> 00:40:22.039 um for me it was I wanted people to leave um 00:40:22.039 --> 00:40:24.579 I wanted people to leave thinking like either 00:40:24.579 --> 00:40:28.900 i'm so glad I got involved with that Or I wish 00:40:28.900 --> 00:40:31.079 i'd got involved a little bit more. Do you know 00:40:31.079 --> 00:40:32.900 what I mean? I like I wanted people to think 00:40:32.900 --> 00:40:37.079 like You know, we we only get one go around like 00:40:37.150 --> 00:40:40.070 I want to grasp every opportunity. You know what 00:40:40.070 --> 00:40:42.809 I mean? That's what I really wanted people to 00:40:42.809 --> 00:40:46.269 leave with. And I think the way that the script 00:40:46.269 --> 00:40:47.849 is currently and the way the show is currently, 00:40:48.869 --> 00:40:51.289 I think we get there for both of those objectives. 00:40:52.070 --> 00:40:55.090 And I think adding too much more or doing too 00:40:55.090 --> 00:40:58.250 much messing with it, we run the risk of losing 00:40:58.250 --> 00:41:03.909 the soul of that. So yeah, I like it as it... 00:41:03.929 --> 00:41:06.349 Is I think we could get a little bit more. I 00:41:06.349 --> 00:41:08.550 think we could squeeze a few more audience interactions 00:41:08.550 --> 00:41:14.829 in I think actually we could lose some time from 00:41:14.829 --> 00:41:20.960 it Well, it certainly it didn't match in a very 00:41:20.960 --> 00:41:23.000 good way any of the things i'm expecting because 00:41:23.000 --> 00:41:25.079 i honestly wasn't expecting because the blurb 00:41:25.079 --> 00:41:27.559 for the event was quite brief and quite vague 00:41:27.559 --> 00:41:30.500 just about immersive theater and be part of the 00:41:30.500 --> 00:41:31.719 show and i'm like is it going to be anything 00:41:31.719 --> 00:41:34.039 like cluedo i've never played cluedo but i know 00:41:34.039 --> 00:41:35.599 you kind of get assigned a character and you 00:41:35.599 --> 00:41:37.380 say so and so did this with a weapon and so and 00:41:37.380 --> 00:41:39.559 so room i thought is it like that do we just 00:41:39.559 --> 00:41:42.219 all get handed a script so i thought it was kind 00:41:42.219 --> 00:41:44.000 of liberating to say okay can we can just sit 00:41:44.000 --> 00:41:46.219 here and just watch and then see what happens 00:41:46.219 --> 00:41:50.170 and that that kind of anticipation really built 00:41:50.170 --> 00:41:52.349 up the atmosphere and of course having alcohol 00:41:52.349 --> 00:41:54.230 I'm sure would help a lot of people with their 00:41:54.230 --> 00:41:59.190 confidence and they find their voice. Because 00:41:59.190 --> 00:42:02.090 I remember in the show that I was in, the very 00:42:02.090 --> 00:42:04.949 first one, it was the it was the point where 00:42:04.949 --> 00:42:06.849 both Obert and Edward were very much in each 00:42:06.849 --> 00:42:08.449 other's face. I think this is building up to 00:42:08.449 --> 00:42:10.690 the lungs there and there was a woman sat next 00:42:10.690 --> 00:42:13.349 to you and she said something I couldn't actually 00:42:13.349 --> 00:42:15.869 hear from where I was but it just set the whole 00:42:15.869 --> 00:42:17.409 room laughing so I just kind of like laughed 00:42:17.409 --> 00:42:18.889 along because I didn't know what we were laughing 00:42:18.889 --> 00:42:21.349 at but I can't remember if you can remember what 00:42:21.349 --> 00:42:26.250 she said yeah we were we were very close to her 00:42:26.250 --> 00:42:30.090 so for the context for for anyone listening or 00:42:30.090 --> 00:42:34.289 watching There's a very, you know, the show goes 00:42:34.289 --> 00:42:37.150 on sort of peaks and troughs, you know, some 00:42:37.150 --> 00:42:38.949 of the time we're getting on very well, some 00:42:38.949 --> 00:42:40.730 of the time we're having a laugh, but sometimes, 00:42:40.750 --> 00:42:44.030 you know, the tensions between the characters 00:42:44.030 --> 00:42:46.809 ramp up. Odin wants something very specific from 00:42:46.809 --> 00:42:48.570 Uber, Uber wants something very specific from 00:42:48.570 --> 00:42:51.610 Odin and they're not quite seeing eye to eye. 00:42:53.750 --> 00:42:56.010 And ironically, they get up in each other's faces 00:42:56.010 --> 00:43:00.829 and look eye to eye. And we just had this big 00:43:00.829 --> 00:43:04.389 monologue, big argument. We get right close in 00:43:04.389 --> 00:43:07.090 each other's faces. And this audience member, 00:43:07.170 --> 00:43:09.510 who was wonderful, by the way, and was really 00:43:09.510 --> 00:43:12.469 lovely. She gave some lovely words after the 00:43:12.469 --> 00:43:20.070 show as well. She said, now kiss. That was it. 00:43:20.190 --> 00:43:23.960 That makes a lot of sense. But it was great, 00:43:24.300 --> 00:43:27.800 because it meant that we could just break character, 00:43:28.460 --> 00:43:30.079 as we've already been doing throughout the show, 00:43:30.239 --> 00:43:38.780 and just both simultaneously. And then her partner 00:43:38.780 --> 00:43:42.599 said, I think you meant to say that in your head, 00:43:42.860 --> 00:43:48.659 and you said it out loud. And she went, oh! That's 00:43:48.659 --> 00:43:50.500 what I looked about the form of the show like. 00:43:50.920 --> 00:43:52.679 That for us, we were talking about this earlier 00:43:52.679 --> 00:43:56.139 actually, that is like, that for us, that means 00:43:56.139 --> 00:43:58.260 we've done our job. As an audience member, you 00:43:58.260 --> 00:44:00.699 feel so comfortable. You can now speak, because 00:44:00.699 --> 00:44:04.179 in a theatre, no one's going to do that. So we 00:44:04.179 --> 00:44:06.800 brought this, our aim has been achieved, we brought 00:44:06.800 --> 00:44:10.619 this down to earth so much. This story of Grand 00:44:10.619 --> 00:44:13.059 Vikings, and it's been brought to humanise so 00:44:13.059 --> 00:44:15.179 much, people feel like they can talk in it. And 00:44:15.179 --> 00:44:18.750 that's brilliant. We love that. lot of shows 00:44:18.750 --> 00:44:22.030 been like oh no no no but like for us that's 00:44:22.030 --> 00:44:24.469 a massive like check out we've done our job right 00:44:24.469 --> 00:44:27.010 which is wonderful yeah and it gives it gives 00:44:27.010 --> 00:44:30.099 every audience like something special You know, 00:44:30.099 --> 00:44:32.679 like if you go to see and you know, I'm not knocking 00:44:32.679 --> 00:44:34.900 these at all But if you go to see like a West 00:44:34.900 --> 00:44:37.599 End show like whatever generally speaking You're 00:44:37.599 --> 00:44:39.400 gonna get exactly the same experience as the 00:44:39.400 --> 00:44:40.820 people who watched it before you and the people 00:44:40.820 --> 00:44:42.719 who are gonna watch it after you It's never gonna 00:44:42.719 --> 00:44:44.480 be you know, there might be slight variations 00:44:44.480 --> 00:44:46.840 the cast might change slightly but like for the 00:44:46.840 --> 00:44:48.780 most part You're gonna get exactly the same show 00:44:48.780 --> 00:44:51.639 but in this like every audience is gonna get 00:44:51.639 --> 00:44:54.139 something unique because what they give in they're 00:44:54.139 --> 00:44:56.400 gonna they're going to get back, you know, like 00:44:56.400 --> 00:44:59.619 twofold. So that experience, I mean for her specifically, 00:45:00.119 --> 00:45:02.460 is going to be entirely unique because she's 00:45:02.460 --> 00:45:04.039 going to remember, oh my gosh, remember that 00:45:04.039 --> 00:45:06.400 time that I said that thing to those two Vikings, 00:45:06.880 --> 00:45:09.440 but also like everyone in that room is going 00:45:09.440 --> 00:45:11.320 to have, remember that time when that person 00:45:11.320 --> 00:45:13.300 said that thing to those two Vikings and then 00:45:13.300 --> 00:45:15.159 they like acknowledged it and then, you know, 00:45:15.579 --> 00:45:17.880 and every single show that we did had something 00:45:17.880 --> 00:45:21.019 like that. in it where there was an interaction 00:45:21.019 --> 00:45:24.119 or there was something where um and it was it 00:45:24.119 --> 00:45:27.099 was you know it's beautiful um it's really it's 00:45:27.099 --> 00:45:29.739 really beautiful to watch people engage with 00:45:29.739 --> 00:45:33.420 it uh so honestly and so openly and so generously 00:45:33.420 --> 00:45:36.659 as well um and it's oh yeah like charlie said 00:45:36.659 --> 00:45:38.579 i think when when somebody feels that comfortable 00:45:38.579 --> 00:45:41.079 to to get involved like that it's it's really 00:45:41.079 --> 00:45:44.079 um it means a lot to us because it means like 00:45:44.079 --> 00:45:48.010 he says we've we've done our job because I can 00:45:48.010 --> 00:45:51.210 still remember when the script came out and you 00:45:51.210 --> 00:45:53.349 picked the other lady that was on my long bench 00:45:53.349 --> 00:45:56.289 and I think her name was Linda but she said like 00:45:56.289 --> 00:45:58.250 you asked her like where do you hail from? She 00:45:58.250 --> 00:46:03.550 goes from the darkness. Yeah yeah yeah I was 00:46:03.550 --> 00:46:07.789 like brilliant I couldn't write that. Yeah, that 00:46:07.789 --> 00:46:10.150 was amazing. I felt bad having to be late. She 00:46:10.150 --> 00:46:12.250 was really getting into it. She was all from 00:46:12.250 --> 00:46:14.409 home, absolutely. I thought if my mum was here, 00:46:14.429 --> 00:46:15.650 she would have probably done the same thing. 00:46:16.090 --> 00:46:21.449 So I guess, if there are plans afoot at Old York 00:46:21.449 --> 00:46:23.989 Theatre, do any of them still possibly remotely 00:46:23.989 --> 00:46:25.989 touch on more Viking -ness, or are you going 00:46:25.989 --> 00:46:29.090 to diversify into other topics, other settings, 00:46:29.869 --> 00:46:33.309 stories? I'm not trying to twist your leg or 00:46:33.309 --> 00:46:37.170 anything. There's definitely more Viking tales 00:46:37.170 --> 00:46:41.050 to be told. There's definitely more and there 00:46:41.050 --> 00:46:44.369 is a lot of other history to explore. We're not 00:46:44.369 --> 00:46:47.309 even too much away. I think there's definitely 00:46:47.309 --> 00:46:52.190 more Viking tales and there's definitely other 00:46:52.190 --> 00:46:55.590 periods and moments of history like in York and 00:46:55.590 --> 00:46:59.170 Yorkshire as a rider region where I feel like 00:46:59.170 --> 00:47:01.710 there is There's more stories to be told, but 00:47:01.710 --> 00:47:04.210 more stories to be told from history that talk 00:47:04.210 --> 00:47:14.730 to us now. There's a lot. We're also not, I don't 00:47:14.730 --> 00:47:20.329 think, remotely done with this show yet. The 00:47:20.329 --> 00:47:26.590 feedback we've had has been sort of unprecedented 00:47:26.590 --> 00:47:31.949 for a first run of a show. I certainly it's like 00:47:31.949 --> 00:47:34.010 no show I've ever worked on and I've been doing 00:47:34.010 --> 00:47:41.420 this for a long time Alright But yes, but yeah 00:47:41.420 --> 00:47:43.300 and you know and I've worked on some amazing 00:47:43.300 --> 00:47:47.119 shows before but like none that have had Such 00:47:47.119 --> 00:47:49.900 a forthcoming audience in terms of like beautiful 00:47:49.900 --> 00:47:52.280 lovely feedback so much excitement. We've had 00:47:52.280 --> 00:47:54.800 people going like right How can we make this 00:47:54.800 --> 00:47:56.619 show, you know, how can we get this show to Edinburgh? 00:47:56.699 --> 00:47:58.840 How can we do and like they're not even remotely 00:47:58.840 --> 00:48:00.139 involved with the show, but they're just they 00:48:00.139 --> 00:48:04.599 just want it Yeah, and so this you know, I really 00:48:04.599 --> 00:48:09.510 believe that The messages of this show, the idea 00:48:09.510 --> 00:48:13.710 of legacy, the idea of celebrating our loved 00:48:13.710 --> 00:48:16.230 ones and our lives while we're still around to 00:48:16.230 --> 00:48:19.489 do so, I think is such a universally relevant 00:48:19.489 --> 00:48:22.340 topic. I think it's something that... That people 00:48:22.340 --> 00:48:24.400 should see, you know, the length and breadth 00:48:24.400 --> 00:48:26.599 of the country I think like, you know, there's 00:48:26.599 --> 00:48:28.679 there's still legs for this show to to really 00:48:28.679 --> 00:48:32.019 go on and speak to people um, and so i'm i'm 00:48:32.019 --> 00:48:34.179 very much considering what we've done so far 00:48:34.179 --> 00:48:38.119 as Opening the door and maybe yeah, we've got 00:48:38.119 --> 00:48:41.760 a lot of room to fill yet. Um, but yes, uh more 00:48:41.760 --> 00:48:45.139 more viking stuff for sure as well. Uh, I mean 00:48:45.500 --> 00:48:48.340 I think it's probably worth saying that there 00:48:48.340 --> 00:48:51.599 is some plan for us to do some video content 00:48:51.599 --> 00:48:57.960 as well. We're both trained in combat for screen. 00:48:59.420 --> 00:49:02.280 And we do have some Viking weaponry that we bought 00:49:02.280 --> 00:49:03.840 that we were considering using for the show, 00:49:03.860 --> 00:49:06.670 but realized it was going to be... entirely impractical 00:49:06.670 --> 00:49:09.789 to swing a sword around in Barley Hall. We do 00:49:09.789 --> 00:49:13.570 have some. There might be some video content 00:49:13.570 --> 00:49:19.030 that we put out, some screen combat stuff we've 00:49:19.030 --> 00:49:21.610 been having discussions about, which isn't giving 00:49:21.610 --> 00:49:24.070 too much away. I'm going to end up like Tom Holland 00:49:24.070 --> 00:49:28.380 on... You know giving away MCU secrets Sorry 00:49:28.380 --> 00:49:33.059 There's no Marvel breathing down our neck for 00:49:33.059 --> 00:49:38.320 this don't worry yet. No, I'm joking But yeah, 00:49:38.420 --> 00:49:40.320 there's there's loads more we've got planned 00:49:40.320 --> 00:49:42.300 we were in conversation with some really exciting 00:49:42.300 --> 00:49:46.599 people as well like so yeah, we're just we just 00:49:46.599 --> 00:49:51.320 want to Continue telling great stories as best 00:49:51.320 --> 00:49:54.699 we can But Ollie's right, for Jorvik, this is 00:49:54.699 --> 00:49:57.519 the birth of Jorvik. And I feel like this show 00:49:57.519 --> 00:50:00.460 is something that me and Ollie will grow old 00:50:00.460 --> 00:50:03.900 with. And it's a show that I think we could perform 00:50:03.900 --> 00:50:08.280 for the next 30, 40 years. And in general, our 00:50:08.280 --> 00:50:10.679 relationships with those characters will change 00:50:10.679 --> 00:50:15.440 as we experience life more and go into major 00:50:15.440 --> 00:50:18.239 life events and stuff. And I feel like, yeah, 00:50:18.239 --> 00:50:20.719 it's a show that will grow old with us, I feel. 00:50:21.769 --> 00:50:23.510 this is just the beginning of and how I feel 00:50:23.510 --> 00:50:27.929 now at 25 playing over when I'm if I'm playing 00:50:27.929 --> 00:50:30.469 in when I'm 40 it's a very different relationship 00:50:30.469 --> 00:50:32.449 like very different relationship to my character 00:50:32.449 --> 00:50:36.369 and to the story and the words of me now how 00:50:36.369 --> 00:50:38.750 I don't in 15 years time I will interpret those 00:50:38.750 --> 00:50:42.610 words so differently um so yeah it's it's just 00:50:42.610 --> 00:50:46.329 the me beginning for sure that is pretty terrible 00:50:46.329 --> 00:50:50.420 I am all for a Yorvik world tour kind of thing. 00:50:50.780 --> 00:50:55.739 I think everyone should see it. I'm so impressed 00:50:55.739 --> 00:50:58.400 that it's taken until now and your wonderful 00:50:58.400 --> 00:50:59.760 self, Charlie, for anyone to think, why don't 00:50:59.760 --> 00:51:02.139 we just do a play in the setting where most people 00:51:02.139 --> 00:51:07.420 go to have a drink? It just makes so much sense 00:51:07.420 --> 00:51:09.940 of using the environment that you're in as a 00:51:09.940 --> 00:51:13.199 stage instead of having a block set with the 00:51:13.199 --> 00:51:18.360 drop and the invisible fourth wall. Interestingly 00:51:18.360 --> 00:51:21.219 enough, the talk about the audience engagement 00:51:21.219 --> 00:51:23.619 it made me think to the fact that I'm taking 00:51:23.619 --> 00:51:25.340 my four -year -old to the theatre to see Room 00:51:25.340 --> 00:51:28.239 on the Broom in two weeks and of course... there's 00:51:28.239 --> 00:51:30.599 always engagement with children in theatre and 00:51:30.599 --> 00:51:33.340 I'm thinking that magic is still perfectly good 00:51:33.340 --> 00:51:36.099 for us as adults why should we why should we 00:51:36.099 --> 00:51:39.199 sit still in quiet if not boo and hiss and throw 00:51:39.199 --> 00:51:42.480 popcorn around and and dance if we want to that 00:51:42.480 --> 00:51:44.719 kind of thing that's why I could bring myself 00:51:44.719 --> 00:51:46.440 to take my daughter to see Frozen the musical 00:51:46.440 --> 00:51:48.420 because I know she'd want to dance and sing all 00:51:48.420 --> 00:51:50.619 the songs and that wouldn't be allowed in a Broadway 00:51:50.619 --> 00:51:53.530 musical It just wouldn't happen. Thankfully, 00:51:53.590 --> 00:51:55.349 it's coming to Disney Plus at some point in the 00:51:55.349 --> 00:51:57.369 near future, so she can just dance and watch 00:51:57.369 --> 00:52:02.110 it from the living room. But yeah, I'm looking 00:52:02.110 --> 00:52:04.750 forward to hearing everything that Old York Theatre 00:52:04.750 --> 00:52:07.170 can do in the future. And of course, the orbit 00:52:07.170 --> 00:52:10.469 continue to spread its wings on ravens and fly 00:52:10.469 --> 00:52:13.230 around the world and bring Odin and Uber to new 00:52:13.230 --> 00:52:15.210 audiences. And where can our lovely listeners 00:52:15.210 --> 00:52:18.010 and viewers find out about your wonderful creative 00:52:18.010 --> 00:52:20.679 plans? Go on, Ollie. You've got a clearer than 00:52:20.679 --> 00:52:25.019 me. Go on. I am not the social media guy. Yeah, 00:52:25.039 --> 00:52:28.699 I know he runs it, but you can plug it. Oh, gosh. 00:52:29.340 --> 00:52:33.000 Right. Wait, how do you? Is it at? Is that right? 00:52:33.639 --> 00:52:38.079 At Old York Theatre? Instagram. Yeah, good. That's 00:52:38.079 --> 00:52:42.400 why is he put this on me? I'm the most social 00:52:42.400 --> 00:52:46.619 media like allergic person on the planet. Yeah, 00:52:46.940 --> 00:52:50.400 at Old York Theatre on Instagram. I think that's 00:52:50.400 --> 00:52:53.239 probably like the best place. We sort of post 00:52:53.239 --> 00:52:55.739 everything through there. So if there's anything 00:52:55.739 --> 00:52:58.280 going on, it'll end up on there. We don't have 00:52:58.280 --> 00:53:00.639 a website or anything yet. I don't think. There'll 00:53:00.639 --> 00:53:03.480 be always the we make video content. There'll 00:53:03.480 --> 00:53:06.940 be YouTube. But yeah, Instagram is the best. 00:53:08.820 --> 00:53:11.420 I'll put the details again in the blurb that 00:53:11.420 --> 00:53:13.599 will complete this video if anyone wants to follow. 00:53:13.780 --> 00:53:15.579 I mean, I already follow them and tag them a 00:53:15.579 --> 00:53:18.900 lot. It's, I think, bothering Charlie ever since. 00:53:18.900 --> 00:53:22.780 No, you're not bothering me at all. That's brilliant. 00:53:22.980 --> 00:53:24.900 Thank you. Charlie loves it. In fact, just send 00:53:24.900 --> 00:53:29.199 him more stuff all the time. Keep him busy. Let's 00:53:29.199 --> 00:53:34.789 get my screen time down though. Well thank you 00:53:34.789 --> 00:53:37.829 so much for being part of this new bonus episode 00:53:37.829 --> 00:53:40.170 mini -series of The Legends of Jorvik and you've 00:53:40.170 --> 00:53:42.869 definitely set a legend and I would be delighted 00:53:42.869 --> 00:53:45.230 if you kept coming back to Jorvik Festival every 00:53:45.230 --> 00:53:47.389 year to put it on and then I insist that you 00:53:47.389 --> 00:53:49.429 stay and enjoy the festival and see the finale 00:53:49.429 --> 00:53:52.039 because it's always dramatic and wonderful. whether 00:53:52.039 --> 00:53:54.159 it's a whole battle reenactment or like it was 00:53:54.159 --> 00:53:56.840 with Time Hotel Theatre that did the finale for 00:53:56.840 --> 00:53:59.900 this year and last year. And I'm hoping the viewers 00:53:59.900 --> 00:54:02.039 and listeners to have them on the next episode 00:54:02.039 --> 00:54:03.940 of Levin to the Yorvik soon. They're, of course, 00:54:04.019 --> 00:54:06.579 just busy with their many activities. But I have 00:54:06.579 --> 00:54:08.980 got a few other people that we might talk to. 00:54:09.239 --> 00:54:11.280 But yes, thank you so much for your time, Charlie 00:54:11.280 --> 00:54:13.039 and Ollie. Thank you for having us. Best of luck 00:54:13.039 --> 00:54:15.199 to Old York Theatre. May it continue to grow 00:54:15.199 --> 00:54:19.039 and success. And may Yorvik forever live, basically. 00:54:19.550 --> 00:54:22.010 Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure.