Born from a rational fear of the end of the world and the death of theatre, Big Finish is a collective scream into the void – with jokes. A mashup of theatre, dance, TED talk and string quintet (untrained), Big Finish is a collage of ideas about endings, rebirth and regeneration.
A show within a show, Big Finish parodies human nature’s desire to bury our heads in the sand in the face of real peril. It comments on the predicament theatre faces in the wake of funding cuts and losing audiences and practitioners to its more popular cultural cousin – the television. But, as always, the theatre becomes a microcosm for something bigger – an exploration of apocalypse itself.
“Having made work together for 15 years, now more than ever it feels like the end of something is coming” say Figs in Wigs, “But we don’t know how to do anything else. Big Finish explores resilience in the face of impending doom. Climate change, war, Tories – we don’t know how to fix any of these things – WE’RE JUST ARTISTS. But what we do know is how to put on a goddamn show to entertain everyone as the world slowly dies. Cheer up love! It will definitely happen”.
FIGS IN WIGS
Figs in Wigs is the theatrical collaboration of Ray Gammon, Suzanna Hurst, Sarah Moore, Rachel Porter & Alice Roots.
They met studying Drama at Queen Mary University of the Arts London in 2009 and for the last 15 years, have collectively devised, produced and performed 10 original shows. They cut their teeth performing in London’s alternative queer cabaret scene and their shows still contain a mischievous energy fitting for a dive bar or sweaty nightclub. But they feel the most at home presenting long form ‘theatre’ shows in big venues where they can control every element of the production. In a Figs in Wigs show despite the chaotic activity that you see onstage, every element is tightly choreographed.
Their work is interdisciplinary, consistently and deliberately defying categorisation. Their creative process is DIY, democratic and non-hierarchical; they view their collaboration as their greatest asset and believe that the work they create is a true visual representation of five minds colliding.
Their work is for anyone who gets annoyed with conventional theatre, who enjoys laughing at traditions and poking fun at themselves. It chimes especially strongly with those who seek radical ways of looking at the world and those who see humour as a tool for exploring bigger themes. Jokes are at the heart of what they do and they take silliness very seriously.
They have headlined WOW Festival, Southbank Centre, sold out a 2-week run in Battersea Art Centre’s Grand Hall, been featured in Barbican’s Art of Change Short Film series. They make performance work for main house stages, studio spaces, festivals, clubs and cabaret spaces and have received commissions from HOME Manchester, London School of Economics, Historic Royal Palaces, Selfridges & Battersea Arts Centre to make bespoke performative projects ranging from full-length theatre shows, to participatory experiences to window displays. They have recently been recipients of Another Route, Jerwood Live Work Fund and their most recent show Little Wimmin was featured as part of the 2022 Horizon Edinburgh Showcase to a sellout run.
figsinwigs.com
