Making, Designing & Surviving Theatre | An Interview with Casey Jay Andrews | Summerhall Arts | Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Casey Jay Andrews is one of those rare artists who seems to live at the intersection of storytelling, design, and sheer creative resilience. Her latest work, The Quiet Earth Beneath—a poignant collaboration with musician Jack Brett—has found a new shape since its first iteration at the Adelaide Fringe, and now descends into Edinburgh with an simple, lyrical power. It’s haunting, earthy, and somehow manages to still feel like a campfire story with glitter in its flames.

But Casey’s artistry doesn’t stop at writing and performing. She’s worked on the design and build for Francesca Moody’s Shedinburgh, worked with the legendary immersive theatre company Punchdrunk, and carved out a career as a freelance artist who knows firsthand what it takes to balance making, producing, and surviving in the industry.

I sat down with Casey to talk about her new show, the evolution of The Quiet Earth Beneath, and what it means to create work that doesn’t just blaze in the moment but lingers into thoughts – like a ritual, like a memory, like the echo of something lost and found again.

TRANSCRIPT

(0:00 - 0:13)

Hello, I'm Ruth and I'm the Arts Business. We're here with Casey, who is promoting her lovely show, The Quiet Earth Beneath. We're going to get started with our first question, which is, please tell us about your show.

(0:13 - 1:18)

Right, okay. It's spoken word and music. I've made this as a collaboration with this brilliant artist and musician, Jack Brett, and it's an exploration of ritual and loss, more specifically, closure.

I like to think of it as a puzzle that you piece together. There's lots of disparate threads that, by the end, everything is blended into one. I think it sits somewhere between Daniel Kitson and Kay Tempest.

That's the kind of Venn diagram I'm aiming for. How long have the pair of you been working on it? Me and Jack, we started working on it at the start of this year. We did a development and we did a version of it, a rehearsed reading, work-in-progress version in Adelaide when we first developed it.

Then after that, we worked on it some more and upscaled it and explored all the things that we'd learned from the run in Adelaide and have brought it here. Awesome. How's the response been so far? So far, this was day two.

(1:19 - 1:27)

Nice. We've had lovely big audiences. The response has been... Well, I'm pleased with the response.

(1:27 - 1:45)

People have responded to it really warmly. I think from the conversations I've had, people have connected with the themes. I think all I try to do in my work is to bring something that offers that moment for a communal moment of vulnerability and connection.

(1:45 - 1:58)

I hope that's what this does. That's the work I like watching as well, so I'm trying to make the work I also like to watch. It was really lovely at the end.

There were so many people coming to give you hugs. Yes. Fingers crossed that continues.

(1:59 - 2:56)

Why did you decide to take it to Adelaide and then to Edinburgh and specifically Summerhall as well? Yes. Well, we decided to take it to Adelaide because we got funding to take an old show of and we thought if we're flying across the world and we've got a bit of funding, we don't want to pass up the opportunity to develop something new. So while doing this old established work, can we trial out something new? So the first version of it we made very quickly knowing that we had this opportunity to try it out there at another brilliant arts festival where there's a really hungry, responsive audience who are... I find that both of these arts festivals, Adelaide and Edinburgh and different arts festivals, the audience is so willing to go with you on a journey.

And so I think that's the best place to develop work because you've got this audience who wants to find something they've never seen before. So I think that's what makes Summerhall so special. So from your point of view, you've selected a very good venue.

(2:57 - 3:25)

Thank you. I love it. I mean, also it's the programme that I open up and then it's the one where I want to book all the things.

So I think if that's the one where I want to book everything, then hopefully my work fits within that programme. So where have you travelled up from? I live in... I live near London. I've actually just moved house before coming.

So I was just sort of... I've been travelling around a bit, but most of the time I'm in and around London. Jax lives in Manchester at the moment. And yeah, so we're kind of all over the place.

(3:25 - 3:39)

Do you do a lot of Zoom chats? Or just try and meet up? We just try and find ways to meet up or places to go. We actually... The last rehearsal we did, a really kind friend of ours let us rehearse at their... They live in an old mill. Oh, wow.

(3:40 - 3:52)

It's at... I don't know if you've seen their work as well. It's right in Granger. They do a lot of storytelling too.

They're really old friends. And I was like, we'd love to come and rehearse at this beautiful... And they were like, yeah, come. And we had the best time.

(3:52 - 4:02)

It was like being in an artist's commune. It was really nice. It's fantastic.

What do you do for a living? You sort of touched on the show that you're a designer. Yes, I'm a designer. I work for Punchdrunk.

(4:02 - 4:14)

So I've worked with Punchdrunk since I was a big fan before I worked for them. So I had to try and keep a lid on that when I first got the job. But I've worked with Punchdrunk since 2020.

(4:15 - 4:30)

I was assistant head of design on The Burnt City. And then I was senior designer at Punchdrunk in Richmond for two, three years. And then now most recently, and still at the moment, I'm the lead designer on Viola's Room, which was in London.

(4:30 - 4:43)

And we've just opened in New York. So before I was at this old mill, I was in New York. So which was like, yeah, it's really... I feel very lucky to have that as a job.

(4:43 - 4:50)

It's really amazing. It's amazing. Nice.

And you're a freelance artist as well? I am. Yes, yes. I'm a visual artist.

(4:50 - 5:07)

And I also, I'd say most of the other design work I do tends to be immersive or like festival-based design. So this fringe, I've designed Sheddenborough, which is Francesca Moody's new venue. So we were in Edinburgh early.

(5:07 - 5:16)

We got here in July and we were busy building that. And Jack, who was also in the show, is an amazing painter. So he was a scenic artist on that.

(5:16 - 5:23)

So yeah, we've just been all over the place. Fantastic. At least you've based it for a month and then you can settle in.

(5:23 - 5:39)

And you're not just straight into fringe marbles. How did you fund or budget your show? And what's the rough sort of budget that you have for it? This show, to be totally honest, it was really hard to fund it. We didn't get any external funding.

(5:40 - 5:51)

So the money that we made from Adelaide just went straight back into paying for this show. So all of our box office from Adelaide paid for all the upfront costs for this. I'm selling my artwork here to pay for our accommodation for this.

(5:51 - 6:07)

And I'm hoping that the ticket sales give us some money to hopefully pay for Adelaide next year. With Adelaide, I've been more lucky with grants and funding. It's been amazing to have that festival kind of say, we want you to come back.

(6:07 - 6:17)

Here's a grant. Please bring work to us. So that's facilitated us making new work.

(6:17 - 6:33)

And then also the Peggy Ramsey grant fund. The first development of this, they funded some of the writing part of the process. So yeah, and the initial early stages, great.

(6:33 - 6:44)

And then this last bit where we had to pay for this fringe. You've got a job in Edinburgh. Yes, actually, do you know what? Doing Sheddenborough really paid for a lot of these costs.

(6:45 - 6:58)

So yeah. Have you done Edinburgh before? Yes, I first came to Edinburgh in 2009, flyering for some of my friends when we were all teenagers. And the show was terrible, but we had a great time.

(6:58 - 7:04)

And I've been back every single year since. Last year was the first year I was here and I didn't work on a show. Wow.

(7:04 - 7:15)

And I was kind of like, well, I feel weird about that. But I actually just had a great time and watched loads and absorbed everything and was really inspired by everything I was watching. I would have been sad if I didn't come at all.

(7:15 - 7:46)

Yeah, so I still came up for ages. And do you think it's more difficult to bring a show nowadays? Yeah, the main conversation I've had, especially actually over at the Sheddenborough Build, with talking to the producers there, talking to Francesca Moody and to Darcy Dobson and all the different people that we've been working with, the artists, there's lots of new artists coming through Sheddenborough as well. I started doing the fringe as a, well, first as a teenager, just coming and paying to sleep on the floor of someone's room and fly her for them.

(7:46 - 8:05)

We've all been there. And then as a student, we used to be able to raise all of the money to pay for our flat and to pay for the rental of a space, like at drama school by hosting a party and selling drinks. And now I just don't, like, I don't know how a student could afford it.

(8:05 - 8:20)

If I've got a full-time job in like an amazing company and I'm struggling to pay for the upfront costs without grants and funding, then how a student company manages... Especially if you're not based here. Yeah, yeah. It's the accommodation that's the real kick in hand.

(8:20 - 8:31)

It really is, like, it's crazy. I just, yeah, I think it's really sad because I think that's... I remember when I was at C Venues in 2009, 2010... Good times. Yeah, great times.

(8:32 - 8:41)

And all of the companies... Which venue were you in? Oh, see, I was in, we were in C Main and then C SoCo and then C Nova. We did all the C Venues. My friend was production manager there in 2009.

(8:41 - 8:56)

Oh, really? Chaotic. And, but the companies that were there are now on the West End. Like you had, you had Belt Up Theatre, who is now like, well, all of them are making things separately, but you've got Benjamin Button on the West End.

(8:57 - 9:10)

You've got Wright & Granger making incredible international touring work here. And then you had Mischief Theatre doing improv there. I like, I feel like you saw so many up-and-coming people and everyone speaks about that's what Edinburgh is.

(9:10 - 9:21)

And you felt like it could happen as well. And we were, you know, in these terrible rooms and people would come and you felt like you could make something that people would want to see. And I hope that's still possible.

(9:21 - 9:40)

And I think that's why it's important to still like, I don't know, go and see work at all the venues and all the spaces, the unexpected places where you might find that work again still. What's your daily schedule look like on an average Fringe day? I don't think I've got into my daily schedule yet. Because you're only on day two.

(9:40 - 9:50)

Yeah, day two. And so I'm still like, I haven't fully settled. But I know once I've settled into it, I really like that the big thing for me here is still I love going to see work.

(9:50 - 10:05)

Like, I think that is the thing that has kind of propelled my career as an artist is constantly trying to figure out what it is that I love. And my tastes have changed over the years and things that I would have hated 10 years ago, I love now. Things I would have loved 10 years ago, I hate now.

(10:06 - 10:22)

By coming to Summerhall, you get a pass to go and see all the shows. Yeah, yeah, yeah. How do you handle all of your marketing, your sort of social media, PR, flyering, et cetera? So I, as previously explained, I didn't have loads of money to make the show.

(10:23 - 10:30)

So I do not have a PR person, a marketing person. It is just us doing it ourselves. There's only two of us.

(10:31 - 10:42)

So that's tough. But the thing that allows me to do that is the fact that we've been coming for a long time. So we've got relationships built up with press.

(10:43 - 10:56)

So it's hard to get press through the door. There's so many shows and there's so little time. And the cost for the reviewers to come and stay as well is as bad as it is for the artists, for people coming from outside of town.

(10:57 - 11:24)

We stay, I went to uni here, so we stay out in, where do we stay out in? West Calder with one of my uni mates. Because I looked at getting an Ibis in Hunter Square, 400 pounds a night. So yeah, I think the only reason that I can come and do the festival without hiring someone to do PR is because just by merit of being here and having, you know, had that relationship going for the last 15 years.

(11:25 - 11:42)

I saw a photo come up on my Facebook memories because I still use Facebook, who am I? Everyone, there are a trillion people still on it. You need to still be able to contact your aunties. And a picture came up of me and my friend like under a blanket queuing for the Meet the Media like 12 years ago.

(11:43 - 12:00)

And I'm like, that's the only reason I can do this now is because 12 years ago, we were sat under a blanket really early in the morning so we could get in the queue to talk to the Scotsman. So absolutely, yeah. And marketing, I think, again, it's just the return and we get a lot of return audiences and it's just hoping that word of mouth still exists.

(12:00 - 12:32)

I think it does still. And I think that does, if there's one place where word of mouth is beneficial, it is Fringe Festivals. Yeah, that's the only, when I'm sitting and having a pint, the first thing I'm asking is like, what should I go to? What do I see? On that, do you have any tips for managing burnout or exhaustion during the Fringe? No, I think the important thing is to be, certainly for me, especially at the beginning, it's being really boundaried when I know that, it's a stressful undertaking to do all of the jobs and then also be performing in the show.

(12:33 - 12:56)

And so making sure I have the space and time that I need to work on the show, even when all of my friends are out having fun, which has been hard, but actually saying no and staying in or taking the time to relax. More at the beginning, I'm really protective of my energy and space and to varying degrees of success. Some years I really manage it, some years I don't.

(12:56 - 13:11)

I'm really, you know, I'm going into the Fringe tired at the start this time, but I'm hoping now I'll have a moment to, for me, I feel like it's the lead up, which is quite an intense workload. And it was because you built Sheddenborough as well. Yes, it was very intense.

(13:11 - 13:23)

And then I always find that actually once it's settled, then I can relax a bit more. So, but I know for other people, it's the opposite way around. And actually the festival itself is the stressful burnout part of it.

(13:23 - 13:54)

But I mean, this is going to be famous last words. Yeah, I'll see a Facebook video of you at the end of the Fringe off your face in this courtyard on Big Greenstone. What do you wish you'd known before ever doing the Fringe? Do you know what's good, but something doesn't immediately come to mind is that I had really good advice and support from people who've been doing the Fringe for years.

(13:55 - 14:12)

And so that was one of the most beneficial things because I had a heads up. And I also did maybe two years of working on someone else's show, flyering or helping like being the producer's assistant to figure out how it worked before I made my own thing. That's really nice.

(14:12 - 14:23)

I've done about 20 of these and no one said essentially find your veterans. Yes, yeah. And they also like, it's an old director actually from drama school.

(14:24 - 14:47)

Where'd you go? I went to Guildford School of Acting and Jonathan Holloway was just really generous with his, not only his advice, but also with his connections. Like he just put us in touch with the venues and he helped us, you know, make connections with press and just very willing to like give us a foot in the door. So I think lots of people who come to the festival have that spirit.

(14:48 - 15:00)

So, you know, yeah. If people want to come next year and give it a go, what advice would you give them? Go for a smaller room that you can sell out. Smallest room possible.

(15:00 - 15:09)

I did a five seater one year and it sold out the whole run because then- Did you get a little sellout badge? Yeah, absolutely. Absolute winner. I did it five times a day and that was terrible.

(15:11 - 15:41)

But yeah, go for a smaller room that you can fill up and then that word of mouth, seeing it on the sellout board every day is something that will drive audiences. Bring something that you want to watch and I think like know what you want to get out of it, especially if you don't have all the funding in the world to hire every, you know, the PR and the marketing. If you're coming here to try and book a tour, book a UK tour, maybe that's the focus one year or if you're trying to gather reviews and that's the main focus, focus on that.

(15:41 - 15:52)

But maybe just set some goals and know that you can't always do all of the things. Sometimes you've got a once in a blue moon, the show just does it, it just happens. And nobody knows why.

(15:53 - 16:05)

And it's amazing that that still happens really, that is cool. Sum up your fringe experiences in one sentence. Oh, it's my favourite place in the world and I think that I'm glad that I had that experience.

(16:05 - 16:21)

I think I'm lucky that my early fringes were good ones because I think if you come up here and your sort of early experiences are not good ones then that can tarnish it. I've had some bad ones but they were just later in the run. So I really loved it last time.

(16:21 - 16:41)

There was a time when I loved it. So yeah, I love it, I love it. And finally, where can we find your show and you and Jack? You can find us, you can find the show at 7.30pm in the dissection room at Summerhall every day for the festival apart from two of the Mondays when Summerhall, everything's not on.

(16:42 - 17:04)

And you can find me and Jack on Instagram. I'm at caseyjayandrews.art and Jack is jackbrett__ and also my website is www.caseyjayandrews.com and that's got all my work on it and our mailing list and says what's coming up next. And go to the shop and buy all of your artwork.

(17:06 - 17:08)

Perfect. Thank you so much. Thank you.