Ediburgh Festival Fringe – Sh!t Theatre’s JSA (Job Seekers Anonymous) 2013

Sh!t Theatre’s JSA (Job Seekers Anonymous) 2013

Venue: Gryphon Venues @ the Point Hotel Venue 109
Dates: 2 – 24 Aug 2013 (not 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 18)
Time: 13.30 (ends 14.30)
Tickets: £5 (£3 concs)
Venue Box Office: 07531 392 327
Online: http://gryphonvenues.com

Song, stories, satire and silliness

The R&D of Sh!t Theatre’s JSA show was supported by Arts Council England. As their show explores the benefit system Sh!t Theatre applied for Arts Council funding exactly equal to the money they’d previously been receiving on JSA and Housing Benefits. When they went back to the job centre to sign off and informed them how much money they’d be receiving from the Arts Council, the nice people at the job centre said, ‘Ooh, that’s not enough to live on!’ and insisted upon awarding them additional Housing Benefits.

Sh!t Theatre’s JSA is a unique and humorous exploration of the (un)employment situation in the UK today. Sh!t Theatre examine their own experiences on the dole and being unemployed and the surrounding political situation. Before every performance Sh!t Theatre survey audience members on their current employment, ambitions and pay bracket. Parts of the show are then re-written in response to this data, so no two shows are quite the same. Gender politics, expectations, the economic crisis, personality flaws, the benefit system – Sh!t Theatre juggle all of these and demonstrate their pro-activity, initiative and all-round readiness for the workplace.

Sh!t Theatre are: Louise Mothersole and Rebecca Biscuit. With backgrounds in performance art, music and long-form improv, they have been writing, performing and signing-on together since May 2010. Sh!t Theatre have written and performed nationally and internationally for events/organisations such as: Duckie at the Barbican, UK Uncut, SHUNT, Resonance 104.4 FM, Colchester Arts Centre, Liverpool Bluecoat Gallery, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and NYC’s HOT! Festival.

Sh!t Theatre’s JSA has been selected for Escalator East To Edinburgh. Each year Escalator East to Edinburgh helps artists and arts organisations to raise their profile and perform to new audiences as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.