The SMOKESHOW- Laura Kelly’s theatre of play
Laura preparing for the show - image by @vuyopolson
We spoke to Laura Kelly about SMOKESHOW, her new show celebrating the weird, wacky and wonderful
After our introduction to the world of theatre by interviewing the Baked Shakespeare company, we found our interest piqued by the art form as well as the thriving community to be found here in the city.
When catching up with Laura Kelly one day at Ground Culture, she told us about her then upcoming new show and we could not miss up the opportunity to explore the space that she had put together
We caught up with her before the performance to learn more about the show, the performers, and the antics that ensue when you invite them onto a stage to do their thing immediately after ripping a fat bong
Image by @vuyopolson
What is the Smokeshow?
“I have been a part of the Baked Shakespeare theatre company for the past 4 years, and that has been a huge inspiration for my own career. Not just in theater, but in the way that I want to create work. The audience participation plays such a big part of it. My favourite theatre to watch is when the audience becomes part of the action, so I've always known that that was something that I wanted to bring in my own space. What I realised about Baked Shakespeare was how deeply the audience resonates with the performers' walls being brought down.”
“There is something beautiful about traditional theater and the proscenium arch and the fourth wall being there, but I think the art that can move you the most is when you can see the human inside the performer. That was the main impetus behind what I’m trying to do here, is just making sure that we’re all appreciating each other not only as artists but as human beings sharing our work together.”
Laura on stage introducing the show - image by @vuyopolson
What is the format of the show?
“We have a line up of 6 performers, new every single time, which we try to make as diverse as possible. Tonight we have a comedian, a drag queen, a clown, a musician, even a performer doing Kamishibai, a form of Japanese storytelling theatre - it's so weird and wonderful and wacky. I wanted to be able to take performers who wouldn't necessarily be given a platform because their work is too weird, and put them on a stage where that weirdness is celebrated and embraced.”
“So our performers come on stage, rip a bong, and they have to perform a 1 minute challenge with an audience member. The 1 minute challenge can either be pictionary, charades or 30 30 Seconds Seconds (Smokeshow would like everyone to know that they are in no way affiliated with the 30 Seconds Brand). After that challenge they go ahead and do their performance.”
“I thought that I was going to be struggling to get people to be on the show, but I already have the lineups for the next two shows filled out! It's been overwhelming how keen people are to be a part of this. Just knowing that people appreciate a space, as a performer, where they are allowed to mess up, and they are allowed to bring something new to the table that no one has seen before. This is a space to play.”
Callum Hitchcock playing 30 30 Seconds Seconds with an audience volunteer - image by @vuyopolson
With all these performers reaching out, how do you go about curating the line up?
“I like to do a range of performance styles - I want the lineup to be as diverse as possible, not only in the acts, but in the performance experience as well. At our first show in October we had, on the same lineup, theater students from Stellenbosch in the same space as Mojak Lehoko, an Emmy nominated comedian. That’s also very important to me, making sure that no matter who you are, you will be celebrated in the same way. “
“It goes to show that even when you’re at the top of your game, you still want to play. You want to see what else is out there. You don't have to put yourself in the box of your brand. That’s what I’m trying to bring out of performers.”
Seeing big performers come through and grace your presence, and the fact that your lineup is booked for the next two shows, what does it mean to you seeing the space that you’ve created grow in that sense?
“Not to toot my own horn, but I think it's a testament to the fact that I had an idea, I had a concept, and I was willing to do all that I could to make it happen and to make it work. So to see the reception and such a positive reception at that is heartwarming.”
“What is incredibly special about this as well is that I’m the host, and this is my first time being Laura. Being the host is very important because it takes a very specific style to host this kind of space, to hold the space and make it safe for the performers, as well as making it safe for the audience to get involved and be a part of. The audience participation is what makes the show happen.”
“I want it to feel like we’re at a family braai and we’re your cousins and we’ve been rehearsing a dance in the kitchen which we need you to just sit and watch and be proud of us. That’s the energy I’m trying to bring, is that no matter what you bring to the table here, we love you, and we love it.”
Rachel the Bear performing - image by @vuyopolson
This early into the tenure of The Smokeshow, what is the community like that’s forming around it?
“When I was putting together the team, I was so specific about what I wanted, because the space has to be so safe, it has to be held. Performing in general can be nerve wracking, but when drugs are involved things can get scary. It’s bloody terrifying to get up there, so the people involved in the show have to be the right people.”
“While setting up today I actually forgot that we were setting up for a show, it felt like just another day chilling with the homies!”
“It’s such a treat to call these people my colleagues, and to be able to call this my job.”
Insofar as the platform that you’re providing, how do you see it growing and developing?
“My plan is to host these shows once a month. The last two have been at The Outlore Base, but next year I’d love to take it to Masque Theatre and do a double bill over a weekend. I’d love to take it to the National Arts Festival as well. We’re doing a Christmas show at the Outlore on the 20th called Friendsmas, which will have all of my best friends on the line up - Erin Gemmell, SQ Mangcu, James Stoffberg from Baked Shakespeare.And the tickets will be two for one so you can bring your bestie too!”
“I have a lot of ideas about how the show can be formatted, and what is so great about it is that the format is so malleable. It can be all comedians, all musicians, or all theatre performers. We can curate the show to be whatever we want it to be.”
“I would love to make the show as accessible as possible while still being able to pay my people.”
The audience at the show - image by @vuyopolson
How do you go about doing that? Making it as accessible as possible to an audience while still providing a stable revenue stream for the performers?
“That’s why I want to take it to as many venues as possible. When we take it to the Masque Theatre tickets will need to be slightly more expensive, because of the nature of the venue. But then we’re bringing in an entirely different crowd, we’ll be bringing in the older theater goers, so we’ll expose them to something that they’ve never experienced.”
“Accessibility is mainly about venues, and expanding as much as possible. I’d love to go to Stellenbosch and do a student lineup. I think it’ll be the most chaotic night of my life but I’m excited to see what will happen!”
Owethu Nwandwe performing - image by @vuyopolson
We were lucky enough to get to chat to some of the performers before the show as well. Nishen Pather was putting on a comedy skit along with Daniele du Plessis and S’Qhamo Mangcu, so we chatted to them about their experience on Laura’s stage. Even legendary theatre-maker Sophie Joans joined the chat towards the end
Daniele and Nishen doing the honours - image by @vuyopolson
Having performed at the last show and now performing at this one with Nishen, what is the experience like?
Daniele: “It's very fun, and very different. It's such a safe space which is not what I was expecting. The last time I did it I was nervous, because I never perform inebriated, it's a rule of mine. So I committed to SMOKESHOW because I love Laura, and it was actually so freeing to do comedy in that way. The audience is lovely and so open to anything and everything. It’s so rare in comedy to perform in a room where you really feel safe to do whatever and say whatever.”
Nishen: “It's so much fun because not only does the space exist, but the people that are attracted to the space make you feel free to express whatever silly idea you have and it's just a judgement free zone. It's such a warm atmosphere. Coming from stand-up, you never know what you’re walking into, but in this space that Laura has cultivated, I’m not fearful of the audience. If you’re gonna rip a bong in front of strangers you want to feel safe.”
If you had to pick one thing that being a part of this show has taught you, what would you say that would be?
Danielle: “For me, being a part of the last SMOKESHOW, what I learned was just being present in the moment. As a performer, no matter what you do, we stress so much about the logistics and everything around performing that we forget to just be present in the moment and say “I do this because I enjoy it, I do this to have fun”. And also that it’s okay to be brave and make mistakes on stage and actually just do whatever and play around and experiment.”
Nishen: “I haven’t done a comedy set here before so my takeaway is different. It's more one of gratitude for the scene that exists in Cape Town. We often take it for granted that there are so many different pockets of performance arts which are all on the come up at the same time. I’m very grateful to be a part of it all.”
Daniele, Nishen and S’Qhamo on stage perfroming a skit written by Nishen - image by @vuyopolson
What is it like turning your passion into your career, and finding the balance between pursuing the career while remembering that you do it because you love it?
Laura: “To be honest there were a few times this week that I didn’t love it. Being the person that does all of it, from running the social media to hosting, writing the show, putting the lineup together, paying the artists, I do it all. And there are definitely moments where it feels too much like hard work.”
“But this whole day I’ve been really excited. There’s this feeling of pressure mounting and mounting, but today I’ve been so calm. There’s no point in stressing because the show is going to happen anyway. And just knowing that I’m putting the right people in the right places, that the vision is being appreciated. That I’m doing it the best way that I possibly can.”
S’Qhamo: “For me there was never really an option for me to do anything else. Doing my passion, there was never really any other path for me. This show is cool because it brings a lot of dope dope artists together, and it reminds them that they don’t have to be so serious all the time. It's just a fun time to hang out and have fun. Just enjoy your performance and be present. It's like a talent show for artists.”
Sophie: “I had a beautiful moment earlier when I arrived, I went backstage and there was another performer half naked with half make-up getting into their costume, and I realised ‘this is what we’ve done, this is what it is’. We’ve huddled in dressing rooms and had conversations. I can’t remember the last time I had that moment.”
“Especially for people like most of us who are actors and comedians, comedy is a solo thing, and when we do plays it's often cheaper to do solo shows. So there’s something about line up shows and being backstage with other performers. I really love comedy variety shows. We have a very strong stand up scene in Cape Town and South Africa, but that’s not the only way to make people laugh. Being funny with your friends can be so much fun.”
Be sure to catch their Hazy Holidays show this Friday the 20th at The Outlore Base, and follow them at @smokeshow.sa to see what else they have planned in the new year.
Bring your bestie along and step into Laura’s weird and wacky world of play, you won’t regret it.
