Ellen Desmond chats with Queen C**t about feminist theatre, making change and self-care at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Q. I’m really interested to hear where the name Queen C**t came from. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
A. Good question! It arose when China and I were talking about feminism, before we had conceived of the idea of a show… We were speaking about the Vagina Monologues – the one on the word c*nt – and how it spoke of the origins of the word coming from the same word as queen. On further research, we discovered a fascinating article on the word by Laurie Penny; “Cunt – a Proto-Indo-European root word meaning either woman, knowledge, creator or queen. Oldest word in the English language for female genitals and this; “The most heavily tabooed of all English words” (Rawson, 1989). We felt that the split between the two words Queen and C**t was symbolic of the split in perception of the wholeness of women to that of either the sacred woman or the profane-sexual-demonised women. And this is what we explore in the show.
Q.The show looks great and we can’t wait to see it! Can you tell any interested readers who this show is aimed at and what you’re hoping to achieve with it?
A. The show is aimed at anyone and anyone with a beating heart who desires equality. Specifically of course, we are celebrating women and the feminine aspect in all of us – and nature- that is oppressed, suppressed and abused. People with cunts and people who respect them!
We want to channel the fire rage within us in to a creative, colourful explosion of feminine power rising, and for people to feel supported, united and fuelled for living boldly in this world. We want people to feel lifted, laughter is a great medicine of course, and being playful is oh so important.
Q. Our current issue is based around the idea of change and “taking the next step”. You’ve just crowdfunded this show (congratulations!) and arrived at Edinburgh Fringe, so I guess that’s been a big step for you! How have you been feeling about it all?
A. Yes we ran a successful £5,000 Kickstarter to get the show off the ground – from the debut to the mini tour – London, Exeter, Bristol. Now… this is breaking news! We just received an arts council grant for an 8 venue South West Tour. We are extremely excited! Of course being here at the Fringe is thrilling – all the shows and creatives from every corner of the world! It’s fab to be a part of! We have also taken another great step this year – which is partnering with Lunette Cup – a menstrual cup by a company who are working to end period poverty & make women feel great… we obviously had a lot in common!
Q. Do you ever discuss themes of change in your work, or use your work to process/write about dealing with challenges?
A. Yes, our work is all about envisaging the change we want to see – in the world and inter-personal relationships.
Q. We’ve been talking in the office about how some days we feel fearless while on other days fearfulness feels more present. Is fear something that motivates you, holds you back or something you work with to inform your growth?
A. Yes it’s definitely a flow of courage, self-doubt and faith – the full range of human experience! It’s always a process to find the lion heart and rise once more – essentially, this is also what our show is about, a desire for the feminine and women to rise, against all odds. Sometimes fear can spur us on, in an adrenalised sort of way – to step in to the unknown, challenging ourselves. Change cannot be bought about without leaps of faith – we want to honour our sisters, witches and fore-mothers who have forged the way.
Q. If you feel comfortable, can you tell us if your creative work has ever helped or hindered your mental health/wellbeing and self-expression?
A. Being an artist can definitely be a pressured lifestyle choice. Not having financial stability, not knowing how work will be received etc. This can take a toll on your mental health, but hey, so much about living in patriarchal capitalism can, right?! We can safely say it has not hindered our self expression – this is why we chose to be creatives, in order to have a voice, to play and express ourselves…in this sense, it is a help to wellbeing in that one is able to address issues of the heart as they arise and not bottle them up!
Q. Self-care’s a mental health buzz-phrase right now, as you know. As performers you have to put yourselves out there so self-care must be important. What, if anything, does self-care mean to you? Is it something that gets lost while touring a show or something you strive to prioritise?
A. Self-care means being in touch/aware of our bodies and being able to breathe deeply- to have rest and to give oneself love – looking after yourself in the way you would a friend or loved one.
We strive to prioritise this, although it can be difficult! We have regular check-ins before rehearsing or meetings so that personal stuff is acknowledged and recognised before launching in. When producing a show yourselves on a low budget, there isn’t much time for personal soothing but where possible, we encourage each other to take rest and joy time!
Q. Finally, where and when can people see your show?!
Ellen Desmond
Ellen Desmond grew up in Ireland, where she worked at editorial and project management level on various magazines and publications aimed at students. She was awarded the title of Ireland’s Best Student Editor in 2016, just before she moved to Edinburgh to complete an MSc in Publishing. She has co-edited and published a popular anthology about bisexuality. She is a passionate intersectional feminist, and an advocate of mental health reform and LGBTQ+ rights.
As Assistant Editor she is responsible for commissioning and editing great content for Fearless Femme, and conducting research on mental health to support the social mission of Fearless Femme.
