★★★★ and 1/2 "Bowden is a talented theatre maker. His piece is punchy, he boasts some seriously decent vocal chords, does great things with looping vocals, and he manages to tell a completely absurd tale in a compelling manner." - Arts Hub

"In this darkly hilarious and utterly charming show, Bowden has crafted an absolute winner" - Squirrel Comedy

Interview with Mayfest Radio Bristol

Added on June 1, 2015 by Stuart Bowden.

In May I went to Bristol for a weekend. It was great. I did Before Us as part of Mayfest at the Old Vic and I wandered around in the sunshine. I also ate a really nice salad and answered some questions - you can hear those answers below (with your ears) and imagine the salad above (with your mind).

Harpin on with Harpin - Stuart Bowden by Mayfest Radio on Mixcloud

The Blue Room Theatre Interview with Stuart Bowden

Added on January 8, 2015 by Stuart Bowden.

CENTRE STAGE… WITH STUART BOWDEN

WHAT WAS THE FIRST EVER PERFORMANCE YOU WERE IN?

I’m fairly sure my first ever performance was a solo poetry recital of Old Mother Hubbard in the Yarram Eisteddfod. I went on stage, saw everyone, had severe difficulty breathing and ran off stage yelling “I don’t want to do this”.

DO YOU HAVE ANY IRRATIONAL HATES OR FEARS?

Eating sticky food when I’m cold, especially in the morning. And Old Mother Hubbard.

DOG, CAT, OR INDIFFERENT TO PETS?

Humpback whale.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME?

Grappling with a dried up old Christmas tree, trying to take it outside after the festive season, whilst struggling to hold my dressing gown closed (because I’m naked under there). But there’s this pesky/indecent branch trying to embarrass me. 5 mins later I’m still outside my apartment, not exactly sure what to do because I’ve locked myself out there. 5 mins later walking towards the real estate shop (30 min walk, total) unaware that on the back of my dressing gown, attached to the cord there’s an ornate, quite shiny bauble dangling and wobbling around (which I will later sit on and cut myself quite seriously).

WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO?

So that I will be remembered forever.

WHAT SHOW/S ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO DURING SUMMER NIGHTS?

All of them but the ones I know about are:
- KRAKEN
- Hooray for Ben Target
- Fake it ’til you Make it
- Fag/Stag
- Yours the Face
- HEX

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT SUMMER?

The snails aren’t so prominent.

Stuart Bowden: Before Us is presented by The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights and DON’T BE LONELY as part of FRINGE WORLD 2015.

Find out more about Stuart Bowden: Before Us here.

Interview for The Beast at Brisbane Festival

Added on September 12, 2012 by Stuart Bowden.

Arts

BOWDEN & THE BEAST

As Brisbane Festival approaches, Sam Hobson sits down with solo writer/performer Stuart Bowden to talk about his curious new show The Beast.

“The Beast is a simple story about a creature called Winslow,” Bowden explains. “Nobody really knows what he is, [but] he lives in a cave and he’s learnt everything he knows about humanity from watching people. He eats berries and various rodents and often thinks about killing himself. He wonders what he’s doing here. He longs for connection. This show is about Winslow seeking that connection.”

While researching what it is that Stuart Bowden does, I came across his blog and the works of micro fiction he’d posted. It was through those stories that Bowden’s considerable talent revealed itself. His writer’s voice is crisp and present; his prose has a neatness I envy, and the power of his writing comes from a place of quiet, unassuming strength.

The pairing of that skill for self-expression with the isolated story of The Beast – for me, at least – makes Bowden’s new stage show a particularly exciting prospect. “To be honest,” Bowden starts, “I always wanted to be a performer. I studied acting, and since graduating [I’ve] developed my writing as a survival mechanism.”

This survival mechanism, he explains, began as a pragmatic solution to ensuring there were always roles available for him. If there were no juicy parts going, then Bowden was simply the one to create them. “[But] now I can’t stop,” he continues. “I’ve found a sense of empowerment as an artist. I take pleasure in the writing, [and] it has definitely become a creative outlet for me…playing with ideas and creating characters. It’s rewarding to create [a] whole work from start to finish, from idea to performance, and I [so] don’t really see the two [as] completely separate things.”

Thematically, his micro fiction wrestles with self worth; it’s all internal monologues, missed connections, and soft, introspective moments of humility. His performance art, though, through a different medium, inhabits a similar thematic and narrative space. “As a solo artist it can get a little lonely, and that often makes its way into my work.” Bowden admits. “I regularly find myself dredging through themes of longing, isolation, and [also] hope. I think I’m drawn to these themes because I grew up in [the] country, and I spent a lot of time just hanging out with my brothers on the farm or on my own.

“I don’t think isolation is necessarily a negative thing, though. With isolation, you’re left with your thoughts and your imagination and that’s when you start to create stories. I think the main characters in my two solo shows experience that imaginative freedom that isolation can foster.”

“In the beginning I wrote The Beast as the second in a series of portraits of characters in isolation seeking others. The first in the series was about a space explorer, [and it was] during the performance of [that show] that I started to think about creating a show about a ‘creature’ rather than a human; [a show about] that creature’s isolation and naivety. Winslow is a creature desperately seeking humanity, so we relate to him and ultimately want to be his friend.”

WHAT: The Beast

WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 20 to Sunday 23 September, Brisbane Powerhouse

Sam Hobson

Time Off (Sep 12, 2012)