Awkward Conversations with Animals I've F*cked
"Unashamedly provocative and unquestionably memorable" - The Stage
"Really enjoyed. Linus Karp was great" - Edgar Wright
One-night stands are awkward. One-night stands with animals are more awkward. And when you're as desperate to please as Bobby, things get awkward as fuck. He's just a guy with too much love to give, and a burning desire to give it to consensual adult mammals. Reuniting the creative team from the previous runs - Linus Karp returns to the role directed by Katharine Armitage.
A one-man tragi-comedy, Rob Hayes’ play is a disturbing psychological examination of loneliness. The production tackles mental health, focusing on how toxic masculinity can undermine loving and healthy social connections, while also illustrating the absurdity of society’s treatment of animals.
"Funny and unsettling" - Mark Gatiss
"Strangely moving" - Edgar Wright
"A Fringe hit" - Time Out
"A sensitive and nuanced performance" - The Stage
"Hilarious" - Gay Times
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ - London Theatre 1
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ - Everything Theatre
And 14 other ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ reviews
Who Are We?
My name is Linus Karp and I am Artistic Director of Awkward Productions, a company committed to exploring contemporary writing and bringing controversial and taboo subjects to the forefront of our dramatic culture. 'Awkward Conversations with Animals I've F*cked' is the perfect example of just that. It puts an unseen voice centre-stage and challenges our audiences to question their perceptions throughout our hour long dark-comedy.
I first encountered this play on a bookshelf in London and I fell in love straight away. I bought it, read it, and re-read all in one evening. It was unlike anything I had ever encountered before and I knew I had to bring this text to life. I first performed the one-hour monologue in The Lion and Unicorn Theatre in London, a small venue above a pub, where it received an overwhelmingly positive reception. Reviews were filled with praise, and the wonderful Mark Gatiss came to the show and described it as "funny and unsettling".
In August 2018 we were invited by Underbelly to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where we enjoyed sold-out shows to raving audiences. Following our success in Edinburgh we had a London transfer to the renowned King's Head Theatre in Islington for a three week run in Spring 2019. Edgar Wright saw the show and had this to say...
Requests soon started coming in from venues across the country and we knew we had take our production and this thought-provoking story on tour.
Coming from Sweden and working as an actor in a second language as well as being a queer artist, the roles available to me are often limited or stereotyped. However, I have been able to thrive in this production. Amidst Brexit chaos and a continued struggle over LGBTQIA+ rights, this production puts a queer European centre-stage for our audiences. This tour is an opportunity for us to bring this incredible piece of work outside of a London-centric theatre scene and share it across the breadth of the UK, but we can only do it with your support!
Why This Production?
So far, I have self-funded the first three runs of this show however, while we have enjoyed success, financially it has been very difficult. This tour will be the biggest outing of the show so far and I need your help to make it a reality. My fantastic production team and I are eager to see this show on tour. I have always made sure that everybody working for me has been paid a fair wages for their work and want guarantee this for a tour.
What we need is financial support in order to secure a decent wage for the creatives involved, transportation for the cast and crew as well as our set and technical equipment, petrol, accommodation and marketing.
Realistically we need £3,200 in order to cover all of our expenses and guarantee that the show will be the best that it can be. I have been working for the past few months in order to pay for the venues, the rights to perform the play, and secure our director and producer for this run - all of which have already been paid for. This Indiegogo is going to help propel the show to even greater heights as I cannot fund the entire project alone.
We're excited to offer a wide range of perks for all of our contributors, ranging from personalised postcards from the theatres we visit to Executive Producer credits on the final production. Make sure to check out everything we have on offer to see what suits you best!
We're hoping to achieve our goals during the lead up to this production but we're prepared to work on a smaller budget if need be. We want to give this show the best space, materials and technical support to demonstrate everything it has to say in the most powerful and gripping way for our audiences.
The Impact
"Hayes rampant exploration of loneliness, mental health and bestiality will have you moved whilst wetting yourself with laughter" - Voice Magazine
We're bringing a successful and acclaimed production that discusses both toxic masculinity and the effects of loneliness on a young man's mental health. This is a production that interrogates the relationship between fathers and sons, tackling how emotional abuse can impact and negatively affect the development of one's sense of self.
"my companion to the show, and I had a lengthy discussion afterwards about Awkward Conversations... if we hadn’t had to part for our separate trains, I think we could still be discussing Bobby and his actions now." - London Theatre 1
In bringing this production across the UK, we're hoping to provoke discussions amongst our audience while at the same time using humour as a bridge to make the uncomfortable topics within the play easily accessible. There is no other play like this to be found on the UK theatre scene at the moment.
This production has already thrived in London and Edinburgh with five star reviews and sold-out performances, we only expect it to soar to new heights on tour!
Risks & Challenges
Going on tour, we will be taking the show to new cities where we don't have an immediate audience. However, we have a strong social media campaign and we are working with each theatre's marketing department in order to get the word out about the show before we arrive. We want to make sure that we are engaging with audiences from all walks of life as we know that this production has universal messages that everyone can connect to.
As we already have a finished production that is cast, designed, and ready to go, as well as venues already booked across the UK, we are in a very strong position to see this show succeed.
I Can't Donate But I Want To Contribute
We completely understand if you can't make a financial donation but there are still a ton of ways you can help support this project!
1) You can share this campaign on your social media platforms.
2) You can follow us on social media so you can stay up to date on Awkward Conversations as we travel the country. We're @AwkwardProds on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
3) If we're not coming to a theatre near you and you want to see us there, tweet your local theatres that you want to see us there!
4) Last but not least, come and see our performances across Autumn 2019! We want to share this piece with you and we cannot wait for you to see it.