Jake Mace
A one-woman comedy about social media and mental health with a dark twist is the offering from Performer-Producer Ena Begovic in Bloody Influencers, which lands at the Barons Court Theatre next week. We caught up with Ena for a pixelated pint to find out more about the show, the influence of social media, and pink gin.
You can catch Bloody Influencers at the Barons Court Theatre on January 7th and 14th at 6pm. Tickets are available online.
Jake: Hi Ena! Your show, Bloody Influencers, is arriving at the Barons Court Theatre in January. Tell us about the journey you’ve been on with the show so far and how it has been received.
Ena: Yes, me and the team are excited to start 2024 with a show! It’s been quite a long journey to where we are actually. I originally prepared a 25 minute piece as my final graduation piece for my MA in Acting for stage and screen. After graduation I continued developing the show with our writer Ben Mansbridge and created a full blown 55 minute show. It’s been received incredibly well by audience and critics. We even won the Best of Brighton Fringe 2023 award from The Reviews Hub and are nominated for an OffFest award!
Jake: The show follows Daisy Woolworth, a self-described ‘Instagram Queen’ on a slightly twisted journey – tell us about the character and what process you went through to create her.
Ena: The starting point for me was creating a story with a character on a search for something that truly matters in life, because where they are doesn’t make them happy anymore. This was important question for me, and something we can all relate to at some point in life. The character becoming an influencer came later when I got the task at drama school to change my story so that it is linked to social media. I realised spending too much time on social media, pretending to be something we aren’t or even just trying to make our lives look a little better online is such a contemporary issue. Daisy was born! – someone who seems perfect from the outside, but is very broken on the inside, and we get to know her through the show!
The process of building a character was much easier because Ben’s writing was so precise, and Sofia Zaragoza’s direction allowed me to play and express what the character is feeling.
Jake: Handling weighty themes like mental health, anxiety, and toxic relationships with humour can be an interesting process for performers – tell us how it’s been for you and what you’re hoping the audience will take away from the show.
Ena: I think it helped me to process those topics much easier than it would be in straight drama, and the feedback is that the audience felt the same. It offers a sense of relief to talk about mental health through humour. Through the play we laugh, and cry and I want to take audience through all the emotions and perhaps make them question the relationship they themselves have with social media. I do hope the play increases awareness of the effects the social media can have on our mental health, and can be there as a reminder that not everyone that seems thriving is indeed having a good time.
Jake: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?
Ena: Pink Gin, Daisy’s favourite, a bittersweet symphony!
Sean Denyer
