INTERVIEW: A Digital Pint with… Ellie, Robert, and Caleb from Maybe You Like It, on Crisis, Community, and Live Radio

Ellie Jay Cooper and Robert Merriam are the performers of upcoming EdFringe show Down to Chance, directed by Caleb Barron. The show is set in the aftermath of the largest earthquake in US History in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1964. Following part-time radio reporter Genie Chance and her teenage intern, the piece aims to put together a heartwarming portrait of a community in crisis, with the whole world listening. We caught up with the trio for a pixelated pint to find out why they decided to bring this story to the stage.

You can catch Down to Chance from July 30th to August 25th at Beside at Pleasance Courtyard from 14:10 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.

Jake: Hi Ellie, Robert, and Caleb – your upcoming EdFringe show Down to Chance unpacks the aftermath of an earthquake through the lens of the voice of a woman on the radio – tell us about what inspired the show and how you brought it to the stage.

Ellie: I first came across the story during lockdown – of this Alaskan town in the 1960s that was completely destroyed by an earthquake, and how radio became the only way people could stay connected. And as I deep-dived into hours of real radio broadcasts from the earthquake, I remember thinking, Oh, this is exactly what we’re all going through right now – isolated in our homes and seeking connection through technology.

What really hooked me was Genie Chance herself – a total pioneer as a journalist in the 1960s, juggling this high-pressure role against the pull of her family waiting for her to return home. That tension between career and family was something I’ve seen juggled by so many of the women I know and love.

And then there’s this key moment where Genie gets some news and has to decide whether to share it with listeners or keep it quiet. That’s when I knew it was a play. There’s a real and timely conflict between personal responsibility and the ethics of journalism in a crisis. How much information should those in power share with the public? And what do journalists really owe their listening audience?

Caleb: Our process is very collaborative, so we do a lot of internal readings, improvisation, feedback, and that’s guided Ellie’s drafting and re-drafting process, and helped us make the best version of this story for the stage. In true Maybe You Like It style, it’s fast-paced with frenetic action and frantic multi-roling, so we had the fun challenge of telling this story of a whole community with just two actors.

Jake: Tell us about what the audience can expect coming into the show, and what they might not expect about the show.

Caleb: Audiences should expect to not breathe the whole hour that they’re there. We start fast and we get faster. It’s not a play that you need to have a coffee before you see. It will be a thrilling experience for an audience.

Rob: Audiences can expect to be properly transported back in time. We’ve put a lot of effort into bringing the period of the ’60s and the setting of Alaska into the space, with sound design, props, costume.

Caleb: But you might not expect the ways in which we make that world come to life, including the earthquake. And as a show about live radio, the sonic world of the play is very important, and may contain some surprises.

Rob: What you might not expect to happen is that you laugh a lot. There’s a lot of drama and difficult questions posed, but it’s funny and silly – you should expect to have fun.

Ellie: I think something you can try and prepare yourself for, but you still cannot truly expect is the sheer number of voices and costume changes done by Rob Merriam in the space of one hour!  And these characters and what they’re capable of just might surprise you too.

Jake: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?

Rob: I hope that they come away pondering the roles communication technology plays in their life, and how we simplify our relation to technology and how complicated and human the choices that it creates are.

Ellie: Yes – and in a crisis, we need both serious, practical information and lighter stuff – you need those people running a silly quiz to make you feel less alone. In the end, we’re all just seeking connection with one another.

Caleb: I hope people leave feeling inspired by what communities can achieve when they come together, especially when it’s made up of people who aren’t usually asked or expected to step up. I hope they come away feeling hopeful, believing in the possibility of community organising that is inclusive of people on the fringes of society. And I’d love it if people came away curious about Genie Chance herself – there’s so much more to her story than we could fit into the show.

Ellie: And I hope people come away thinking about Genie’s decision at the end – debating whether she made the right call, and what they would do in that situation. When you suddenly find yourself with a lot of power and no easy choices, what would you do?

Jake: With Edinburgh Fringe 2025 just around the corner, what are you most excited for?

Caleb: There are lots of different shows we want to see: Will and Noah: Too Much Time on Their Phones, and TheatreGoose’s new piece Aether at Summerhall. I’m also just excited to be back in Edinburgh for what Edinburgh has to offer. I’ll be eating Nile Valley wraps almost every day, walking up Arthur’s Seat and taking the bus to Portobello and enjoying the beach.

Ellie: Definitely Nile Valley wraps. But I’m just excited to soak up the atmosphere in Pleasance Courtyard every day. And we’re all keen to see Andrew Doherty (Sad Gay AIDS Play) and Pedro Leandro (Soft Animal), both of whom joined us at our fundraiser in July and were absolutely brilliant; also The Unstoppable Rise of Ben Manager – the taster Rob and I saw at the Charlie Hartill final had us cackling.

Rob: I’m excited to get to perform every day. It’s such a rare treat to have a month-long run of anything. And I studied in Edinburgh, so I’m very much looking forward to being back where I first nurtured my love for performance. And I can’t wait to see Terry’s: An American Tragedy about Cars, Customers, and Selling Cars to Customers.

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?

Rob: It’s a very strong coffee with a pretty decent schlock of whiskey stirred in. And you’re sipping on it from a thermos as you’re wading through, like, two feet of snow.

You can catch Down to Chance from July 30th to August 25th at Beside at Pleasance Courtyard from 14:10 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.

Image Credit: AlI Wright