Threepenny Collective is a London-based film and theatre group that specialises in strange and unusual stories. Their latest project, Corpse Flower, brings a monstrous tale to the Edinburgh Fringe. We caught up with them to find out more.
STARBURST: How would you pitch Corpse Flower to a fan of Invader of The Body Snatchers?
Threepenny Collective: Invasion of The Body Snatchers is a very fun reference to the play! In that film, an alien species transforms themselves into impostor humans who lack emotion. We think that Corpse Flower is almost the opposite transformation to that of The Body Snatchers. In Corpse Flower, the 19th-century town’s inhabitants turn from devious, vicious, and unforgiving humans into bugs who are alien and scary but, in some ways, more endearing than their human counterparts.
And how would you pitch it to someone who only really watches sports?
It’s like watching basketball played by a curling team who have never walked on their own feet before.
Who are the Three Penny Collective, and what’s it all about?
We’re a group of graduates from Cambridge University who created their own production company, Threepenny Collective, last year. Together, we produce theatre and short films for TV and festivals. Earlier this month, we kicked off our festival runs with our Straight8 film Love Bites premiering at the BFI Imax.
We are putting on three productions at the Edinburgh Fringe this year. However, Corpse Flower is definitely the most ambitious of the three.
Is horror-comedy harder to do than just horror?
Overall, horror is a difficult genre to create – that is why so many horror films are bad! In theatre, to create an illusion of fear is even harder. Comedy makes the play a little more self-aware and invites the viewer to engulf themselves in the Corpse Flower universe. It builds trust with the viewer. So we’d say no, a straight horror is more difficult to pull off well.
What are your favourite scary things?
Death, cavities, and the unknown. Although, the unknown is the certified hair-raiser! Nothing gets you screaming more than the fear of what you cannot see, only imagine.
Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
Fringe is a festival we always wanted to attend while we were students. Now, it feels like our first step into the theatre industry, something that can throw us into the whirlwind of the UK arts scene. That’s why we are diving wholeheartedly! That’s why we are taking three plays up that support and promote one another during the month-long festival.
How similar is this to other projects you’ve worked on?
Very! We have mostly worked on films and have consciously worked to make Corpse Flower cinematic. This play works on the basis of wit and power struggle; it builds an expressionist universe that feels like a painting. It is very influenced by silent films from Germany and noir cinema, and we feel we carry these references across our productions. A lot of the team from our latest project, Ash Wednesday, a folk-lore horror set in the deep Czech woods, is also a part of Corpse Flower.
What is your favourite moment in the show?
When our lead actress gets her hand cut off!
What is a corpse flower?
A giant flower that blooms for only a day every few years, often with long stretches in between. The plant bellows a vile scent meant to attract carrion flies and bugs that think it is a festering corpse. It even warms itself to 36 degrees to further fool the insects. In our world, the flower embodies the strange parasitic world of the insects. The flower is their long-awaited messiah, their queen for whom they will gladly give their lives.
Where else can we see you?
We have a sketch show at C-Venues called Jukesox running all month. Also, prepare to see us on the big screen with an absurd short film, MEOW! It is a magical piece about a young toilet attendant looking for her lost cat, soon to start its festival run around the world. Outside of show hours, find us in gloomy places around Edinburgh seeking out the gothic strange and bitingly funny.
What’s next?
After this, we are jumping into the post-production of Ash Wednesday, a folklore horror short shot in 16mm film about a young woman who meets the Goddess of death in the deep Czech forests.
Simpsons or Futurama?
Simpsons
Zombies or Vampires?
Vampires hands down.
Vampires or Werewolves?
Werewolves of London.
Doctor Who or Doctor Strange?
Doctor Pepper.Truth or Beauty?
Beauty is truth.
Tickets can be bought from here and you can find out more about Threepenny Collective here.
