Interview: The Pin
Siobhan Forshaw catches up with Ben Ashenden, Mark Fiddaman and Alex Owen, writers and performers of next week’s comedy The Pin

So what’s ‘The Pin’ all about?
BA: It’s a new three-man sketch show that we’ve written together and its on next week at the ADC.
MF: There’s a story, but told through a series of sketches. We play all the characters.
AO: No set. No props. No blackout… I’ve realised that sounds unmistakably wanky. It’s not, honest.
What’s with the title?
MF: Oh Alex is a baron, basically. As for the show title it refers to a pin that a character stands on at one point. The story is shaped around this moment.
BA: It was originally called: ‘What’s all this then?’
AO: And for a brief period it was ‘Whoops, I’m up a ladder!”. But apparently Pixar have got that one locked down.
So it’s a Footlights thing?
AO: No, not really. That’s been the whole point for us.
MF: We’ve done eight Footlights mainshows now, written three of them, and we thought it would be great to go it alone. There’s been none of the normal help you get with the club.
BA: Yep, it’s quite scary. We’ve got no director, no producer. It’s all been down to us, which is exciting but a little daunting too. It’s meant a lot a rehearsals where the three of us are just performing to a blank wall. I don’t care what they say, walls don’t have ears. They certainly don’t laugh.
Why did you decide to work together?
BA: I didn’t. This has been a fucking annoyance.
MF: We’ve written a couple of shows together now, and we’d always wanted to finish our time here with one big three-man show.
AO: We’ve got the loose plan to try it as a threesome after Cambridge. If we’ve got the time we’d also love to work as a comedy trio.
MF: Bloody hell.
Has it sold out?
BA: No, there are still tickets.
MF: Do come along please.
AO: I promise it’ll be fun, promise.
I’ve already booked.
BA: Chill out mate, i’ll be there too.
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