Handful of Bugs – Alex Donnelly and Lachie Gough – return to Melbourne Fringe with Jester’s Privilege, a dark comedy focusing on the divide between the public and private self through the eyes of a jester in a Queen’s medieval court. If there’s one thing this company is known for, it’s the collaborative and playful spirit with which they create and perform. So it’s no surprise that when we spoke to them, they responded to questions as a single voice.
When I first heard they were making a work on someone approaching the sunset of their career, I worried they might be hinting at their own. Thankfully, the duo quickly put that worry to rest. "Even though we formed as a theatre company in 2023, everyone in the Bugs’ team has worked in the performing arts for many, many years," they tell me. "The show is somewhat inspired in particular by Lachie’s experience as someone who started comedy at 13, and discovered success during his teenage years. Now, he’s not at the end of his career, but the fear that he peaked too soon, or that his glory days have come and gone, has been an ongoing feeling since becoming an adult who is attempting to turn this craft into their full-time gig."
"The exciting and equally terrifying thing about a profession in the performing arts is that it could end at any moment; it could also not happen at all. We're looking into this concept that a career lasts for as long as the audience wants to laugh. Although it is a piece regarding the conclusion of one, this is most definitely not the last you’ll see of the Bugs. We are JUST GETTING STARTED!"
"In our own lives, we are always aware of the moments of these masks coming on and off, and the struggle of battling mental health issues in private, whilst pursuing a craft that relies heavily on being seen by people. Lachie (as seen on poster) is a recovering alcoholic and since getting sober over a year ago he has reflected a lot on how for years he was swapping between two masks, his onstage mask and the alcohol-fuelled mask he would use in his personal life. He found out first-hand that there is only so long you can run from your true self. This show explores the feelings that arose with finally dropping these masks."
While this is their third full-length production in two years, Donnelly and Gough began collaborating almost a decade ago. "From the moment we met at university in 2017, there was an instant comedic spark between us, the riffs commenced and they never stopped. Later that year, we took those riffs and put them on stage in the first (and last) VCA revue," they recall. "There was a natural flow that came with writing and performing together and after a few years of too much talking and not enough action in 2023 we finally wrote and staged our first full-length show, The John Wilkes Booth. It garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews, a sold-out season, and solidified our comedic (and cosmic) bond."
"We are best friends first, and that is the foundation for our practice, as all of our ideas come from trying to get each other to laugh. Call it arrogance or wishful thinking, but we think that if it makes us laugh it is sure to make others laugh as well. We have only been wrong about that once, but we dare not bring it up or we will start violently sobbing."
"We have realised for the most part we share very similar views on what we want to create and how we want to create it. But as is the case in any collaborative project we still have instances of disagreement. The main rule we have when working together is that criticism of each other's writing cannot be taken personally. We know and agree that we are working for the benefit of the show and what’s best for it. We know that if one of us pushes back on an idea or joke it is because we are both so passionate around having this work be the best thing it can be. Everything is in service of the bit. We live and die by the bit, which may tell you a little something about Jester’s Privilege."
"And although it began with the two of us, our team has expanded and as much as we wish we could take credit for everything we do, we could not have done it without our incredible producer Kaite Head and jackass-of-all-trades Ayesha Harris-Westman. Anytime one of us is on stage, all of us are on stage."
Handful of Bugs have swung wildly across the theatrical spectrum: from the chaotic farce of The John Wilkes Booth, to the playful whimsy of Bigfoot: In Plain Sight, and now the darker, more contemplative Jester’s Privilege. Three boldly distinct shows, each landing by chance and design. "We make work like pigs sniffing for truffles! We follow our noses. Our shows grow from a silly spark, sometimes even as small as a sentence, a costume, a gag, or an intriguing relationship dynamic. For example, The John Wilkes Booth was just a cool title that was thrown into the ring with the scraps of an idea of a comedy about a pair of assassins. Then we push, pull and stretch that into all corners, following what we find interesting, funny or juicy," they explain.
"Our aim is to make stuff we like, and any genre, message or theme evolves naturally from playing in the room, and is then fleshed out over time. Our past works put comedy in the driver's seat, but Jester’s Privilege has it in the passenger seat calling out directions. Exploring how we can use comedy as a vehicle to talk about deeper themes, as the famous equation goes: comedy = tragedy + something else."
"We are interested in forever breaking our own mould. We want our shows to be different, but to still be painted with the signature Handful of Bugs brush. The unpredictability is the very thing that keeps it exciting. Our experimental practice isn’t limited to themes and structure, but expands into the medium itself. We are currently concentrating on theatre but we have plans for the screen, music and even a children’s book. Keep your eyes like your bananas, PEELED! Long Live the Bugs."
FRINGE FIVE FAST ONES
1. A song I could listen to on repeat forever is
Lachie: Alex Donnelly’s cover of Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls.
Alex: cowboywhipsoundeffect.mp3.
2. One object I can’t live without backstage is
Lachie: Alex Donnelly.
Alex: a regulation size basketball court.
3. My favourite word is
Lachie: Alex because of Alex Donnelly.
Alex: cough, because it rhymes with Gough, like my best friend, Lachie Gough.
4. Something unexpected that brings me joy is
Lachie: Alex Donnelly.
Alex: stolen valor.
5. If I could live one day as someone else, it would be
Lachie: Alex Donnelly.
Alex: "Weird Al" Yankovic.
Show Details
Venue: Trades Hall, Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton
Season: 1 - 5 October | Wed - Sat 7:30pm, Sun 6:30pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: Full $28 | Concession $26 | Wednesday Hump Day $21
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival
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