The Buzz Intro Interview | Oldest and Dearest

Respondent: Miles Calderon
Position in Company: Co-Producer Co-Devisor
Company: Oldest and Dearest
Show Title: Mr. Cardboard

“Essentially we just want to have fun and create emotive experiences along the way. The struggles of the world motivate us to be even sillier!”

Why should people see your show?

We believe we’re offering the fine folks attending Atlanta Fringe this year a new kind of theatre. A highly interactive and reactive toybox where the audience gets to play along with the performers. Plus it’s funny!

What about festivals intrigues you? And why the Atlanta Fringe?

This type of show works wonderfully at festivals as we get to experience many different kinds of audiences. As well as expose some folks to a kind of clowning and performance they may have never seen before. I, Miles, am from Atlanta and wished I could have seen a show like this when I was growing up here.

What inspired you to create this?

Levi and I both shared a passion of coming of ages stories and enjoyed playing in the tropes of the genre. The show came from the characters we developed through this play. With the aid of our director Will Spence and our dramaturg and producer Jessica Barton we further devised and formalised our characters into a show that we hoped would inspire others to connect with their inner and most ridiculous child.

Life has been weird the last few years, to say the least. How has the “real world” affected the art you’re creating?

I think in the last few years we’ve certainly yearned for the innocence of childhood. Back when the world was a bit less scary, mainly because we didn’t understand it. However inevitably even that kind of thinking clashes with how absurd the real world can be.

Essentially we just want to have fun and create emotive experiences along the way. The struggles of the world motivate us to be even sillier!

What have you learned from working on your show so far?

Making shows is hard. So much goes into it beyond the creative, between booking travel, marketing and accommodation, it can feel overwhelming. However teamwork makes the dreamwork.

A mysterious stranger asks to meet you and your cast and crew after loving your show. In your WILDEST DREAMS, who is it? (Bonus points if your mysterious stranger is an Atlanta celeb.)

Andre 3000 and Donald Glover are two Atlanta creative icons, it would be an absurd honour to have them see the show. And if James Quincey came through and asked us to be the new Coca-Cola mascots we wouldn’t say no!

Fringes are the place to really push the boundaries so we gotta ask: are you inviting your family to this show are “Hey, maybe sit this one out you guys…”

Yes, we’re inviting our family to the show “Hey, sit this one IN you guys…”