Photo: Giles Smith
Tell us about your show Cara Josephine…
It’s a show about love and about heartbreak. I wrote it in Summer 2013 when I found myself in a bit of a mess about love and relationships. I wanted to work out why I was a mess, explore it on stage and then be able to move on from it. The reason it’s called Cara Josephine is because just under a year ago my sister had her first child. I named it the show after her because I love this child so much and she’s made me and my sister closer. So ultimately the show started out being about romantic love and then became about something much deeper.
You performed this last year at the Edinburgh Fringe. How did it go down?
It went down well. Although it’s improved through practice a lot since then. By the time I get to Nottingham with it, it will be super-honed.
You’re doing quite an extensive tour with this show. How is life on the road?
I love it. I build up a whole portfolio of restaurants I like to go to and comic book shops I like to visit. I have quite a few friends around the country who I only see when I’m on tour. So I just love the life of a touring comedian and the fact that I just get to wander around Britain. I feel like there’s only a few places left that I haven’t visited to be honest.
Photo: Giles Smith
What are your favourite cities then?
I totally love Glasgow. I feel like if you’ve not visited the place then you have no idea how brilliant it is. It’s got beautiful architecture and it’s got a great culture, with a bit of everything going on in it. There’s great music and art. I love Newcastle too and, of course, I love Nottingham.
What do you plan on doing when you visit us? Will you get chance to nip into Page45?
I tend to hang out before gigs with whoever is on the road with me. So my support at the Notts gig is a guy called Ben Partridge. He’s a brilliant writer and has a really interesting way on stage. He and I will probably have a wander around Nottingham city centre. And since I’m a massive comic book geek it’s very likely that we’ll nip into Page45.
Did you see the Jeanie Finlay documentary Panto over Christmas about the am-dram crew at the Arts Theatre you’re playing at in Nottingham?
Yes I did! I am so excited to be playing in the same venue. I’m a really big fan of Jeanie Finlay’s work. I loved The Great Hip Hop Hoax. I also really loved her Sound It Out documentary. She’s got something really amazing going on. When I found out I was playing the venue where Panto was set, I was really happy. I thought the film really summed up local theatre and what it means to be part of something like that. I’ve played the Lakeside and Just The Tonic in Nottingham before, but it’s nice this time to be playing there this time around.
You do a monthly comic strip in The Guardian guide. Is that as much fun to do as it seems?
Yeah, it is fun. Although it’s quite stressful. It’s really the only thing that I do these days that I have to work to a deadline for. Every month I’m like “Next month i’ll make sure I practice my drawing in between” or “I’m going to spend a week coming up with ideas.” Then each time it comes round and I’m like “I’ve only got two days and I haven’t thought of anything… Rah!”
Josie Long plays at Nottingham Arts Theatre on Wednesday 4 March.
Josie Long's website
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