Who am I and what am I doing?
Hello. I’m Wendy Houstoun . I'm 66 years old and I'm a female theatre artist. I am taking my solo work Watch It! to the Edinburgh Fringe for two weeks at Zoo Studio, Southside from the 11th - 24th August 2025, 5.45 pm every night except on the 14th & 19th August .
Yes. I am aware of the sheer crazy physical ambition.
A little bit more about me.....
I’ve been making and performing in theatre since 1980.
I started professional life as a dancer and have worked with some amazing people over the years: Lloyd Newson and DV8 Physical Theatre, Nigel Charnock ,Tim Etchells and Forced Entertainment. I have also created a body of solo works, many of which have toured internationally and won awards.
For me, theatre is a space for the discussion of difficult ideas. A place where the personal is mixed with the political . A place where speaking your own truth resonates. I tend to think laughter trumps (sorry!) anger.
Watch It! manifests these beliefs.
What is ‘Watch It!’?
Watch It! is a theatre show about censorship and the silencing of voices . It’s more stand up than dance around but there is a bit of dancing. As Jan Macvarish described it in the Free Speech Union podcast Watch It! is;
“A fantastic, tightly, very organised one hour show purely with Wendy performing and it spans stand-up comedy & movement. It’s structured around this idea of a game show called Watch It! You’ve got a ‘three strikes and you’re out’ rule. You say three things wrong and by the end of it you’re totally cancelled. “
The show touches on themes of religion, racial identity, ownership, and identity from both personal history and observation and at its heart, it’s about the need for us all to find a way to talk about difficult things without antagonism.
Personally, it is important to me because it is both autobiographical and political; it embraces complex discoveries about my birth parents and honours my inspirational peers, many of whom died way too young.
Praise for ‘Watch It!
Press and Audience Responses.
“As compelling as ever “. Lindsey Winship. The Guardian
“What she does really cleverly is she just, very subtly, and in a way that avoids all the cliches , she manages to address all the issues we know are really important.” Jan Macvarish. Free Speech Union Podcast
“I was caught in the traps of wondering where Houstoun’s legitimacy came from, whether she was allowed to raise questions, to suggest stillness at the same time as chaos and laughter in the face of a crumbling world. “ Zoe Mansett, Quintessential “
“But more than being very funny, this is an important piece of work that deserves to be seen by a wider audience. Houstoun bravely points to the danger of succumbing to the societal pressures that keep us quiet. In doing so, she encourages us to speak up and fight back. It's a message that's never been more important than it is now.“ Michaela Ridgeway. Rosa Mag
“Don't miss it! It's a rare opportunity to see an extraordinarily raw piece, which explores key questions about self, friendship, mortality and much more. Haunting…” Paul Dosaj
“Funny, brutal, elegant, utterly of its time “. David Gale
Why Am I asking for your support?
Watch It! was created with associate artists Kate Champion and Hannes Langolf in 2022.
The show opened at South East Dance in Brighton in the Undisciplined Festival, 2023 and the majority of the audience appreciated the attempt. However, it is fair to say, a minority of the audience misunderstood the endeavour, which would have been fine, but their formal complaints about the show have since slowed up its progress. Despite a fantastic short run of 4 performances at Soho Theatre last year and some great shows including the Lowry, Edgehill, Salford University and Jersey Arts Centre it has been hard to get more performances with venues often citing these unspecified and, to me unwarranted, concerns among their reasons.
But… I am still burning to perform the piece. In fact, I am surprising myself with my determination so… yes… here it comes…
I do need your help to make it happen…..
Based on modest box office projections and a Keep It Fringe Award, 25 % of the budget is in place. Incredible generosity of friends has secured some accommodation too. But in order to cover the full costs of presenting the show, including a small for me and my technicians, I need more help.
Your support will make us feel valued , give the show a chance to tour and maintain a space in theatre for personal expression.
Watch It! Is a vital piece of work which examines this era and I need your support to get this work of art out to you- the public.
I am an artist who has worked as a freelancer throughout my life and sadly do not have the luxury of a salary or pension to reinvest in my work.
I thank you so, so much in advance for any support you can give as I know these are hard times for everyone .
Where will the money go?
There are many costs that occur going to the Fringe that don't usually occur. I have kept the costs as low as possible and the money is nearly equally split between the following :
- Production costs: Rehearsal space, equipment hire and transporting, fire proofing.
- Venue costs: Ticket Commission for Venue and Fringe. Marketing costs.
- Marketing: Fringe registration, contribution to venue , basic web ads, PR support.
- Travel/Accommodation: Living costs for technical support + artist .
- Basic fees for artists and technical support.
- Legal/ Licenses: Insurance and Additional PPS/ PRL costs.
- Contingency.
If we exceed our target £7500 additional funds will go towards filming the piece in the autumn at The Lyric Theatre, Bridport.
Even if you can’t donate, please follow the links to the show and help spread the word.
It’s a bun fight up there.
Read about the team who made the show below.
Wendy Houstoun, Writer and Performer .
Solos: Haunted, Daunted and Flaunted (1995-1998), Happy Hour (1998-1999), 48 Almost Love Lyrics (2003), Desert Island Dances (2005), Keep Dancing (2008), 50 Acts (2012), Pact with Pointlessness (2016), Hell Hath No Fury (2019), 60 ACTS (2021) and Watch It! (2022). Companies as performer: DV8 Physical Theatre; My Body, Your Body, If Only…, Strange Fish and Bound to Please), Tim Etchells and Forced Entertainment; Bloody Mess and The World in Pictures, Lumiere and Son Theatre; Brightside, Vulture Culture, Deadwood, The Kosh, Ludus Dance Company. Collaborations with individual artists including David Hinton, Jonathan Burrows and Matteo Fargion, Nigel Charnock and Rose English in large and small stages, specific sites, film and installation. Awards: Time Out Award for Performance- DV8 Physical Theatre. If Only, 1991; Golden Sun Award for Touched, 1993; Paul Hamlyn Award, 1996; Jerwood Award, 2002; TMA Award for 50 Acts, 2013, The Critic’s Circle, National Dance Award for 50 Acts, Outstanding Female Performance, 2016.
Hannes Langolf, Associate Artist .
Is a sought- after teacher and workshop leader working internationally across dance, physical theatre, vocal/ text work with artists such as William Forsythe, Angélin Preljloaj, Wayne McGregor, Akram Khan, Fabulous Beast and Punchdrunk. Having joined DV8 in 2007 Hannes was appointed DV8’s Creative Associate in 2014 for the production of “JOHN” in which he also played the title role.
Kate Champion, Associate Artist .
Kate was the founding Artistic Director of Force Majeure (2002-15), an influential dance theatre company based in Sydney. She has worked with companies and Institutes, including Belvoir, Sydney Theatre, Company, State Theatre Company of South Australia, Performing Lines, The English National Opera, NIDA, NICA and National Theatre of Paramatta, and now runs Dark Swan in Perth.
Tony Melov, Video Editor .
Tony produces high profile creative solutions for communication briefs using video, illustration, and animation. His history includes being lead animator on the AFi award winner The Girl Who Swallowed Bees, animating the Flickerfest film festival winner The Scree and producing over twenty television titles for high profile shows such as Good News Week, The Melbourne Comedy Festival, The Glasshouse and The Sideshow.
Marty Langthorne, Lighting Designer / Tour operator .
Marty Langthorne is a lighting Designer for Theatre, Performance Installation. Some recent works include: Blackouts, Lost in Trans (Dickie Beau), The Assembly of Animals (Tim Spooner), Credible Likeable Superstar Role Model (Bryony Kimmings), Rat Rose Bird & Sulphure (Sheila Ghelani), Our True Feelings, Plastic Soul (Seke Chumutengwende) Longing Lasts Longer ( Penny Arcade). As part of the Duckie Collective he has designed many of their theatrical club events. As a light artist he creates installations investigating human response to colour in the natural world.
Watch It! was made with financial support as part of DV8 Physical Theatre’s Legacy Commissions.
Thank - you for reading through to the end