The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Siblings (Maddy and Marina Bye)
The sketch duo Siblings is made up of sisters Maddy and Marina Bye, and the pair are bringing their debut show to the Edinburgh Festival this year, described as ‘suitable for anyone who has or has seen a sister’, so it will probably be right up your street. They will be performing at the Gilded Balloon Teviot throughout August.
1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?
Having absolutely no idea whats going to happen over the next month… We have quite a late show this year as well so we are slowly but surely preparing ourselves for the lack of sunlight we will experience for a month and the unknown feeling that we cant really prepare for is something that’s very sexy and exciting. Another thing we are excited for is the Scottish air… Scottish air beats all… so yeah, the Scottish air.
2) What was/is your first Edinburgh show about?
Siblings is about two real life sisters who let go of any flicker of dignity and attractiveness to make the most ridiculous character comedy show, plucked from their inner childhood minds. One drama school graduate and one clown school graduate, one short, one tall, one funny, one not, both absurd, performing characters from all over the globe. We want people to leave and disco HARD because they are so pumped and happy after seeing two fools bring destruction to the stage.
Siblings
3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?
Not really… So far our audiences have been amazing. We have had a half naked boy with an anarchist tattoo slapped across his thigh to an older guy with a ‘I heart tofu’ badge on and a fold up bike on stage with us, both enjoying the same moments just as much as the other. People who are up for entering into a completely absurd world tend to enjoy our show most, usually expecting your standard sketch show but leave a bit shaken and confused. There is nothing better than the “what the fuck is going on” laugh.
4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?
Maddy – 2 weeks before performing for the month at the Edinburgh Fringe 2015 I had a break up with a fellow performer who I was not only sharing a house with… but also a show. Let’s just say it was an awkward month.
Marina – My friend and I stayed in Edinburgh and shared a bath together, she was drunk and pissed in it.
5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?
Finding out we were able to do comedy with a sister… Honestly never expected in our wildest dreams that this would ever happen, but we threw ourselves on stage at an open mic together and performed probably the worst piece of comedy at the Fringe. But! We realised we had something indestructible between us on stage and thus… Siblings was born.
6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?
There are FAR too many to choose from, we have already got our highlighters out on that Fringe guide. If we had to choose one it would probably be Spencer Jones’ new show The Audition. We are his biggest fans.
7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?
Bigger balls, failure, success, nail the Scottish accent… and some audience members would be nice.
8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?
Marina – We will probably be in space and will be in space suits because Planet Earth collapsed. The comedy will be tricky because they won’t see our faces through to suits. so I imagine a lot more physicality from the both of us to emphasise emotions more clearly through a large suit and a lack of seeing the facial expressions…
Maddy – Yes.. That.