Interview: Annemarie Adriana - Game Theory
Annemarie Adriana is an American actress currently based in London. She is a student at LAMDA and will be attending the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with her showcase, Game Theory—a new musical about a group of young people trying to find themselves in a new environment and a new phase of life.
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/game-theory
Venue: Forest Theatre at Greenside @ George Street
When: 17th - 22nd August
Could you tell us a bit more about yourself, the character you’re playing, and what the show is all about?
My name is Annemarie Adriana – I’m an American actress originally from California, presently based in London. I play Cass, an introspective and observant fresher whose desire to find a sense of belonging pulls her into the black market of endangered flower theft. The show centres on a university friend group and through them explores themes of the price of belonging, the cost of loyalty, and the unpredictability of others’ motivations and actions.
Game Theory tackles some really intense, modern, and strategic concepts. What was the most challenging part of bringing these high-stakes themes to life during rehearsals?
In rehearsal, the core strategic concept we tackled was The Prisoner’s Dilemma. Our director, Adam Lenson, emphasised how the dilemma revolves around the idea of choosing to put yourself first or choosing to put the group above your own self-interest. I think the most challenging part of rehearsal was finding how to translate a mathematical and behavioural concept into something clearly understood by audience members through song and staging. In the end, we found the easiest way to understand The Prisoner’s Dilemma is to list every possible choice for the individual, to identify every possible outcome for the two players, and then to play through each scenario with the show’s characters in mind.
This is a massive graduation showcase for you all. How does it feel to share the stage as a LAMDA ensemble here at the Edinburgh Fringe before you fully head out into the professional industry?
It is truly unreal to think that our time at LAMDA is almost finished. As an ensemble, I think we have all grown so much as both artists and individuals in the past year. Finishing our year at the Edinburgh Fringe is something special that not many cohorts can say they get the opportunity to do together. For me, I can say that the rehearsal process for Game Theory and preparing for the Fringe has brought me closer to many of my peers and in my opinion, it has really shaped us to be ready for our next step into the professional industry. It was a roller coaster to bring a new musical to life, but the late nights and long hours in rehearsal definitely were worth it for all of the laughter we shared and the lessons we all learned.
The Edinburgh Fringe is famously fast-paced and high-energy. How have you found adapting to the unique atmosphere of the festival as students?
I think the Fringe’s energy is absolutely infectious. It is so electric to be surrounded by so many creatives and different art forms in one city. The first day felt a little like being thrown in at the deep end, especially trying to find balance between taking in everything the Fringe has to offer while also performing two separate shows a day. As a student, it is an absolute whirlwind of seeing some of the best and most inspiring theatre available, meeting and networking with other creatives, and savouring the time I have left with my cohort before we graduate into the professional industry.
What do you hope audiences will take away from the story and this production?
I hope the biggest thing that audiences walk away with is the lengths that people are willing to go for a sense of belonging. At its core, Game Theory is about a group of young people trying to find themselves in a new environment and a new phase of life. The high stakes of everyday life will push people to try and find the illusion of control by making friendships and real-life situations into variables in a game that can be won or lost. I think this production does a great job of showing seemingly ordinary people in very unordinary circumstances: every person can see a part of themselves in at least one of the characters.
If you had to describe the show in only three words to make people eager to come and see it, what would they be?
High-stakes. Harmonies. Havoc.
