Colchester actor gets chance for Encore performance

The award-winning production created by Colchester-based actor Joseph Rawlings about his experience battling cancer was such a hit at the Colchester Fringe Festival it's getting a special performance at the Lakeside Theatre on Thursday 30 January.

The one-man show, Hide My Porn, is part of Colchester Fringe Encore at the Lakeside, which showcases some of the most popular, award-winning productions which featured in the Colchester Fringe Festival in October.

Hide My Porn is written and performed by Joseph, produced by Minty Spectre and won the Pick of the Fringe (Local) prize. Theatre reviewer Paul T. Davis said of Hide My Porn in his Keep Colchester Cool review that “sometimes, in the theatre, it’s a privilege to be in the audience and witness, and this is the case here.”

Hide My Porn is a light-hearted reflection of a young man’s battle with cancer and the characters Joe's met during his fight for recovery. Although his experience was full of operations, chemotherapy and discomfort, for a performer like Joe, it was a wonderful world of characters, accents, noise and laughter – not to mention the five separate Karens who all worked on the same ward.

One in two people will get cancer in their lifetime. But in Joe’s experience, it might just have been one of the best experiences of his life: a challenge re-lived full of hope, humour and happiness.

There are more Fringe hits coming, with King John arriving at the Lakeside on Thursday 6 March after enjoying sold out performances in the autumn and winning the Pick of the Fringe (National) Award. King John is an original retelling of Shakespeare’s (worst) play by Rendered Retina Theatre Company which has been praised for their hilarious and energetic performance. 

Dr Cameron Abbott-Betts, Colchester Fringe Festival Director, said: “The Colchester Fringe Encore series at the Lakeside is extremely exciting. Not only does it strengthen the bonds between the University, the Fringe and students (many of which take-part at the Fringe in some way), but it is a great opportunity for our artists to perform their work on arguably one of the best stages in the region.”

Tom Mangan, Co-artisic Director of Rendered Retina Theatre Company, said: “We are incredibly excited to be returning to Colchester with Shakespeare's WORST play, King John (at least that's what they say). After being lucky enough to have won two awards at the amazing Colchester Fringe we can't wait to visit the Lakeside Theatre with this energetic, fun, musical and fast-paced show that attempts to prove this is in fact Shakespeare's BEST!”

Dr Abbott-Betts is keen for both Hide My Porn and King John to reach bigger audiences at the Lakeside Theatre and said: “Both shows were huge hits at the Fringe in 2024 and won awards for their special performances. I think maybe what resonated with our audiences so much was the fact that these were true stories, which makes the theatrical experience so much more intimate and raw. I certainly couldn't stop thinking about them throughout the Fringe, so I can't recommend them enough.”

The Lakeside Theatre will also welcome Colchester Fringe 2024 alumni The Real Black Swann: Confessions of America’s First Black Drag Queen on Thursday 6 February as part of the University’s LGBTQ+ History Month programme. 

Les Kurkendaal-Barrett tells the story of William Dorsey Swann, a former slave who in the late 1800s became the ‘Queen of Drag’. The Real Black Swann won Pick of the Fringe (International) at Colchester Fringe 2024.