OTHER THERESA won’t be confused with the saintly nun - and once you’ve seen her in operation, you’ll consider her songs and poetry more in tune with the estuaries of Essex than the ghettos of Calcutta.

The singer-songwriter; performance poet; ex-tabloid reporter and aspiring Gladiators contender debuts at The Fringe with her show ‘A bit of the Other’.

Assisted by banjo-picking sidekick, Russ Chandler, she slashes a satirical scalpel into specimens including yoga divas; chavs; suburban 4x4 drivers; love cheats and gaming addicts. 

Raucous audience participation is encouraged - and if it’s acrobatics you want, her ditty, ‘Far more East End than Far Eastern’ ends with a headstand.

She confides:

“Although this song gives me the chance to show off my physique, the real point is to parody the un-zenlike attitudes often seen in trendy yoga classes.”

In her squeamishly poignant poem ‘Vagina Chronologue’, her candid delivery is gritted with gynaecological references that ram home a lesson learnt after the timely diagnosis and removal of cancerous cells. And on the punky refrain of ‘I wanna be a Chav’, audiences are hypnotised into delirious participation.

Asked about the motivation behind her material, the Walthamstow-based wordsmith reveals:

“I’ve done a few bold things in my 37 years. The name ‘Other Theresa’ refers to my many personas – plus the fact that I’m childless and fundamentally non-religious.”

“Some people think I shouldn’t get away with things I say or do – but I’ve found that rhyme can pay”. 

She recently caused a stir when the Youtube video of her wrath-infused song ‘Hell hath no fury’ exposed Other Theresa to teenage students at the London school where she teaches Business; helping to promote her debut CD ‘In Other Words’.

Other Theresa recently performed a one hour show in July at Leytonstone Festival and has performed at venues across the UK, including The Hackney Empire, The Theatre Royal Stratford East, The Poetry Café, Battersea Arts Centre and RADA and recently in downtown New York at the Nuyorican Poets Café. She has worked alongside famous names including John Hegley, Vic Lambrusco and Atilla the Stockbroker. Russ Chandler runs the Walthamstow Folk Club and was recently singled out by a London newspaper as one of Walthamstow’s ‘top five bands’.

COMMENTS ABOUT OTHER THERESA:

· “Sharper than Lorena Bobbit’s best steak knife” – Niall O’ Sullivan, compere at The Poetry Café, Covent Garden, London

· “Pam Ayres for Generation X” – Niall Spooner-Harvey, Winner, UK Poetry Slam Championship

· “Hilarious” – Walthamstow Guardian

· “F****ng fantastic! I actually cried with laughter!” – Audience member

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Theresa van Straten: 07917 401 440 Russ Chandler: 07710 179 531

Email: www.othertheresa@hotmail.co.uk Email: russ@russchandler.com

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72yeH4CbPyw ‘Hell hath no fury’