ISSUE 10: 18TH AUGUST 2013
CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION
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tudents will constantly try to make a change, to start a new society where all the problems they see have been eradicated and revolt against anything and everything they’re just a little bit angry about. Brought to the Fringe after winning the Festival Fringe Shorts writing festival launched by the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Sarah Power’s new play, Revolution Society, tackles youth’s desire to cause a stir and change the world even if they might not be that sure just how. An excellent young cast bring Power’s witty script to life as they try and start the revolution with philosophy, passion and a business management degree.
They try to start a revolution with philosophy, passion and a business management degree Beginning in a shabby student union room with students James, Emily and Leo, Revolution Society is painfully accurate from the first words spoken. As Emily sips her coffee from a polystyrene, Starbucks cup and talks of how it’s the big corporations that are to blame whilst James and Leo argue over a pair of Vans, it’s clear the three budding revolutionaries are enamoured with their abstract ideas though maybe not the practice of them. For them the biggest issues are the stock market they cannot comprehend, the IPhone’s domination of the market, and the shrinking size of the Snickers bar. The phrase first world problems has never seemed more fitting.
Irony permeates the script, from the corporately branded drinks the students consume whilst ranting about the banking crisis, to James’ willingness to compromise his morals when a beautiful first year joins the club. Dom Male, Amy Lubach and Cameron Manson pitch their roles as James, Emily and Leo superbly, really channelling the youthful anger Power aims to represent.
A witty script and quick cast make this a fun, thoughtful play After much thought, some brainstorming and quite a few biscuits, the three decide the best possible option is to start their own country. They are joined by business student Maria whose ethical base initially appears somewhat detached from the Society’s and teenager Danny with a knowledge and awareness wider than any of the others. Difficulties surface and tensions rise as the students do their best to try and work out what it is they really want in life and where they want their revolution to go. A witty script and quick cast make this a fun, thoughtful play about trying to make a change. From the inner politics of a university society to the urgency of youth, Power’s new play will ring true with anyone who has ever felt the need to fight against the man without really knowing who he is. Join the revolution at Revolution Society until 25 August, in the Pleasance Dome at 12.30
Image of the day: Character-driven sketch group Birthday Girls, take a break from rehearsals. Catch them until 26 August at 18.00 in the Pleasance Courtyard.
SHAUN KEAVENY: LIVE AND LANGUROUS After his live comedy debut at the Fringe in 2012 with The 40 Year Old Edinburgh Virgin, Shaun Keaveny who since hosted his own monthly residency at the Pleasance’s London venue, returns to the Fringe with his highly successful chat show and podcast, Live and Languorous.
A sassy hour of biting satire with some of the biggest names in comedy and showbiz There’s no better way to start the morning than with an hour of cheeky and charming repartee from one of the country’s foremost radio stars. Beginning on 19 August and for a limited run of five shows only, the BBC 6 Music host’s star-studded line-up of guests set to grace the airwaves includes Mitch Benn, Jason Byrne, Rob Deering, Alex Horne, and many more. Billed as a sassy hour of biting satire with some of the biggest names in comedy and showbiz, Keaveny brings out the best from his guests. Live and Languorous is a wonderful hour featuring Keaveny’s friends from the world of showbiz and comedy locked in intense conversation for your pleasure.
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Catch Shaun Keavney Live and Langurous 19 - 23 August at 11.50am in the Pleasance Courtyard. Tickets to the event are FREE, reserve yours online today at www.pleasance.co.uk
BOOK NOW: 0131 556 6550 www.pleasance.co.uk
Edited by Jonathan Bucks & Emily Tanner. Photography by Jassy Earl
40 YEARS OF FRINGE FIRSTS: STALINLAND BY DAVID GREIG & KAY ADSHEAD’S, THE BOGUS WOMAN
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013 marks the 40th Anniversary of the Scotsman Fringe First Awards celebrating new writing and innovation in performance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
To celebrate the awards the Pleasance, in association with The Scotsman, has been hosting a series of rehearsed readings on a weekly basis to represent each decade of the Award, directed by Hannah Eidinow. Today’s reading is of Stalinland by David Greig, first presented by Suspect Culture at Zoo in 1992. The play’s Fringe First success saw it have a run at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow in 1993. The play depicts a family reunion just after the fall of Communism in an unnamed town, depicting the family in the torque of ideological change, the loyalties of older and younger generations and the East-West schism. Next week, the tale of a young African woman seeking asylumn in Britain will be read as Kay Adshead’s ‘The Bogus Woman’ takes to the stage. The play was first performed at the Traverse Theatre in 2000 and won a Fringe First in the same year Catch the rehearsed reading of Stalinland this morning at 11.30 in the Cabaret Bar in the Pleasance Courtyard. Next weeks’s reading is due to be The Bogus Woman by Kay Adshead on 25 August.
Mixed Bill shows at Cafe Pleasance When faced with the extensive selection of delights on the wider menu at the Pleasance it can sometimes be difficult to select those important dishes to fill you up for the day. For festival goers desperate to make the most of their stay at the Fringe and sample all the treats they possibly can without having to pile on the (financial) pounds, the Pleasance offers a variety of line ups shows, the tapas of the Fringe, so you can see it all on a budget. Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe Every day, Mervyn Stutter selects his favourite acts from around the festival to showcase at the Courtyard for your delectation. May contain cabaret, comedy, theatre, dance and more. Lili La Scala’s Another F*cking Variety Show If late night variety is what you’re after then Lili la Scala is for you. Seasoned with huge acts such as The Boy with Tape on his Face, Mat Ricardo and Joe Lycett and with a dash of top quality cabaret this is a delicious menu which will tingle all the taste buds. Set List: Stand Up Without a Net As comedians improvise from a set list they are given and have never seen before Set List offers surprises a plenty each night. Some of the hottest acts at the festival are taken out of their comfort zones resulting in unexpected laughs galore. This dish is best served improvised. The Fast Fringe The most jam packed menu of them all is the Fast Fringe where comics have just minutes to perform their material before the next dish is served. Flavoured with all types of comedy from the spicy Late Night Gimp Fight to the aromatic Susan Calman the Fast Fringe offers a menu where you really can have it all. Late Show
2 FOR 1
For diners who want a few different options to nibble over the Late Show is the perfect menu. Starring well known stand ups every night, the Late Show is the choice for those who enjoy the finest quality and the largest portions.
Cut out and present to the Box Office for 2 for 1 tickets for:
There are many more delicious menus available at the Pleasance this year so grab your knife and fork and dig into the all you can eat buffet at the festival.
Revolution Society 12:20 18th & 19th August Pleasance Dome
FRINGE TIPS WITH FENELLA DANWAY FROM BELARUS FREE THEATRE
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rash Cuisine opens tomorrow (19 August) in the Pleasance Grand, an acclaimed production from Belarus Free Theatre (BFT) about capital punishment and human rights. Here Fenella Danway of BFT gives Pleasance Times her top Fringe tips.
3. Make friends with everyone/anyone you meet – they’ll have recommendations of things to see/eat/do
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5. Plan a nap into each day – they’ll keep you going into the evening
Pack a brolly
2. EXPLORE - Walk EVERYWHERE – you’ll come across all sorts of wonders
4. Go to 24 hour comedy at 3am and cheer the endurance of the brave comics on stage – they need your support!
7. Find the Mussel Men catering van and eat their fresh oysters from Oban 8. Try everything: comedy, caberet, physical theatre, political theatre, music and puppetry - Edinburgh is about opening your eyes. 9. See Trash Cuisine on until the 26 August in the Pleasance Courtyard at 15.30!
6. Always leave at least 10 mins to collect tickets before going into a show
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@LilyCottage Funniest show I saw #edinburghfringe was #tombinns as Ian D Mountford. Well worth catching at the Pleasance.
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STOP PRESS: TARTAN RIBBON COMEDY BENEFIT LINE UP! The Boy With Tape On His Face David O’Doherty
croobius Pip does not seem like a star of the UK hip hop and electronic scene. He is understated, grateful and truly humble as he talks about his show, Words, the reception it has so far received, his work in the music world and love of comedy, and does not for one moment seem anything but a normal guy, albeit an incredibly talented one.
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Tim Vine
Image of the day: Backstage at the tech rehersal as Scroobius Pip prepares for this debut Fringe show, Words
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@ThePleasance CONGRATULATIONS to Dark Vanilla Jungle winning a Fringe First
ISSUE 6: 10TH AUGUST 2013
WORD PLAY: SCROOBIUS PIP SHARES HIS WORDS
“Being around comedians and pretending I’m meant to be here is great” A spoken word performance at a festival best known for comedy and theatre may seem like a slightly odd fit and something many performers wouldn’t initially consider doing. “When I toured it in December,” Pip begins as I ask what made him bring a spoken word show to the Fringe this year, I wanted to play in rock venues to show people you can have a good night out at a spoken word gig (in fact, Pip comments that one of the reasons he chose the Ace Dome was because it has a bar) and Tim Key and Brett Goldstein caught it and suggested I bring it up the Fringe this year. Just to have them think I could do something at the Fringe was great as I’m a massive fan of them both.” The good time ethic Pip sees as key to his work was there at the birth of Words when he
premiered the show during the Saturday night headline spot at Latitude Festival last year. Initially expecting an audience of two or three hundred people he arrived onstage to find a 4000 strong crowd Pip was overwhelmed with the show’s initial reception . “It was the Saturday night headline slot,” he almost shakes his head in slight disbelief, “You would except people to want to go out and go dancing but they’d had to stand everyone up as there were about 4000 people in the tent. And they stayed there, and listened to the whole thing and it meant the world to me. It was so overwhelming, such a wonderful reaction.” Known also for his work in music, something which may well have drawn the impressive Latitude crowd, often with Dans Le Sac, Pip notes he often forgets people know him foremost for this and ask if he’ll be doing “any of the songs” in his set. “Well,” he smiles, “I think yeah, but the delivery won’t be the same and the inflections too, some of ‘the songs’ will be there but it will be different.” Scroobius Pip has always engaged with society in his work. Whilst many poets and spoken word artists can be concerned with introspective subjects life Pip’s work constantly strives to connect to the wider society. “I do this partly because I’m a fan of hip hop,” he begins, “Along with spoken word it’s always the quickest to respond to things. A great example is the Treyvon Martin case, where artists reacted to the ‘stand your ground law’ in America during the trial, It’s such an instant response.”
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Hal Cruttenden
Although Pip mentioned he was a comedy nerd at the beginning of our conversation, I was still surprised by his knowledge and response
Slightly Fat Features
“It was so overwhelming, such a wonderful reaction” when I asked what he’s most excited to see at the Fringe this year. As we talked of ex-rapper Doc Brown, Doctor Brown and his silent comedy, Tom Rosenthal and many others Pip is keen to catch, Pip is constantly enthused and passionate about something he clearly loves. “Being around the comedians and pretending I’m meant to be to be here is great. Chris Ramsey came along to the show last night and it was great to chat and hang out after. It’s not a comedy show but there are some light-hearted moments, and having people like Brett and Tim previously credit my work is amazing. The main focus is me trying to play it cool around these comedians without being all ‘you know who I am!’”
Mat Ricardo And Many More TUESDAY 13 AUG PLEASANCE COURTYARD
Scroobius Pip has words a plenty to share. You can catch his show Words until 26th August in the Pleasance Dome at 21.40.
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@ChrisK1906 I Believe In Unicorns is an enchanting piece of storytelling for families. On at Pleasance. Lovely use of props wowed the kids in audience.
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