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Islamic State replaces SNP as hot topic at Edinburgh festival fringe Islamic State replaces SNP as hot topic at Edinburgh festival fringe
(about 4 hours later)
In Scotland, Labour has largely been replaced by the SNP, but, on the Edinburgh festival fringe, the SNP has given way to Islamic State.In Scotland, Labour has largely been replaced by the SNP, but, on the Edinburgh festival fringe, the SNP has given way to Islamic State.
Last year, with the annual celebration of culture taking place a month before the vote on UK unity, almost every flyer handed out by importunate performers forced tourists into an impromptu referendum on whether or not they wanted to see yet another show about Scottish independence.Last year, with the annual celebration of culture taking place a month before the vote on UK unity, almost every flyer handed out by importunate performers forced tourists into an impromptu referendum on whether or not they wanted to see yet another show about Scottish independence.
This time, despite rhetorical pressure at Holyrood for a re-run of the vote, the subject is largely off the artistic radar. The general election tartanwash of Labour by the SNP happened too recently for playwrights to reflect, although it features in some stand-up comedy. This time, despite rhetorical pressure at Holyrood for a rerun of the vote, the subject is largely off the artistic radar. The general election tartanwash of Labour by the SNP happened too recently for playwrights to reflect, although it features in some stand-up comedy.
Several shows, though, attempt to engage with the rise of Isis and the phenomenon of young Muslim women going to Syria to become jihadi brides. In her act at the Stand club, comic Shazia Mirza mocks the fly-out Isis wives as “horny” rather than religious: “They think they’ve gone on a Club 18-30 holiday.”Several shows, though, attempt to engage with the rise of Isis and the phenomenon of young Muslim women going to Syria to become jihadi brides. In her act at the Stand club, comic Shazia Mirza mocks the fly-out Isis wives as “horny” rather than religious: “They think they’ve gone on a Club 18-30 holiday.”
Two bold and thought-provoking new plays feature British characters on different sides of the divide. In Matthew Greenhough’s Bismillah!: An Isis Tragi-Comedy, Dean, a British soldier taken hostage by Isis, discovers that “Ameen”, his jailor, was originally Danny, a Londoner who has come to fight for the caliphate. The tension comes from whether Dean can find enough common culture to prevent Danny casting him as the star of a beheading video. Two bold and thought-provoking new plays feature British characters on different sides of the divide. In Matthew Greenhough’s Bismillah! An Isis Tragi-Comedy, Dean, a British soldier taken hostage by Isis, discovers that “Ameen”, his jailer, was originally Danny, a Londoner who has come to fight for the caliphate. The tension comes from whether Dean can find enough common culture to prevent Danny casting him as the star of a beheading video.
Danny had his conversion experience while working in WH Smith, as, bizarrely, did Samira, a character in Henry Naylor’s Echoes, which intertwines the lives of a Victorian missionary and a modern British A-level student, who, 175 years apart, become wives of Empire for Anglicanism and Islam. Similarly confronting Britons with their own past religious imperialism is Clive Holland’s 12.10.15, in which a British photojournalist taken hostage in the Middle East becomes haunted by the ghost of Edith Cavell, a nurse executed by the Germans during the first world war for her Christian humanitarian work.Danny had his conversion experience while working in WH Smith, as, bizarrely, did Samira, a character in Henry Naylor’s Echoes, which intertwines the lives of a Victorian missionary and a modern British A-level student, who, 175 years apart, become wives of Empire for Anglicanism and Islam. Similarly confronting Britons with their own past religious imperialism is Clive Holland’s 12.10.15, in which a British photojournalist taken hostage in the Middle East becomes haunted by the ghost of Edith Cavell, a nurse executed by the Germans during the first world war for her Christian humanitarian work.
A common factor in these pieces about Isis is that they ultimately reflect a western secular perspective: jihadi characters tend to “see sense” in the final scenes. There feels a need for more voices from the other side, although Edinburgh Central Mosque has made a useful move in this direction by staging its own Islam festival, featuring talks about the faith and the international political situation. A common factor in these pieces about Isis is that they ultimately reflect a western secular perspective: jihadi characters tend to “see sense” in the final scenes. There feels like a need for more voices from the other side, although Edinburgh Central Mosque has made a useful move in this direction by staging its own Islam festival, featuring talks about the faith and the international political situation.
Other international educations are also on offer. My knowledge of theatre now includes Turkish absurdist drama, thanks to Theatre Hayal Perdesi’s perky sur-titled production of The Empire Builders, a 1959 political farce in which a family keeps being moved upstairs into smaller premises. And, I’ve seen many stagings of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, but never previously in Korean, as presented by Theater Margot. Other international educations are also on offer. My knowledge of theatre now includes Turkish absurdist drama, thanks to Theatre Hayal Perdesi’s perky surtitled production of The Empire Builders, a 1959 political farce in which a family keeps being moved upstairs into smaller premises. And, I’ve seen many stagings of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, but never previously in Korean, as presented by Theater Margot.
After seeing 39 shows - which represents barely 1% of the 3,000 on offer – it’s clear why veterans increasingly express fears that the fringe is becoming too big. Booking a ticket for the Pleasance, for instance, offers a vivid illustration of Edinburgh’s giganticism. After seeing 39 shows – which represents barely 1% of the 3,000 on offer – it’s clear why veterans increasingly express fears that the fringe is becoming too big. Booking a ticket for the Pleasance, for instance, offers a vivid illustration of Edinburgh’s giganticism.
This venue started out as a theatre in the Edinburgh University students’ union buildings, which began to be hired in August by visiting companies. In 2015, the Pleasance venue consists of more than two dozen spaces across two locations. After a spell of naming stages after prepositions (Pleasance Above, Below, Beneath, Beside etc), buildings more recently requisitioned are called after playing cards: Pleasance Queen, King, Jack, Ace, 10 and so on. This venue started out as a theatre in the Edinburgh University student union buildings, which began to be hired in August by visiting companies. In 2015, the Pleasance venue consists of more than two dozen spaces across two locations. After a spell of naming stages after prepositions (Pleasance Above, Below, Beneath, Beside, etc), buildings more recently requisitioned are called after playing cards: Pleasance Queen, King, Jack, Ace, 10 and so on.
The prospect of ending up watching a show you haven’t chosen - as opposed to the standard fringe risk of finding yourself in a show you wished you hadn’t picked - is so great that tourists find themselves turned into primary schoolchildren, lined up by young people in bright tee-shirts holding lollipop signs and crooningly rebuking us if the queue gets out of shape. The prospect of ending up watching a show you haven’t chosen – as opposed to the standard fringe risk of finding yourself at a show you wished you hadn’t picked – is so great that tourists find themselves turned into primary schoolchildren, lined up by young people in bright T-shirts holding lollipop signs and rebuking us if the queue gets out of shape.
It may be a sign of growing Scottish nationalist self-confidence that productions of Macbeth are in unusually short supply this year; the Scottish play has been displaced as the most performed Shakespeare by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which is available in six different versions suggesting, even though the event does take place in the season mentioned in the title, it may be time for a moratorium on that play.It may be a sign of growing Scottish nationalist self-confidence that productions of Macbeth are in unusually short supply this year; the Scottish play has been displaced as the most performed Shakespeare by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which is available in six different versions suggesting, even though the event does take place in the season mentioned in the title, it may be time for a moratorium on that play.
The long-running economic dramas in Athens may explain the prevalence of Greek tragedies, which, in a tight play-off between two of the best known plays of Aeschylus and Sophocles, ends: Eumenides 2 Antigone 3. The tragic heroine is one of the links between the fringe and the main international festival, where she is played by Juliette Binoche, whose face seems to be on the side of most buses and taxis in the city. The long-running economic dramas in Athens may explain the prevalence of Greek tragedies, which, in a tight play-off between two of the best-known works of Aeschylus and Sophocles, ends: Eumenides 2, Antigone 3. The tragic heroine is one of the links between the fringe and the main international festival, where she is played by Juliette Binoche, whose face seems to be on the side of most buses and taxis in the city.
However, the impression of more and more visitors watching ever greater numbers of productions is paradoxically off-set by the sense that the number of performers is diminishing. This paradox is explained by the increasing popularity of the monologue. However, the impression of more and more visitors watching an ever greater number of productions is paradoxically offset by the sense that the number of performers is diminishing. This paradox is explained by the increasing popularity of the monologue.
One of the highest-profile events at the main festival - Theatre Complicite’s The Encounter – and a stand-out fringe show, a revival of Manfred Karge’s East German play, Man to Man, feature performers alone on stage: Simon McBurney and Margaret Ann Bain, for 120 minutes and 75 minutes respectively, although both experiences feel richly peopled because of the contribution of collaborators in lighting, music and sound. McBurney’s piece, for which the audience wear headphones, contains some of the most innovative sonic effects ever heard in theatre. One of the highest-profile events at the main festival – Theatre Complicite’s The Encounter – and a stand-out fringe show – a revival of Manfred Karge’s East German play, Man to Man – feature performers alone on stage: Simon McBurney and Margaret Ann Bain, for 120 minutes and 75 minutes respectively. Both experiences feel richly peopled because of the contribution of collaborators in lighting, music and sound. McBurney’s piece, for which the audience wear headphones, contains some of the most innovative sonic effects ever heard in theatre.
There, as elsewhere, theatre-goers won’t waste much time reading the cast list. At the Traverse, the Edinburgh powerhouse of new writing, two of the hottest tickets – an adaptation of Eimear McBride’s novel A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing and Gary McNair’s A Gambler’s Guide to Dying – are also pieces for one voice. One day this week – having made my picks through the usual Edinburgh combination of instinct, a pin and word of mouth – I watched six monologues back to back. There, as elsewhere, theatregoers won’t waste much time reading the cast list. At the Traverse, the Edinburgh powerhouse of new writing, two of the hottest tickets – an adaptation of Eimear McBride’s novel A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing and Gary McNair’s A Gambler’s Guide to Dying – are also pieces for one voice. One day this week, having made my picks through the usual Edinburgh combination of instinct, a pin and word of mouth, I watched six monologues back to back.
Economics are clearly a major reason for this trend but, as several of the solo actors have roots in comedy, it may also be that Edinburgh’s two biggest genres – stand-up and theatre – are gradually converging so that the default form becomes one person in a spotlight. If this mathematical curve continues, future festivals may consist of hundreds of thousands of visitors watching 3,000 shows that contain only 3,000 actors. And, by then, the Pleasance will have a stage named after every card in the pack. Economics are clearly a major reason for this trend but, as several of the solo actors have roots in comedy, it may also be that Edinburgh’s two biggest genres – stand-up and theatre – are gradually converging so that the default form becomes one person in a spotlight. If this mathematical curve continues, future festivals may consist of hundreds of thousands of visitors watching 3,000 shows that contain a total of only 3,000 actors. And, by then, the Pleasance will have a stage named after every card in the pack.