Part of the Escalator East to Edinburgh programme, Shams’ Thin Ice is, on the one hand, an adventure story detailing a mission of Arctic exploration and scientific discovery, and, on the other, the story of a romantic love triangle. Set in May 1940, Thin Ice flows effortlessly between the past and the present, moving from the discovery of the […]
Writings
Weeping Spoon: The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer
August 26th, 2012 by Beccy SmithThe Adventures of Alvin Sputnik is an elegant and touching piece of solo theatrical storytelling that effortlessly fuses digital projection, puppetry and live music to draw you into a very idiosyncratic visual world. The focus on stage is a large round screen, reminiscent of the round window of a space ship, or a bubble, and beautifully […]
The Mechanical Animal Corporation: The Softening of MAO-A
August 26th, 2012 by Matt RudkinThe name of The Mechanical Animal Corporation suggests the company are fundamentally interested in considering the human being from an evolutionary perspective, and in this particular ‘bio-theatre experiment’ they explore connections between art, genetics and human violence. As it is, the piece holds the potential to provoke much post-show reflection on the implications of the […]
Theatre Témoin and Cie. Traversière: The Fantasist
August 26th, 2012 by Matt RudkinTheatre Témoin and Cie. Traversière’s The Fantasist depicts the extremes of bipolar disorder as experienced by an institutionalised young woman rendered with conviction and physical virtuosity by the central performer. Well-structured as an engaging and coherent story, the piece still leaves plenty of space for interpretation, and contains enough elements of humour and inventive staging to keep […]
AnimalParts theatre co.: Tenderpits
August 26th, 2012 by Edward WrenI’m in a dingy makeshift theatre space below ground, I’ve hardly slept, and I’m watching a man in a nappy full of glitter pretend to masturbate in front of an image of the Brooklyn Bridge whilst a stuffed monkey looks on. I am definitely at the Fringe. Tenderpits absolutely reeks of fringe theatre. It’s a live […]