The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is back! Shows by two former Fellows will form the centrepiece of the Traverse Theatre's programme this August, and a current Fellow brings two shows to Edinburgh after a sell-out run in London.
Still by Frances Poet (IASH/Traverse Creative Fellow 2018) was commissioned by, and written at, IASH three years ago, and will re-open the Traverse Theatre after many months of closure. Frances came to IASH hoping to get the opportunity to view personal experiences of birth, death and pain through a philosophical, moral, and scientific lens that she was “determined to be fearless with.” From there, Still was created "to ask big questions about the human condition and the nature of pain in a world that often seeks to eliminate it."
Still tells four interconnected stories about the transitions of birth and death: as a couple labour to birth their first child, a dying man labours towards death; a soon-to-be grandmother struggles to step foot outside, while an old man travels a hilarious drunken odyssey to return to home. Full of tenderness and humour, and woven through with a live, folk-rock inspired, musical score, Still is a cathartic story of life, loss and joy. Set in familiar locations around Edinburgh, this stripped-back production draws audiences straight into the heart of the story. Tickets are available now at https://www.traverse.co.uk/whats-on/event/still-in-person.
Keep up with Frances via Twitter.
Inspired by ancient keening rituals, MOVE by Julia Taudevin (IASH/Traverse Creative Fellow 2020) is about migration, loss and communal healing. Weaving storytelling, choral soundscape and Gaelic song, five women portray the ebb and flow of people across the globe throughout the ages. MOVE is the inaugural show from Disaster Plan, a new company led by Julia Taudevin & Kieran Hurley, the award-winning team behind Blow Off, Beats, Heads Up and Chalk Farm. Presented in partnership with epic theatre-makers Slung Low and the Traverse Theatre, MOVE will be staged in a unique open-air performance at Edinburgh’s Silverknowes Beach. Julia describes the play as "a performance about hope – hope that we can still find ways to connect with each other across our differences." Tickets are available now at https://www.traverse.co.uk/whats-on/event/move-in-person.
Read more about Julia and her work at her personal website.
Prof. Steve Yearley, Director of IASH, said, “After this turbulent period, we’re thrilled to see our former Fellows taking centre stage at the rebirth of the Fringe this year. Frances’ and Julia’s shows are very different, but both are packed with emotion.”
Gareth Nicholls, Traverse Artistic Director, said of Still, " It’s a beautiful and cathartic story, full of life and love and live music, a celebration of and for Edinburgh, which is so deserved after a period of such upheaval and uncertainty, which saw our incredible local community come together to support one another and become stronger than ever. This city is a unique place with a singular spirit, and we’re looking forward to sharing it with the world, in-person and digitally, this August.”
Both Still and MOVE have been recommended by The Guardian and The Scotsman. For audiences not able to visit Edinburgh this summer, both performances will be available to stream on-demand from late August.
Current IASH/Traverse Playwriting Fellow Apphia Campbell is also performing a limited run of two of her most-loved shows at the Pleasance/EICC. Black is the Colour of My Voice is a stunning solo show inspired by the life of Nina Simone, running 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th and 14th August. The award-winning Woke runs 7th, 9th, 13th and 15th August: against stunning gospel and blues sung live, two women 42 years apart join the struggle for American civil rights. Both are faced with the same choice: fight or flee? Woke won the coveted Scotsman Fringe First award and was highly commended by the judges of the Amnesty Freedom of Expression Award.