Jake Mace
Against the backdrop of world experiencing a revolution in the way protest and revolt affects our lives, it is perhaps no surprise that a major theme of this year’s Fringe is Direct Action. Across the world, we see Climate Action groups like Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion challenge traditional notions of how protest can alter the lives of the general public, raising powerful questions about our relationship to rebellion. Meanwhile, in the past year we have seen huge coverage of protests for Women’s Rights and liberation in the streets of Iran and Afghanistan. Tonight, we are highlighting five shows landing at EdFringe next month, all exploring the increasingly complex, interconnected, and rebellious worlds of activism and protest.
A Community Fighting for the Right to Remain- CREEKSHOW
What does it mean for you when your neighbourhood becomes “Up and Coming?”. To answer that question, Jenny Witzel brings together an archive of mudlarked artefacts from Deptford Creek in South-East London, all connected to the area’s gentrification and the community’s fight for their right to remain. Witzel describes the piece as a “love letter” to that community, and the show’s multimedia approach is sure to make it aesthetically interesting and provides an interesting texture to the concept of exploring a community in revolt.
CREEKSHOW – ZOO Southside – Studio, Aug 4-14, & 16-27 (12:00). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Box Office.
The Personal and the Political Collide – Sugar and Blood
Liverpool-based Theatre troupe Tinted Theatre say their mission is to “celebrate Feminist theatre through a colourful lens”. Keeping their focus in their homeland in the North-West of England, focusing on the 1903 formation of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). Far from this militant campaign for Women’s Suffrage however, Tinted Theatre shift tact towards four women’s personal battle for the truth amongst a body being taken. Infinitely intriguing in its’ premise, it will be exciting to see how these two themes collide.
Sugar and Blood – Aug 5-11 (19:00). Tickets available through the EdFringe Box Office.
COP26: Confess or Crash – Crash and Burn
Staying true to their name – VisceralTheatre are taking a strikingly potent visual concept and using it to prod and provoke our pre-conceived notions about activists, conferences, and the implications of “environmental terrorism”. The show takes a character-led approach in its’ promotion – an incident on board a gas-guzzling jet headed for Glasgow’s COP26 leaves a tycoon facing an ultimatum: confess or crash. With an egotistical actor and suspicious flight attendant caught in the crossfire this political piece of New Writing is bound to leave an impression on you.
Crash and Burn – TheSpace @ Niddry St – Studio (21:20). Tickets available through the EdFringe Box Office.
Nuclear Activism brought to Deaf and Hearing Audiences – Deaf Action Presents: Faslane by Amy Helena
This new retelling of Jenna Watt’s play Faslane takes an introspective, deeply personal piece of writing about growing up around the infamous Nuclear Base in the West of Scotland, and brings it to a wider audience in an all-new BSL retelling. The original text explores Watt’s familial ties to the base, while in tandem witnessing the rise of waves of activism instigated by her friends at the base’s gates. Deaf Action and Jenna Watt have created this new piece which will be accessible to both Deaf and hearing audiences. Take a dive into this piece born from interviews with MoD Personnel, activists and Watt’s own family members.
Deaf Action Presents: Faslane by Amy Helena – Deaf Action (Blackwood Bar), Aug 19 (18:00), and Scottish Storytelling Centre (Netherbow Theatre), Aug 20 (16:00). Tickets available through the EdFringe Box Office.
New Exploration of the Iranian Revolution – Chelsea Hart – Damet Garm: How I Joined a Revolution
‘Damet Garm’ in Persian translates to ‘May your breath stay warm’ meaning you’re wishing the person to stay alive and healthy. Chelsea Hart offers their experiences as an activist to explore the ongoing Iranian revolution – they draw attention to how Iranians have become a beacon of what a united, women-led, liberation movement looks like, and asks what secret ingredient the West is missing. The TikToker says they have become an unexpected voice against the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), and this new stand-up show looks to be just as revealing as it is intriguing.
Chelsea Hart – Damet Garm: How I Joined a Revolution – Gilded Balloon Teviot (Sportsmans), Aug 2-27 (not 14) (19:40). Tickets available through the EdFringe Box Office.
Phoebe Bakker
