Edinburgh

So I am here. At Edinburgh. At The Fringe.

As a theatre maker there’s the making bit, and then the performing it. Having made this show in 2010, developed and toured it in 2011, now in 2012 the making is a distant memory. Today it’s about getting it out there, showing, sharing, performing the work. Each summer for the last three years I’ve returned to this show.  In between I’ve delivered freelance education projects, conceived a baby, been to France (twice), birthed a baby (girl, 8lb 4oz) moved house, created a new time specific show and trained to be a teacher. Each time I resume action I fear I won’t remember it… the show. Some things are exactly the same.  Many things are quite different.  There’s the allowing myself to take time to be heard.  There’s remembering to maintain eye contact without being confrontational.  And there’s the attention to detail required in each story. But then there’s the audience. What will they laugh at? Where will they sit? Will they be vocal? And how do they take their tea? Each of the 13 audience members bring their own expectations and experience to the table to gently influence today’s tone and rhyme.

What will Edinburgh bring? I am part of something quite exciting up here; Northern Stage have taken over a massive and very old church to create a new theatre venue hosting work that was ‘made in the North of England’. Each day is peppered with performance that in some way has a connection with the north. There’s darts throwing, heckling, a live band, a ventriloquist’s dummy, bananas, biscuits and milk. While I am up here there’s seven other shows on.  I’ve seen four of them so far and plan to see the others before I leave. They are all very different, happening across 2 different spaces, the majority with one performer but one with lots. The one thing that seems to run through all the shows is honesty. There’s not much pretending.  Each show, although it’s performed feels like an intriguing glimpse into their world. It’s not about tidy, little shows that just carry on, no matter what. These shows all acknowledge the here and now in their own individual way. I am pleased that Tea could be part of this.

As I brew up at Edinburgh the seed of an idea for the next show is being to grow. I can see 12 objects, in a square grid, a can hear bad pop music and I can feel another performer there with me.