survived tech, now onto the fringe!

Today marked the fastest tech rehearsal in the history of all theatre: The Trojan Women. With only 10-1 pm in the space, we added costumes, lights, props, and found that our very small dressing room has a farting door that is impossible to shut. Oh, and the one mirror in the room (more notably, a closet) is the size of a paperback novel and is technically on the "other side" reserved for the other casts. (mind you the "other side" is marked by a single clothing rack.) But we shall all cram in our own little corner and change into beautiful Trojans all for the love of theatre! Tech went well- we've got a show, ya'll!- and after only a page of notes we were out to explore. 

We found a small arts and crafts festival going on in the main square and I- SURPRISE!- proceeded to spend money on trinkets. Everyone split after lunch, I found myself in an underground stand-up comedy routine, where I was picked on as the "American Lady." (Tom Petty wrote a song about me 10 years ago, when I was just a girl.) I then found vegetarian bangers and mash (my new favorite meal- but then again, it is mostly comprised of mashed potatoes and bread, so there's really no surprise there) at a local pub for dinner. Later as I was walking around searching for a show to see- I bumped into Dario on the street and proceeded to grab a drink and see the Belt Up Theatre's production of "The Boy James" which was... interesting to say the least. The show started off with enchanting charm and immediately got the audience involved as we were asked to make a new best friend, play a round of wink murder, and all hold hands- but as the story line developed it really just turned out to be a play about "no." there was no "yes, and..." every idea or plot point was immediately shut down by a physical act of violence or curling away in fear/ withering in sadness. But it was quite a nice evening in good company regardless!

Since I didn't get the chance to post about the shows I saw yesterday, I figured I'd blurb them here:

 

We started with "Sex Ed: The Musical"- which I'm sure you can imagine was quite an experience (especially for Brian, who got to make his fringe debut a little early thanks to the magic of audience participation...) This British production was quite a riot, it even rained condoms! A good time (and quite a few good laughs) were had by all.

Next up was "Facehunters" where East London hipsters meet the story of Dorian Gray. Going into this I had no idea what Dorian Gray was, so the surprise bizarro ending caught me off gaurd, and not in a good way. However, the ensemble was great, and they seemed to really enjoy themselves. The music was a bit catchy as well, and the concept was cool- the intrusive rock opera, in your face, british glam was something new and exciting at times. The mic feedback... not so glam, or exciting.

A few of us stuck around later that evening and managed to snag free tickets to "Who's Your Daddy?" a one man show which starred writer/director Johnny O'Callaghan and it was BRILLIANT. A heartwarming tale that made us laugh and cry... A single gay Irish man goes to Africa on a suicide mission, but winds up finding a little boy that changes his life. The storytelling was magnificent and I enjoyed every moment. His perspective work was great, and it was so nice to hear him share this story so close to his heart. A MUST SEE if you are somehow reading this in Edinburgh. 

Well, that's all I've got for now- Cheers!