Drama Society 2009
Deathly pale girls in Victorian nightdresses stare vacantly as their delicate hands pull tight the ropes around their necks. As I walk between two rows of these tragic figures, a silver sheen catches my eye. With a sickening jolt I realise that the gleaming metal is a woman's face, spiked and unrecognisable beneath a busy arrangement of piercings. Something brushes past my leg and my fascination shifts to the man on all fours scampering beside me, his torso smeared with dirt and and his trousers ragged. When I see his pompous master controlling him on a lead, I am reminded of the Shakespearean duo, Caliban and Prospero. The pair are soon lost in the crowd, their departing tracks closely followed by a fluorescent clown on a unicycle and a stream of men in trench coats carrying potted plants.
No, this is not some strange fetish or nightmarish vision. This is reality. Scotland's very own Royal Mile at the annual Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This is a place where performers come together to promote their shows to the public. Every year, the Fringe attracts a huge range of theatre companies and comedy acts, from amateur attempts to highly professional levels. With hundreds of performers competing for the same potential audience members, advertising on the Royal Mile must have a combination of entertainment as well as achieving something memorable to draw the crowds in, sometimes, the stranger the act, the better!
On arrival, it is overwhelming to be confronted with a choice of so many shows starting as early as 10am and finishing with midnight performances. As a performer, a sense of community is developed throughout your time at the festival, with familiar faces appearing both on the Royal Mile and on nights out in the city. Normality becomes chatting to performers before and after their acts, swapping criticisms and recommending 'must see' shows elsewhere. Throughout August, Theatre and Comedy is the only talk of the town. Everywhere you look, space has been creatively sourced into atmospheric venues - an old church or quaint pub, with some places so intimate that you feel they are performing just for you.
For me, the Fringe offered two intertwining opportunities: performing and socialising! Over the course of twelve days, I began to see my involvement with the Fringe as a working holiday. Staying in a hostel equates to a lot of fun and Silliness, but that can be achieved anywhere. My trip to the Fringe was different. It was a chance to party hard and form proper friendships with those in my drama society but with the grounding focus of a daily performance. The perfect combination. As one of the Drama Presidents next year, I hope to maintain the level of enjoyment that was had this year, it makes all the hard work and commitment worthwhile.
If you want to visit Scotland, then the Edinburgh Fringe is not representational of the more typical Scottish culture. However, it's interesting and highly recommendable. Yes it was cold. Yes it rained. But what else could be expected of Scottish weather? It certainly did nothing to dampen the spirits of the Fringe performers and punters! As they say in the business, 'the show must go on' and it did indeed!
... The Drama Society this year is planning further performances in Edinburgh at the festival as well as numerous opportunities inside and outside Goldsmiths… Keep a look out for further updates around college and make sure you put your name down at the fresher’s fayre…
Comments
No comments yet. Use the form above to have your say.
