Allan Wilson

My key recommendation for anybody attending shows in the @summerhallarts.bsky.social Main Hall, would be to make sure the staff don't seat you anywhere on the window side of the room within 10 feet of the fans.

Julia. 1984 @summerhallarts.bsky.social begins with the interesting idea of exploring what might have happened to Winston and, especially, Julia after the end of Orwell's novel. I can't say how well it worked as I missed most of the dialogue as a result of the noise from the notorious cooling fans.

A small postscript - on the way out I had a minor stumble on the stairs and may have fallen at the feet of someone famous. Not hurt, but I will say no more for now.

I really enjoyed Victoria Melody’s ‘Trouble, Struggle, Bubble and Squeak’ @pleasance.co.uk this afternoon, telling how her interest in UK sub-cultures brought her to a historical re-enactment society and the formation of a victorious Diggers community in working class Brighton.

Sorry, that should have read "The Shetlander is such a brilliant storyteller."

I thoroughly enjoyed @marjoleinrobertson.bsky.social’s ‘Lein’ @pleasance.co.uk last night, completing her trilogy of shows based on personal trauma survived. The Shetland’s is such a brilliant storyteller, drawing the audience into her tales, but leaving them with lots to think about.

Tomorrow I'll be @pleasance.co.uk for Victoria Melody & Mark Thomas' 'Trouble, Struggle, Bubble and Squeak', and @summerhallarts.bsky.social for withintheatre's Julia. 1984. I'll also be on a tour of the Make It Happen set and an @edfringe.bsky.social Friends Reception.

Loved @fbombtheatre.bsky.social's Float @gildedballoon.bsky.social. Indira dreams of becoming an astronaut, but hopes end when she becomes pregnant. Indira Wilson’s writing and performance are outstanding, particularly in her subtle transformation from a space comedy to a tragedy about baby loss.

I also think that Timonopoly worked very well

Tomorrow @edfringe.bsky.social I'll be at:
- @connordelves.bsky.social's Cadel: Lungs on Wheels @ Underbelly
- Malcolm Sutherland's Solitude without Loneliness @dancebase.bsky.social
- @fbombtheatre.bsky.social's Float @gildedballoon.bsky.social
- @marjoleinrobertson.bsky.social @pleasance.co.uk

In Mikey Burnett's Colours Run @summerhallarts.bsky.social, two brothers share a passion for Hibernian FC. The older, 'Pongo', is a violent, controlling psychopath, while the younger, autistic, Pete, worships and fears his brother as tensions rise and unexpected secrets are revealed.

Muto Major's Waxen Figures @summerhallarts.bsky.social is a visually and aurally stunning work using lasers and other modern lighting with evocative soundscapes combining Gaelic and English voices with techno music. Interesting and impressive, but I admit that I have no idea what it was all about.

Ellie Keel's Skye: A Thriller @summerhallarts.bsky.social is a suspenseful tale of the consequences of members of a family on Skye thinking they have seen a ghost. Interesting take on ideas of false memory and impact of tragedy on a family, Excellent performances from Dawn Steele & James Robinson.

I enjoyed Mechanimal's Wild Thing! @summerhallarts.bsky.social this afternoon, in which Tom Bailey encouraged the audience to join him in doing bad impressions of a few of the world's 48,000 endangered species. I got a tricky one - the Shy Hamlet! Good fun, with an environmental message.

The pitching was only slightly out. I thought you might have been emulating one of his later performances, when he was hoping not to be invited to do it again.😄 Good luck with the rest of the run.

Thanks for the suggestion for Anthem for Dissatisfaction - I've got a gap in my schedule for the 15th that this will fill very nicely! I'm going to see Colours Run tonight.

...
- 4PLAY's 'Colours Run'
- Muto Major's 'Waxen Figures'

Tomorrow, my ongoing @edfringe.bsky.social journey will take me to @summerhallarts.bsky.social to see:
- Kirsty Mann's 'Corpse (WiP)'
- Mechanimal's 'Wild Thing!'
- Ellie Keel's 'Skye: A Thriller'
- Muto Major's 'Waxen Figures'
along with ...

Really enjoyed the latest iteration of @mikedaviot.bsky.social's A Noble Clown @scotstorycentre.bsky.social, combining extracts from his plays with personal narrative to provide revealing insights into the life and performances of the great 20th Century Scottish actor, Duncan Macrae.

Both of my afternoon shows were cancelled so I'm now waiting for A Noble Clown at 6.45.

Brite Theatre's Timonopoly @scotstorycentre.bsky.social is a lovely piece of interactive theatre converting Timon of Athens into a boardgame in which Emily Carding skillfully leads members of the audience through a series of enjoyable, non-threatening activities, based on Shakespeare's play.

Very weird! I'll need to find one of the occasional feline visitors to my garden to experiment. Two shows cancelled this afternoon due to the weather, so I have to wait until 6.45 for my last show today.

Many thanks for the comprehensive update on the impact of the storm.

I was at the matinee and was struck by the number shouts from members of the audience, obviously deeply affected by RBS, who couldn't hold back their feelings.

Having a break from festivals today, but back tomorrow for:
- Brite Theatre's 'Timonopoly' & @mikedaviot.bsky.social's 'A Noble Clown' @scotstorycentre.bsky.social
- Maybe You Like It's 'Down to Chance' @pleasance.co.uk
- Amelia Rogers' 'Jumper Bumps' @gildedballoon.bsky.social

Really enjoyed Karis Kelly's Consumed @traversetheatre.bsky.social last night. Very funny, and occasionally disturbing, exploration of how trauma might be passed on across generations. Cast of four women all excellent, but special kudos for Katie Posner's direction of a potentially chaotic play.

Make It Happen at the Festival Theatre as part of the International Festival is possibly the best 'new play' I have ever seen, with outstanding performances from Brian Cox and Sandy Grierson and an excellent supporting cast. Superb writing, direction, music and set design. Loved it!!!

I'll be back on @edfringe.bsky.social @traversetheatre.bsky.social tonight for Karis Kelly's Winner of the Women's Prize for Playwriting 2022, Consumed, directed by Katie Posner. This is a dark comic tale of four generations of Northern Irish women reunited under one roof. Hoping for ghosts!

This afternoon I'll be dipping into the International Festival for James Graham's Make It Happen, starring Brian Cox and Sandy Grierson. The play goes back to the global financial crisis of 2008, charting the rise and fall of The Royal Bank of Scotland, once the biggest bank in the world.

Really enjoyed Pretty Knickers Productions' Mary Queen of Rock at Underbelly Bristo Square last night. Skilfully re-imagines Scotland's iconic 16th Century Queen as a rock goddess, battling with a stern, Presbyterian John Knox for the minds of the people. Great fun and great music!