Issue #19 - Wednesday 24th August - FREE

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DAVID REED INTERVIEWS » Clever Peter defend swans’ reputation

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IF THAT’S All THERE IS

“WHy ARE All THOSE PEOPlE WANDERINg AROuND WEARINg BlACK HEADPHONES?”

Have you heard? Perhaps you haven’t? Have you seen? Surely you have. We should explain...

Regular Fringe-goers will know that Pleasance Courtyard is the place to be for theatre, comedy and incredible entertainment, hosting a plethora of extraordinary shows. This week, theatre spills out of the venue spaces and into the Courtyard itself. Perahps you’ve seen.

At certain times during the day, performers, fitted with microphones, act out scenes among the Courtyard crowds; a couple discuss intimacaies of their sexual relationship, a tired father wrestles with his errant son and a sick woman

quietly puts her affairs in order. Maybe you’ve seen them.

But to hear, to feel, to empathise with the lives and experiences of these people, you’ll need to connect to their voices, made discrete and personal thanks to wireless headphones, and all underscored by the music of Jon McLeod. For the general public these are simply fellow Courtyard visitors, for you, the audience, this is The Invisible Show II.

“The show transports you into the characters’ world” says Rachel, a listener, “it feels like you’re the only person listening.”

The Invisible Show II, reworked from

the original, is created by Jonathon Holloway. “The idea comes from a technical and conceptual standpoint”, he explains, “but also appeals directly to a sentimentality of shared humanity. It elevates ordinary experiences to the level of high drama.”

Pleasance Courtyard provides a fascinating setting for this innovative piece. “This setting makes for a different show every performance time” says Jonathon, “in the morning there are lots of children about, lunchtime brings a more mainstream crowd before the tougher audiences in the late afternoon. People and audicnes genuinely change the show every day.”The Invisible Show II, Pleasance Courtyard,

22-27 Aug 11:30 & 14:00 & 16:30

Photography: Will Sawney, © Sideways

maTT green advISeS wayS To Keep yourSelF FreSh In The FInal weeK oF FrInge madneSSpluS

DaviD reeD interviews if that’s all there is

3) St James Shopping Centre No one else in there will know or care that the Fringe is happening. I always enjoy looking out for a few lost students trying to give leaflets to shoppers. They are greeted with a look that combines pity, contempt and incomprehension. Which is good practice for what they might see whilst performing their semi-improvised musical about the life of Dolly the sheep.

mutually exclusive. These people are idiots. do you think that some actors are afraid of being funny and comedians afraid of showing varied emotion?Lucinka: Excellent question! There’s certainly comedy in our play, mainly about how hilariously hideous everyday life can be. In fact all of our work has featured comedy and tragedy, inseparable from each other. Many actors, feeling they should be funny, begin to panic. Whereas actually any strong actor can be funny if they are truthful and the script is funny. With comedians, the pitch has to be different, but there’s always room for truth, and anything with underlying truth is always going to be funnier.david: I agree. I feel it’s important to give theatrical depth to the characters within my comedy show. what theatrical form does If That’s all There Is take? Lucinka: Overall our style is quite naturalistic, although the creation process is fairly physical. Then there are moments of technicolour lift-off, moments of heartfelt emotion punctuated by more cinematic, visual qualities. Lighting and sound design, too, are an integral part of the making process, and hopefully forms part of the emotional journey, almost another character.

If That’s All There Is, Pleasance Courtyard, 23-29 Aug (Not 28) 15:00 / David Reed, Pleasance Courtyard,

3-29 Aug 20:30

Physical and versatile character performer David Reed meets Lucinka Eisler from Inspector Sands to talk about If That’s All There Is, a mini-epic of longing, envy and psychobabble.david: I suppose a welcome is in order. how does it feel returning to the Fringe for just this last week?Lucinka: Everyone seems to need a good night’s sleep and a bit of TLC, but they’re hanging in there. Actually we feel similar after doing a lot of work in London on this and other shows this month. You can feel that there isn’t the early-August buzz, but also there’s a nice sense that acts have stopped trying so hard to sell their show, and are instead enjoying the flow of the festival.david: Is it that Festival flow that

brings you back to edinburgh, after opening the show here in 2009?Lucinka: When we arrived at The Traverse in 2009, the show was brand-new, exciting and received a brilliant kickstart. Since then we’ve been touring the UK on-and-off, and have taken it to New York and even to Beijing.david: have you made any major changes to the show since your 2009 Fringe opening?Lucinka: It feels much more seasoned now. We wanted to bring it back to the Fringe now that it’s lived and grown. I think we’ve understood what it is, and the story is far stronger as a result. david: Some people think that comedy and heart-felt drama are

1) Edinburgh Zoo There’s nothing like watching some monkeys or meerkats for a while to put everything in perspective. Especially when you consider how small your venue is compared to the luxurious habitats they enjoy.

2) Arthur’s SeatThe walk is challenging, particularly after a couple of weeks on a Fringe diet (beer and chips, with even worse for lunch and dinner), but always worth it for the view. Although do stick to the paths. In my first year at the Fringe I decided

to do some climbing with no equipment, got stuck half way up a very high rock-face, and I had a moment where I thought I was going to die. It was the most scared I’ve ever been. My first thought was: “What will happen with the show? I can’t let down my audience!” To be honest, I’m not sure either of them would have minded.

3 frinGe DistraCtiOns maTT green advISeS wayS To Keep yourSelF FreSh In The FInal weeK oF FrInge madneSS

Matt Green: Too Much Information, Pleasance Courtyard, 3-28 Aug 20:30

@ThePleasance#pleztimes

RT @Amy_BishJust watched Paul Merton’s improv show @ThePleasance hilarious shakespeare take on ‘teaching a mime to sing’

RT @DumbshowTheatreChris Goode (@beescope)’s The Adventure of Wound Man @ThePleasance is a splendid, halcyon, fantastical and sharp piece. Loved it #edfringe

RT @beth_rylancePositively bursting with excitement for Edinburgh tomorrow! I will be sleeping on the picnic tables @ThePleasance courtyard if you need me.

RT @pyjamasmithEating cold pizza in bed after @ThePleasance quiz... #classybird

PRESENTED By ONE OF OuR COmEDy ACTS AND FEATuRINg THEIR SPECIAl guESTS, INCluDINg:Joe Lycett, Matthew Crosby from Pappy’s, Jeff Leach, Katherine Ryan, Tom Price, Dan Clark, Kate Copstick and a regular daily message from Angelos Epithemiou. TODAy (WEDS) PENNY DREADFULS: DAvID REED, THOM TUCK & HUMPHREY KER

TOmORROW (THuRS)PEACOCK & GAMBLE, JIGSAW & KARAOKE CIRCUS

in DefenCe Of... swansby Clever Peter

As we all know, swans are hated. Especially for that stuff they did in the Middle East, creating Holby City and the fact you can’t kill them.

Here are some things you probably didn’t know about swans that will hopefully calm the hatred you feel in your heart.• Swans offer interest-free loans...

fixed as well!• A swan always says ‘yes’.• Swans’ emotional depth is both

enlightening and refreshing.• A swan gives a wonderful sports

massage.• They never shy away from a

round in the pub.• All swans hate Michael Buble.

• Swans will happily build anything you purchase from IKEA, free of charge.

• 90% of swans can do a perfect impression of Frank Spencer. The other 10% have never tried.

• Swans hate small talk.• Black swans contain a rare

diamond found only in their stomachs.

• In Roman times swans were the most common reason for divorce.

• Swans love sketch comedy....and the list goes on. Hopefully

this might change your opinion on our Queen’s pet.

The Best of Clever Peter, Pleasance Courtyard, 24 Aug 21:45, 25 Aug 23:00

Sketch group Clever Peter A swan on a lake

FUNDRAISING FOR THE PLEASANCEYou can support us in a number of ways:

2. Become part of “Pleasance History”We would be delighted if you joined our celebrity alumni on this extraordinary 231-ft long ‘Bayeux-esque Tapestry’, charting the history of the world according to the Pleasance. You will also receive a very beautiful portrait. All we need is a passport photo! And if you don’t have one immediately, it doesn’t matter, because you can always send it to us later!

3. Simply donate your own amountTEXT: plez33 to 70070(for any amount up to £10)

BY TELEPHONE: Please call us on 0207 619 6868

ONLINE: Please visit www.pleasance. co.uk/islington/support-us

IN PERSON: Complete the Gift Aid form on the back of the Fundraising leaflet and drop it into Reception at any of our box offices in Edinburgh and London, or pop it in the post.

1. Adopt a Pleasance cobblestoneFamous for its cobbled courtyards, the Pleasance is the bedrock of great theatre and comedy. You can look after these very foundations by adopting your own pet cobblestone! We promise to provide you with regular updates on how it’s getting along.

weDnesDay 24th

Please note that all line-ups are subject to change. Check the Box Office for the latest information.

ARTHuR SmITH’S PISSED-uP CHAT SHOW

Pleasance Dome 21:40CORNELIUS LYSAGHT

ISY SUTTIETHREE ENGLISHMEN

CHORTlE PRESENTS: FAST FRINgE

Pleasance Dome 18:40CHRIS RAMSEY MC

HORSE & LOUISMATT FORDECHRIS QUAILE

THE NOISE NEXT DOORMARCEL LUCONT

SHEEPSSEAN MCLOUGHLIN

MIKE NEWALLADAM HESS

HARI KONDABOLUTONY LAW

JuST FOR lAugHS SHOWCASE

Pleasance Dome 23:00MC TIM RABNETT

JOE LYCETTTONY LAW

NAzEEM HUSSAIN (FROM FEAR OF A BROWN PLANET)

ANDI OSHOROB DEERING

THE SHOWCASE SHOWPleasance Courtyard 13:10

Mc BENNETT ARRON, CHRIS MARTIN, PAUL B. EDWARDS,

SHAzIA MIRzA, MARTIN BIGPIG