Darkness was evidence that university theatre doesn’t have to mean “student” theatre. Powered by staff from the University of Essex, this production was more ambitious in scale and quality than any other I saw. Hugely thoughtful, it bore the mark of both an observant academic and an artists sensitivity to the nuances of love and faith.
Edinburgh Hangover is a series of posts reflecting back on the performances and companies that have stuck with me since my stint at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011. Working as part of the Technical Team for Zoo Venues and reviewing for FringeGuru, I got to spend a 38 days in Edinburgh but had little time to trumpet about those young companies that produced work which managed to stay with me even after the well earned end of shift beer every night. Still to come is gushings of love for Action to the Word and FellSwoop but first a university society with a London transfer.
Arsenic and Old Lace at the Citizens Theatre was one of the first plays I remember seeing and holds a dear place in m heart.
So when I saw a production advertised in the Fringe programme this year, I was dubious at first. I find the 1944 film disappointing and attributed my enjoyment of the play I had seen in 1995 to some magical Citz dusting. Still, interested to find out what this new company would bring to the Fringe, I kept my eye on it whilst drawing up my lists of must-see shows.
As the Fringe drew closer, I was disappointed to see that the production had been cancelled. A quick Google showed that the company, Article 19, was a university group and I assumed they’d fallen into one of the many of the same pitfalls I came across in university theatre. Running out of funds, contributor interest or an unexpected call from the rights holders are all hurdles that unexpectedly appear when you’re given the reins. Article 19′s problems were caused by last minute withdraw of performance permission by the rights holders. And it was the best thing that could have happened to them.