HANG AT THE EDINBURGH FRINGE – REVIEW

The beauty of Hang lies in the way it juxtaposes cold and often hilarious bureaucracy with the pain of a human experience. Its mystery is in the fact that we never really discover what that exact human experience was. 

An Interview with Maria Stoian: Take it as a Compliment

Maria Stoian’s graphic memoir Take it as a Compliment brings together a collection of people’s real life experiences of sexual harassment, violence and abuse, to powerfully reflect on this issue in a beautiful and heart rending style. Stoian very kindly took the time to answer a few questions about the work, the process of creation, and the experiences it considers. 

Review: The Language of Memory

The Language of Memory at Summerhall explores the relationships we have with objects and the shared language between possessions and the human experience. The exhibit centres on Whitney McVeigh‘s short film Birth: Origins at the End of Life, documenting six womens’ experiences of birth and death. It also showcases a series of found objects and drawings by McVeigh which evoke memories of childhood and family.

Review: The Weir

I’d heard that Conor McPherson’s play The Weir was a hidden gem of contemporary theatre, with its many awards (Laurence Olivier, Evening Standard and Critics Circle), but I hadn’t read it. Now, I am glad I hadn’t, because it is one of those plays that really comes into its own on stage. Amanda Gaughan’s perfectly paced production is a real treat for the ear and the eye.

‘The Spirit of Fear Has Paralysed Us’

In April 1915 1,200 women of the International Women’s Suffrage Alliance met at the Hague to discuss how to bring about an end to war, not just the First World War, all war. To get there they fought prejudice, rampant patriotism on all sides, and the very literal barriers that war presented to travel. In the course of their three days of peace talks the women agreed that they would take very precise action in their attempt to bring a quick resolution to one of the bloodiest wars the modern world had ever seen.

Review: Sunset Song

The latest film from director, Terence Davies, Sunset Song is a long-awaited and lovingly faithful adaptation of the Scottish classic by Lewis Grassic Gibbon. The story centres on the coming-of-age of Chris Guthrie as we see her confronting the demands of womanhood as well as the tumultuous changes threatening the rural community of Kinraddie.

Games Are For Everyone: Cara Ellison on Indie Gaming

Indie gaming, games created by individuals or groups without the financial support of mainstream publishers, has skyrocketed in popularity over the past few years thanks to games like Five Nights At Freddies, a horror game that became popular with YouTube players, and crowd funding websites like Kickstarter getting larger scale projects off the ground. And really, it’s no surprise that Scotland has such a considerable indie gaming community, after all it’s the birthplace of Rockstar Games, the creators of the infamous Grand Theft Auto and Manhunt series.

Review: The Crucible, EUTC

In 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, women are servants, daughters, wives and very possibly witches. This is the context of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible”, and one that the Edinburgh University Theatre Company have embraced in their latest production at Bedlam Theatre.

Review: Handbagged by Moira Buffini

Originally conceived in 2010 for Tricycle Theatre‘s Women, Power and Politics Festival, Handbagged was adapted to a full length play by writer Moira Buffini and director Indhu Rubasingham in 2013. It recounts the events of Margaret Thatcher’s eleven year Prime Ministerial run via the weekly meetings she had with HRH Queen Elizabeth II.

Review: Tipping the Velvet

When I found out that Tipping the Velvet was opening at the Lyceum Theatre, I immediately wanted to see it. Not because I had read the book or seen the BBC adaptation, not because the successful duo Wade/Turner was at the head of this performance, or because I had to find an event to write about for my first contribution to this blog. The reason I was drawn to seeing this performance was its theme: the coming of age of a young woman in the Victorian period.