Theatre Olympics

Published on September 3, 2007

Where else can celestial gods live side by side with tramps, Arab and Jew poke fun at each other, a church become a brothel and a toilet a theatre?

Sound surreal? Or mad? No, it's Scotland. Aye, the one place you can guarantee to turn your life upside down and world inside out is Edinburgh, the capital and home to the world's largest arts festival every August.

The Fringe began in 1947 as a post-war initiative to unite Europe through art. Now in its 61st incarnation, the festival has grown from eight independent theatre companies with no central box office, programme or advance publicity into 30,000 performances of 2,000 shows at 250 venues.

An estimated 18,600 performers participated at this Fringe - a third of which were theatre and another third comedy. Musical items made up about a fifth of all shows, and children's events, musicals and opera, dance and exhibitions filled the space in between.

The whole merry mix is a cacophony lasting three weeks from August 5 until August 27.

However large and varied, the true spirit of the Fringe lies in its investigation of the different levels of the human condition.

The Fringe is recognised as a platform for international groups and artists with fresh ideas, experimental expression and innovation.

New kids on the block spring up every year, hoping to be spotted as the next-big-thing. Those capturing one of several awards are guaranteed a bright theatrical future. Yet for many, just participating is a good addition to their credentials - no matter how horrible they are or panned in the press their production is.

Who cares? At the Fringe, a democratic spirit prevails and any form of artistic expression is celebrated.

Asian invasion

Artists from South Korea and Japan first made passage to Edinburgh about 10 years ago and their presence continues to increase steadily.

This year, Korean artists are reported to have received huge government support, with each group getting between 10 million won (Bt1 million) and 30 million won with the result that 14 productions were showcased.

One took the festival by storm - the dynamic and compelling physical theatre of the Sadari Movement Laboratory. The group won this year's Total Theatre Award for Best Physical Performance.

It recreated Georg Buchner's "Woyzeck", with an ingenious mixture of body movement, the use of chairs and the emotionally charged tangos of Astor Piazzolla.

It is a tragedy based on a real 1821 murder in Leipzig, Germany. Lowly soldier Franz Woyzeck is a victim of the "moral" and dysfunctional society of the upper classes.

Mentally and physically suppressed in the name of scientific advancement, Woyzeck begins to experience hallucinations. His suffering is magnified by the discovery of his wife's adultery with a handsome drum major.

Woyzeck stabs her to death.

Director Do-Wan Im successfully delivers the story of a dehumanised worker, burning sexual desire, the power of jealousy and betrayal, through the dynamic exploration of movement, object and space.

The Sadari Movement Laboratory has now been invited to perform Woyzeck in Poland this October and is considering participation in the next Singapore Arts Festival.

As British as afternoon tea

The 10th Edinburgh Showcase, initiated by the British Council, stages a selected 30 productions ranging from the experimental to the established, with a diverse mix of new writing, physical and visual theatre,

live art, and mixed-media installations.

One showcase, "24/7/52" by Bill Aitchison, presents a multimedia collage in a solo performance investigating our daily activities and religious faith.

The relaxed acting of Aitchison makes us realise how absurd our world is, even in the very least significant moments like making a salad.

Just plain weird

The Fringe is never short of surprises. Fuerzabruta of Argentina is surely the most expensive and spectacular.

The company brought along its own venue - a black tent - complete with a team of six engineers.

The company made its name with a sell-out production of De La Guarda in New York.

This un-Fringe-like show takes place in the 24-by-56-metre tent that accommodates 1,200 people.

There is no dialogue, only loosely connected scenes. Don't expect any philosophical message - the show aims at a sensory experience through visual beauty, music and sounds. Images and lighting have been designed and choreographed to bring an audience spectacle not normally encountered on the stage.

Death's not funny

but dad's a hoot

Forget about slapstick, vulgarity, X-rated jokes or hilarious personifications of well-known celebrities or politicians.

Welsh actor Hugh Hughes manages to keep audiences rapt with his honesty, warmth and intimate tales about his father's death.

When Hughes finds his neighbour's rabbit lying dead in the garden, he puzzles over what to do with the body and starts to wonder how much of life disappears once we die.

With Hugh's charming theatricality, "Story of a Rabbit" lifts the lid on life's final mystery.

This is not dark comedy, but hearty humour that offers us a perspective from which to look at death with a smile.

All the world's a stage

Not all productions at the Fringe are great. Some are rubbish.

But the energy and spirit is there - to take part, to be seen, to buy, to sell, to discuss and to celebrate man's creativity. Everyone has given and taken away something - be it new values or fresh understanding.

But to watch our Asian theatre makers thrive on this world stage and to share their proud moments makes me wonder about the plight of our homegrown theatre.

It's sad our government can't afford to promote young talent in this country, and let the world know of its existence.

Kusuma Venzky-Stalling

Special to The Nation

Edinburgh, Scotland