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THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL SORTED | WEEK THREE ISSUE | WWW.THREEWEEKS.CO.UK ThreeWeeks EDINBURGH PHILIP WHITCHURCH PHILIP Catriona Knox: Post-boom bloom MR B PLUS Dan Clark | Rayguns Look Real Enough | Vladimir Shcherban from Belarus Free Theatre Njo Kong Kie | Dane Baptiste | Jason Cook | Barry Ferns | plus awards news and lots of reviews START POINT GET THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWSFor AND all INTERVIEWS the latest festival IN YOUR news INBOX as it breaks DAILY sign up for the free ThreeWeeks Daily email nowwww.ThreeWeeks.co.uk/news at ThreeWeeks.co.uk/signup It’s the Edinburgh Fringe’s awards frenzy Contents ThreeWeeks 2014 wk3 And so, as we approach the Fringe finale, it’s BrewDog Fringe Award time for all the awards. START POINT Because while some His Fringe programme for the award at a special Caro writes… 04 having generated show on 20 Aug at 3pm, gongs are dished out 04 both an Edinburgh including Will Hodgson, Tim Letter To Edinburgh earlier in the Festival, FitzHigham and Phil Kay. it is these last few days Comedy Award and It’s a line-up that suggests when it all gets a bit two Malcolm Hardee this is, in fact, an area where INTERVIEWS Awards last August, crazy in Fringe-awards- comics have long wished Bob Slayer has decided to prove their worth. “I do Catriona Knox Q&A 06 ville. it is he who should be believe this will become the Vladimir Shcherban Q&A 06 highest accolade in comedy”, We here at ThreeWeeks handing out the prizes this year. added Slayer. “I mean, who Dan Clark Q&A 07 will present our Editors’ doesn’t want their own beer?” Awards on Saturday And somehow he’s managed The competition will take morning, celebrating to find a gap in the Edinburgh place at Bob & Miss Behave’s COMEDY Bookshop, the Fringe venue the ten things - shows, awards spectrum, a prize that celebrates comedians’ Slayer is co-running for the Rayguns Q&A 08 performers, companies, knowledge about all things second time this year, albeit Comedy Reviews 09 initiatives - who made beer. It’s obvious when in a new location. “We had this year’s Edinburgh you think about it. Though a lovely shop last year, and Gein’s Family Giftshop 10 this year we have gone even Festival particularly presumably any knowledge Question of a certain Australian better with our lovely spot at special. Meanwhile the lager brand counts against the bottom of the Pleasance Jason Cook Column 11 ThreeWeeks news team contenders. on Holyrood Rd”. will keep you up to date “It’s the first proper “We rented an empty Barry Ferns Column 12 on all the other prize award judged on proper space, knocked down walls, 13 criteria”, Slayer boasted to pulled up floors, put some Dane Baptiste Column givings as they occur at ThreeWeeks. “And it also has stairs into the basement, ThreeWeeks.co.uk/news a proper prize too. The winner added toilets and most will get the chance to brew a importantly a vibe that THEATRE But first, we find out beer with BrewDog at Brew feels far removed from the 14 more about two of the HQ and all the worldwide commercial Fringe. Everyone Philip Whitchurch Q&A awards taking place critical acclaim they could should pop their head into the Theatre Reviews 15 ever dream of!” Bookshop at least once, and this week, a brand new Every performer at maybe come along for the competition, and an old the Fringe was invited to credentials” the only entry to press some top acts were anarchic, anything goes late favourite. compete, “decent beer requirement. And as we went already lined up to compete night show”. MUSIC Njo Kong Kie Q&A 18 Total Theatre Awards Music Reviews 20 The Total Theatre Awards No less than 436 shows were eligible Theatre Award umbrella. proliferation of world-class circus at are back for another this year, and the Total Theatre team “It’s been an incredible year for the Fringe”. MUSICALS Fringe, celebrating, in the saw each of them in the early stages shows across all four of the Total The Awards’ Associate Producer Musical Reviews 20 of the Festival. “The assessors are Theatre Awards categories”, Awards Becki Haines adds: “For 2014 we have programme’s own words, looking for new ideas and examples Associate Natalie Querol says. “In teamed up with Jacksons Lane, widely “artists and companies of excellence” says awards producer addition to awards for physical and acknowledged as the UK’s leading presenting innovative work Jo Crowley. “And we spend a lot of visual theatre, we also have one supporter of small to mid-scale circus, CABARET time discussing the craft and skills for innovation, experimentation to introduce The Total Theatre And within devised theatre, live Mr B Q&A 21 art, visual performance, mime, employed in the work, the relationship and playing with form, another for Jacksons Lane Award For Circus. This puppetry, physical theatre, between form and content, emerging artist or company, and will launch a critical dialogue about Cabaret Reviews 21 consideration of the audience, and the this year also the Total Theatre And circus as an art form in its own right at experimental theatre, clown, rigour with which the work is made”. Jacksons Lane Award For Circus”. the Fringe and will award a company circus, street, immersive, The assessors meet regularly to Circus shows have grown in number or artist that is advancing the medium outdoor, site specific discuss the shows they have seen, at the Fringe in recent years, the genre and helping to create new audiences CHILDREN’S SHOWS performance and more”. eventually producing a shortlist which being specifically name checked in the for contemporary circus, from artists Children’s Reviews 22 It’s a wide remit, though the was announced last week. And that Fringe Programme for the first time in both at home and overseas”. kickstarts a second stage of judging, 2014. “The Total Theatre Awards have simpler definition is in the with a panel charged with the task of always recognised circus within its This year’s overall Total Theatre winners will title I guess, ‘total theatre selecting overall winners in the four nominees and winners” says Crowley, be announced on 21 Aug. Look our for news FESTIVAL PEOPLE experience’. categories that sit under the Total “and over the years there has been a on the winners at ThreeWeeks.co.uk/news Welsh Dance Strand 23 TW EDINBURGH LONDON TW www.ThreeWeeks.co.uk TW www.ThisWeekLondon.com The Edinburgh Festival sorted | since 1996 Culture in London sorted | all year round WEEK THREE | WWW.THREEWEEKS.CO.UK | PAGE 03 TW START POINT NEWS & UPDATES VIA TWITTER @ThreeWeeks REVIEW ALERTS VIA TWITTER @TWittique Letter To Edinburgh: from Damian Sandys Director Damian Sandys fantastic without you in my life. Rather and worship them for the month from afar; than the usual jumping from rehearsal to I haven’t seen some of the most magical, isn’t in Edinburgh this rehearsal, or trying to obtain print approval creative, beautiful productions there are; I Festival. So he wrote this after the insertion of an extra comma, I haven’t even seen the Cringe of the Fringe; simply enjoyed myself. I saw people; I slept I haven’t declared for three weeks that I’m letter instead. in, waking only to watch Jeremy Kyle; I never going to climb Arthur’s Seat again and looked at holidays abroad and realised then found myself rounding everyone up Dear Edinburgh, I could actually go if I wanted to. There and leading the trip to catch sunrise on the This trial separation has been an were no technical forms to fill in, no last final morning. interesting period. For thirteen years solid minute script adaptations, no freak outs I guess, I’m trying to say I’m sorry. If it’s CARO WRITES> we have lived together each glorious about accommodation or transport issues. not too late, maybe we can start again? And, summer. It’s had its ups, it’s had its downs. Everything was calm. Everything was quiet. no word of a lie, the day you opened I found Ah, Edinburgh Festival. You’ve done that thing again, haven’t But we’ve always held each other up along And that was when I realised I missed myself making a huge plan for next year. I’m you? You slipped by in the blink of an eye, despite the fact you the way. Through the sleepless nights and it. I missed you. Suddenly my world was in actually ready to start work on it right now. were once pretty much a whole month stretching out ahead the permanent glaze of the eyes; through disarray. I’ve been with you every summer I’ve got making up to do, I know. But give me of me. Time passes faster in Edinburgh during August than it the euphoria of sell out shows and five star for the whole of my adult life. Thirteen a chance. Don’t forget me. does anywhere else, and that’s ancient Caro’s scientific fact. reviews; through that horror when five years together and I’d taken it away. I had I know that you’ve probably found Or perhaps it’s just that we are all so busy, we don’t have time reviewers turn up to the very first preview; the crushing realisation that I actually had someone else by now, but, Edinburgh, I’ve to think, our days being filled with that endless round of show- and through the countless hours of flyering no concept of what the rest of the world realised that you are everything.