Theatre
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Culture shock
As the first lnvAsian Festival kicks off, Miles Johnson discovers why its innovators are determined to bring some much-needed diversity to the Fringe
hen. earlier this year. a BB(‘ executiye
lamented the continued dominance ol a
'Iiheral. white. middle class elite' across British teleyisioii. his words could equally liaye heen applied to lidinhurgli in .~\ugust. l‘or all the l’ringe's Variety. the iiumher ol' non-w hite perl'ormers is still low enough lor comedians to continually ohserye that many ol‘ their audience ‘haye ney er seen a hlack person hel‘ore‘. .\'ow. a team ol' promoters. perl‘ormers and tlll'CL‘ltit‘s lt;i\ e L‘tilitL‘ together lti t‘L‘tll‘L‘Ss lliL‘ halance.
'l‘he lli\.’\\l;tll l-‘estiyal is a month—long showcase ol’
oyer 31) companies lroni around .r\sia along with some ol the most respected British .'\\lLtll talent working in the l'ls'. Held at (‘luh\\'liS'l. the inaugural programme is prohahly the only place you‘ll liiid a (‘hinese lilyis impersonator and a rendition ol the Hindu epic. 'l‘lie lx’umuyuiiu. on the same hill. But. l'ar l‘roni heing a multicultural gimmick. it seems likely that some ol‘ the most iiinoyatiye new writing coming to this year's l‘ringe will liaye a distinctly .-\sian lilayour.
‘We went through the l‘ringe programme last year and realised there‘s heen a dearth ol‘ British .'\sittti companies coining tip to lidinhurgh in recent years.‘ says Keyiii Williams. who set up ltl\:\\lzttl through his (‘luh\\'liS'l \enue. '\\'e decided something iiitist he done ahout this. 'l‘hcre's a huge multicultural .'\\lilll population in Scotland. It seems terrihly uiilair to liaye these struggling companies who want to show their work and carry on their new w riting.‘
\‘y'illiaiiis also l‘eels that the growing commercialisatioii ol‘ the l'ii'iiige has made it harder l'or British .'\slitll companies to allord to put on a show. Luckily. ln\ :\si;tll has receiyed sponsorship l‘roni the liidiaii ’l‘ourist Board's l/iererlr'h/e Int/m. ‘.-\sian companies can elicit lind it dillicult to get into the lcstiyzil on a liiiaiicial leyel. Don‘t get me wrong. I adore the l-‘ringe and am a great supporter ol~ it. hill a lot ol' the leading mainstream \enues hay e taken it to a wry commercial leyel where it is not as alteriiati\e and multicultural as it might he. It is olteii iiiipossihle l‘or these companies to al‘l‘ord to come to lidinhurgli. htit now that we liaye lots ol‘ people pooling their resources it can happen.‘
lli\x\\lttll lcatures a particularly strong theatre programme. .l/IIII/lt‘l' l’rirrrr/ixe (pictured. ahoye lcl‘ti
58 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE
‘THE FRINGE
IS NOT AS MULTICULTURAL AS IT MIGHT BE'
written hy Sayan Kent. is a dystopian larce set in a Britain where the introduction of ID cards by the goyernnient has changed the nature of identity itsell'. In a world where hospitals can he hought on the stock market and goyernment corruption is rile. a citizen‘s gender can he changed simply through computer mall‘uiiction. ‘Sayan has taken the reality ol‘ what it will he like when we all haye to carry ll) cards in the not too distant l‘uture and has stretched it to an incredihly l‘unny leyel.‘ says the plays director Janet Steel. 'A man‘s identity card suddenly says he is a woman. atid ex en though he dresses and looks like a man nothing matters to other people htit w hat the datahase says.’
More exciting new writing is to he l‘ound with Three I’lyirre Solo. a triptych of plays directed hy Annie (ieorge. II .-li/i'l .rtl/ [fol/yii'mu/ (ahoye right). a production by the highly regarded British Asian company Ril‘co. depicts a young girl who escapes from her oyerhearing mother hy dreaming ol‘ Bollywood.
Williams is hoping that this year‘s lnyAsian will he the l‘irst ol‘ many. ‘I think it shows what can he achieyed when people collaborate on something. I hope it will continue l‘or years to come and hecome an umhrella tor .-\.sian companies at the liringe.‘ What is certain is that Williams and his collahorators will certainly make the l‘ringe a more interesting and diyerse place to he this August.
All shows clubWEST @ Quincentenary Hall, 527 1562. Another Paradise, 3-25 Aug, 4.45pm, £12 (£9); It Ain’t All Bollywood, 3—25 Aug, 4pm, £9.50 (£8.50); Ramayana Part I, 4, 6, 8, 1 1, 13, 15 Aug, 1 1.15am, £9 (£6.50—£7.50); Ramayana Part II, 5, 7, 9,12, 14, 16 Aug, 11.15am, £9 (£6.50-£7.50); Three Flying Solo, 3-25 Aug, 2pm, £7.50-£8.50.
LASTING IMPRESSION
Actor Jim Jarrett tells Allan Radcliffe why he keeps returning to the lead role in Leonard Nimoy’s play about Vincent Van Gogh
A one-man play about an iconic Dutch i)ost~iniprt—2ssionist painter. scripted by the man Mast-known for playing a pointy -eared alien would be worth seeing for sheer curiosity value alone. What's perhaps more surprising is that. since its first production in 1981. Leonard Ninioy's Vince/it has become an international touring phenomenon,
Much of this success is down to actor Jim Jarrett. who tirst read the piece iwhich depicts Theo Van Gogh mourning his beloved brother's suicide) in 1994. For the past 12 years. Jarrett has toured the piece to venues around the world. from the United States to Europe and the Philippines, performing to over a quarter of a million people. So. how does he account for his strong affinity Willi Ninioy's play?
‘First of all, what it seems to do to audiences is ama/ing.' says Jarrett. 'I think people see a lot of themselves in Vince/it. and they're surprised by that. But the play has also raised the bar so high for me as an actor that to do anything else would seem a step backwardsf
the actor also draws parallels between Van Gogh's late blossoming as an artist and his own career trajectory. Havuig reached a late 20$ malaise. Jarrett's life was changed by a screening of The Deer Hunter. Despite havnig no training. contacts or experience. he immediater moved from San Francisco to New York in pursuit of an acting career.
'I came late to my dream, and when you leap ott later in lite like that people are queuing up to say. “What are you doing?" It takes great courage to pursue your dream. and I think Vincent was very courageous.’
I ‘./r/ice/it. Asse/iib/v Rooms. ($23 3030. 22:3 Aug root 1 li, -1.2:3p/ii. 5‘12-5‘13 (5‘1 l-‘YIQI. Prey/eds (31 Jul (8 I Aug. 5‘8.