list.co.uk/festival Hunt & Darton | FESTIVAL THEATRE
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HUNTING FOR THE PERFECT SHOW Hunt & Darton changes its mood in the evenings, becoming a venue for the sort of work that the long runs and the tight turnarounds of the Fringe doesn’t usually include. Their performance selection is a handy guide to creators who are working at the edges of theatre and performance art
ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME Chris Dobrowolski’s lecture performance includes the fall of communism, a road trip to the Eternal City and the restoration of a classic car. The sculptor’s love of his father’s motor has him considering how everything has become disposable since the Cold War ended. 2–25 Aug (not 5, 12, 19), 7.30pm, £5.
BOREDOM Hunt & Darton prove that they are more than just the hosts of the café with a show that promises plenty
of leopard skin in an attempt to i nd the interesting side of being bored. 3, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24 Aug, 10.30pm, £5.
BUZZCUT A variety of artists – including two (Janice Parker and Louise Ahl) who have performed at Dance
Base in previous Fringes – make up the Glasgow curation team’s second visit to the Fringe. From Jenna Watt, who had a hit with Flaneurs in 2012, through Thomas Hubbin’s witty solo, to Parker’s inclusive understanding of dance, this is a snapshot of intimate contemporary performance. 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25 Aug, 10.30pm, free.
HOW TO AVOID MAKING AN ENTRANCE OF YOURSELF Dot Howard, who is constantly terrii ed of
disgracing herself on stage, presents memories of her life as a performer. Self doubt may be inspirational, but it makes getting in front of an audience tough. 2–25 Aug (not 5, 12, 19), 6pm, £5. Preview 2 Aug, £2.50. POPAGANDA Watford’s i nest live art provocateur comes back to the Fringe to change the world through low-grade civil disobedience. Matching smart thinking with cheeky humour, Richard DeDomenici makes radical politics entertaining, and can usually i nd a new angle on familiar events. 2–25 Aug (not 5, 12, 19), 9pm, £5.
1–8 Aug 2013 THE LIST FESTIVAL 83
work. This year, that demand has been satisi ed with a varied evening line-up, which Hunt and Darton hope that they are ‘framing slightly differently by it belonging to the café’.
the pair have As well as ‘shamelessly’ programming themselves, invited shows such as Chris Dobrowolski’s performance lecture All Roads Lead to Rome and Richard DeDomenici’s Popaganda, a piece that’s ‘very much about the now and popular culture’. But the art is by no means coni ned to the performances.
‘We say that every element of the café is art,’ Darton explains. ‘There are never any paintings on the wall or anything, because we don’t want people to be like – that’s the art!’ So the waiter serving you might be a performer, while everything down to the salt and pepper shakers has been carefully designed. Even the menu is something of a statement. ‘We thought quite long and hard about how creative we wanted the menu to be,’ Hunt admits, explaining that they eventually settled on an aesthetic that rel ects their personalities.
‘We’re both born in the 80s and a lot of it references our childhoods,’ says Hunt, while Darton chips in to describe it as ‘comical, performative and kitsch’. Popular dishes include Battenberg cake, bowls of Coco Pops and their signature roast dinner sandwich. Hunt and Darton describe Edinburgh as ‘a bit more in-your-face’ than the other cities their pop-up café has visited, and they already have plans to make it even more animated this year. As well as the popular return of ‘Christmas Day’ on 25 August, there are other days themed with tongue very much in cheek, including Austerity Day and Health and Safety Day. As Hunt warns, however, visitors have to be prepared to get involved: ‘We really like allowing our customers to perform as much as we perform.’
Hunt & Darton Café, 21 St Mary’s Street, ticketing through the Pleasance, 556 6550, 3–25 Aug (not 5, 12, 19), 10am– 5pm, free. For details of evening events, see right.