FRONTLINES
NEWS AND GOSSIP FROM
ACROSS THE FESTIVALS
DIARY FESTIVAL NEWS IN A NUTSHELL RESIDENT TOURIST
Gary McNair
In conversation with Fringe veteran Dillie Keane, one member of cabaret group Fascinating Aida, who has a solo
show at this year’s festival
P H O T O © S T E V E U L L A T H O R N E
Describe the Fringe in four words. Explosive, exulting, extreme and exciting.
Why do you bring your work to the festival? Habit, and to see other shows and to spend time in one the world’s greatest cities. What was your most surreal festival experience? I met Adrian Henri, the poet, and it was incredible and spectacular and it moved me . . . I remember my jaw dropping, I didn’t know what to say.
What is the best thing reviewers have written about you? I think what made me laugh most was a review saying I had glamour like Brighton seafront.
And the worst? That I had glamour like Brighton seafront.
Where are you likely to be found this festival? I’m likely to be found either in a bar or seeing a show. I see a lot of shows and I drink a lot of beer. Why do you think acts return to Edinburgh year-on-year? It’s a great shop window, it’s a great place for that. And it’s a chance to be in a place for a whole month and see a tonne of other really great stuff and get ideas. ■ Dillie Keane, Underbelly George Square, 0844 545 8252, until Aug 30, 6.05pm, £13.50–£14.50 (£12.50–13.50).
• The Edinburgh International Book Festival is more international than ever this year, with several events being live-streamed online for the world to see. Organisers have announced a new collaboration with BBC Arts, which will see ten events broadcast on the website. Highlights include a talk by American civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson, a conversation between crime writer Val McDermid and Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and comedian Limmy talking about his new book (see interview, page 14). • It’s been a bit of a sad week for Festival cancellations. Joan Armatrading had to back out of her much-anticipated Fringe by the Sea appearance following medical advice, while Alasdair Gray has had to cancel his Edinburgh International Book Festival, as he has not yet recovered from a fall at his home.
independent bookstore Word Power, it was launched by author Mark Thomas, who was there with his book, 100 Minor Acts of Dissent. Bibliophiles with a penchant for independent writing, this one’s for you. • Another Fringe antic has raised a few eyebrows, after performers did a trapeze stunt from a city centre bridge above trafi c. According to a spokesperson for the Council, they were not informed that the event was taking place, and performers Josa Koelbel and Bellina Sorensson had not applied for a license.
• The Fringe Society are getting on board with this whole modern technology thing by running a #Fringie competition. Snap a seli e of yourself at the Fringe, post it to Twitter with the hashtag #Fringie, and you could win a prize. Now would be a good time to perfect that duck pout you think looks simultaneously kind of ridiculous and kind of great.
• In other book news, the Edinburgh Book Fringe began on Friday. Taking place at • It’s all going on award-wise, with the Scotsman dishing out
its initial Fringe First winners (Gary McNair’s A Gambler’s Guide to Dying, Going Viral, The Christians, Swallow, The Deliverance, Underneath and The History of the World Through Banalities). Moreover, the longlist for the Amnesty Freedom of Expression Award has been announced (with our highly-rated shows As Is and How To Keep An Alien included), and, if that’s not enough, the Foster’s Comedy Award nominations will be revealed on Wed 26 Aug. Finally, the Edinburgh Fringe Sustainable Practice Award winner will be announced on Fri 28 Aug. See list.co.uk/festival for award news.
#WTFRINGE WHAT A SELL OUT
The F word is all over Twitter, as Edinburgh embraces the Fringe
@robinpjohnson7: Carrying an armchair
through the soggy streets of Edinburgh at 8am. @edfringe, it’s for you. It’s all for you. #WTFringe
@EdinBlogger: Navigating the crowds of The
Royal Mile is a rite of passage #WTFringe #Edinburgh @edinburgh @edfringe #edfringe
@ptcomed: It’s a sad fact of life: 9/10 l yers
Tickets don’t last forever, y’know. Here’s what’s selling fast at the fest, and what’s already sold out* (19–25 Aug).
GOING, GOING... A Girl is A Half-Formed Thing • Austentatious • An Audience With Jimmy Savile • David
O’Doherty: We Are All in the Gutter, But Some of Us Are Looking at David O’Doherty • Flight
• Gruffalos, Ladybirds and Other Beasts • James Acaster: Represent • Jason Byrne:
20 Years A Clown • Paul Foot • Joseph Morpurgo: Soothing Sounds for Baby •
are abandoned in public toilets. #adoptal yer Reginald D Hunter: Bitchproof • Rob Beckett •
#wtfringe #edfringe Tommy Tiernan Alive in Edinburgh
@NortonIsEmperor: Gui Gui accepted the
challenge and munched down on a Deep Fried Mars Bar. His reaction “only once” #WTFringe
GONE Aisling Bea: Plan Bea (at Gilded Balloon –
availability for Pleasance shows) • Bridget Christie: A Book For Her • Katherine Ryan:
Kathbum • Nina Conti: In Your Face • Oh
@TheEdinbug: RIP my credit card. #myedfests Hello! • Polyphony • The Colour Ham – One.
#edfringe #WTFringe Last. Time.
*Correct at time of going to press
8 THE LIST FESTIVAL 20–31 Aug 2015