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Q&A
Funny girl
As writer and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig prepares for a Fringe pitstop, as part of her UK tour, we grill her on what’s inspired her latest live set
incredibly You started your career writing and performing in Footlights’ i rst all- women show at Cambridge University. What advice would you give to acts new to the Edinburgh Fringe experience? I would recommend you see as much as you can, and learn as much as you can. You can get such a lot from other performers. You’ve had an varied career. What’s been the highlight? I always say the best job I had is my last but really I’ve loved them all, it’s all been pretty jolly. I did a sailing expedition for the BBC in the 90s; I was asked to paint a lighthouse – as you do. Everyone laughed and said, I bet you haven’t done this before, and of course I had, for a kids’ programme, years before. I realised how surreal my life was then! You write everything from kids to adult i ction, as well as an array of non-i ction. What inspires you? I love writing. I think about who I’m writing for and I just do it. I’ve been inspired by the comments of a 12-year- old girl, my own son, or just bits of history that interest me. Different people and things
inspire me: that’s how it should be, I think, to keep it interesting. My latest book, Valentine Grey [which inspired Toksvig’s latest tour] was inspired by a plaque in a church. Here at The List there is a lot of love for your role in Radio 4’s The News Quiz. What’s been your favourite topic in recent years? Sarah Palin has been a total gift. A gift from the g continues to be an ongoing source of entertainment. You’ve been quoted as saying you don’t think of yourself as a comedian but rather a writer and broadcaster. Why? I don’t like the word comedian. There’s a suggestion you haven’t got anything intelligent or important to say. It suggests you have no point to make. But funny can say a lot. What can we expect from your Fringe show? There’ll be a lot of laughing and dancing, a questioning of why people write. There’s a history quiz, and by the end we’ll be on our feet listening to some lovely music. I hope people will go away smiling. ■ Sandi Toksvig Live: My Valentine, Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 17–23 Aug, 2pm, £14 (£13).
WATCH iT!
Tony Mills brings his multimedia dance odyssey about one man’s love/hate relationship with his TV to the Fringe As a resident of Edinburgh, and working in the performing arts, when the Fringe comes to town I like to get knee deep in activity. This year I i nd myself up to my neck as I present Watch iT!, produced by my own company, Room 2 Manoeuvre. I hope my body and brain will survive
the 23-show w gauntlet. Watch iT!
falls within the he relatively new w genre of hip hop dance theatre. TV has brought hip hop dance to the forefront recently. But there is a l ip side of this genre that goes beyond the routines and the excessively edited music, which aims to be more expressive. This is equally worth checking out. I could
be biased, but b this kind of t performance has p something for so everyone. There ev is dance, theatre, is d humour and some hum canny use of i lm can and animation. and Audiences can Aud connect with it on many levels. ■ Watch iT!, Zoo, 662 6892, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 1pm, £12.50 (£10). You can follow Mills’ daily blog at room2manoeuvre.blogspot.com
BOOKS Exciting times over at Charlotte Square Gardens: Thomas Heatherwick, the man who designed the Olympic cauldron for the London Olympics opening ceremony, will be appearing at the Edinburgh International Book Festival to talk about his extraordinary career as a designer and his new book Making, on Sat 25 Aug at 4.30pm. In other EIBF news, Julia Donaldson, the Children’s Laureate, has coni rmed a new event, following popular demand, on Sun 19 Aug at 10am. The show will feature an array of Donaldson’s famous characters, including the Highway Rat, the Singing Mermaid and possibly even the Gruffalo. Tickets for both are available at edbookfest.co.uk.
FRINGE Three huge cheers for the west coast Fringe Box Ofi ce, open for the i rst time this year at Glasgow Queen Street Station. Glasgow-based Fringe fans will be able to use the spot for ticket purchase and collection from 8am–8pm, daily, until Mon 27 Aug. Look out for it on the main concourse underneath the departure boards, next to left luggage. VISUAL ART The Summerhall programme continues to inspire and attract debate with their visual arts show OWWO (Only Women Women Only). The central concern of the display is (as the title suggests) women, and to take the notion a step further, curator Sarah Wilson is using exclusively female artists for an exclusively female audience, with only women being admitted to this particular exhibition. The show will display up to as many as 30 (all female) artists, including work from Joyce Gunncairns MBE, Swedish-born Edinburgh-based artist Jannica Honey, Liz Skulina and daughter Jill Skulina and more. The Church Gallery at Summerhall will also be housing live nude models and pole dancers. Viewers are invited to come and sketch the models alongside the artists. Check it out until 27 Aug, summerhall.co.uk/2012/owwo/
10 THE LIST 9–16 Aug 2012