On the Streets of the Edinburgh Fringe 09

This is the theatre orgie of the century....a glut even for me, which way to turn so many choices, excited one minute, disapointed the next, like heat seeking missle to the hot shows....follow my nose, ears and the Scotsmans Reviews and anyone I can talk to to give me a recomendation. Ran into a woman from the British council, that was fortuitous...her suggestions are gold!

 

 

 

One of the best shows I saw in Edinburgh was by Kirsten Fredrickson- Everything Must Go. She and her Dad were working together on the show for Edinburgh Fringe. He died of pancreatic cancer two months before the show was to open. He is still in the show in film and in Kirsten and in a life size puppet. This photo show's her Dad in a red wig and lipstick that she dresses him in at the end of the play.

 

August 12th Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Haggis,blood pudding and kippers on the buffet breakfast....yikes, nearly lost my apetite. There are over 2,000 people staying in the Edinburgh University residences where I am staying for 9 nights, and everyone goes for breakfast buffet, mob scene...eggs and bacon and awful saussages abound. Luckily there is a fruit and yogart bar.
The first show I saw Monday 10th was a weird "too close to naked people covered in food" fringe experience, the performers were tallented, full of energy and passion but the material was a nightmare..."brother and sister food fight show" I will call it...he ended up naked and covered in ketchup and mayo and uncooked rice....easy to lose your appetite in Scotland.
Second day Tuesday 11th, I saw three very good shows. Beginning with "Girls of Slender Means",Assembly on George St., a very professional production of a Muriel Spark book, with excellent performances. The woman who sat beside me in the front row Judy, said she has come to the fringe every year for 15 years, and loves it.

Second show "Everything Must go" or "the Voluntary Attempt to Overcome Unnecessary Obstacles" pg 114 program, (was my cup of tea).... by Kristin Fredricksson, Beady Eye productions BDI. Kristin is a skilled physical performer, lit from within, her eyes sparkle with the love she has for her Dad. A brilliant show, moving and funny.
The play is about her Dad, who was making the show with her when he passed away June 2 2009 from Pancriatic Cancer. A colorful man who liked to dress up and try on different characters and wigs. The actress is very fit, beginning the show begining the show bouncing on a small trampoline in her royal blue school gym uniform. She made good use of her props, a small 7 inch puppet of her Dad, a tiny green house, cardboard cut outs of her Dad, two hurdles that she jumps over (he was a hurdler), and a life size puppet of her Dad....so he is there in every way, on film and mostly in the actresses performance of him..she looks just like him as a young man.
He was fruggle,(reminding me of my own Dad and Brother), saving water anyway he could, collecting it from the local school, saving his daughters bath water to flush the toilets...taking home all the flowers the florist was discarding to decorate the back yard...she unrolls a carpet of photographs from this floral display and then real film footage of her father dancing with her on this set comes on...it's gorgeous and they dance off together.
I predict great things for this show and the performer!(British Arts Council was in attendance.)
Have three more show planned for today....Sururrus, Orphans and The Hotel....

Third show of the day, I saw "Tom Addams: Dropped as a Child", at the Royal Mile Tavern...and as he promised in his flyer, he doesn't let you down! Singing his original songs in a tiny venue at the back of the pub. He is an extremely likeable fellow, with a great voice and relaxed stage presence and makes you feel like you know him already...turns out we did meet on the 2006 fringe circuit in Canada, (he remembers my Stripes poster on the front of my journal. He sings a song of appology to his mother for being such a big baby....16 lbs..The Song of Incontinence! Then comes a Speed Dating song, A bit of a "too gay straight experience", a Lament for Phone Boxes, closing with a "Vomit and Wee" song in which everyone sings along with the chorus. All the while engaging the audience with his friendly banter and deftly dealing with a 2 year old child at the performance.

August 10. 2009 Monday

August 10. 2009 Monday
I made it to Scara Brae, Circle of Broder, St Mangus Church in Kirkwall (see video) all before getting on the 4:20 ferry to Westray.

4 days later.. I’m just leaving Westray…I wept when I arrived and wept as I was leaving Westray. The Island is a warm place that enfold me in its firmly woven community. Where everyone waves from behind their steering wheels to acknowledge each other as they drive by. From the moment the ferry docked I was warmly greeted by Jock and James, two bachelor brothers who had heard Jim was having a visitor and were on the look out for me. They jumped in my car and asked me if I could drive them up the gang plank to their Land Rover, and after several attempt to interpret what they were trying to say….thick Orkney accents need to be heard at least three times before I could understand what the were saying. One brother James held my hand for quite awhile, telling me I was very welcome. They said I could follow them to Jim's place…it was a great indication the close knit community and I felt immediately “at home”.
Gentle, rolling hills, miles of farm land with cattle and sheep, gorgeous sandy beeches and castles, hundreds of ancient stone crofts falling apart by the road side in a romantic tumble of decay and sturdiness.
Jim sits at his kitchen table, with the bare light bulb, just like he did back in Vancouver, his mail and business affairs and vitamin regime all organized on the table. I was relieved to see him looking much as he had 5 years ago. He’s 94 now and his older brothers and sisters have gone. He’s the last of his family. A nephew William, another career bachelor, (I heard there are 100 bachelors on the island) runs the farm now. Their farm is now 300 acres of cattle land which has grown from the 67.5 their family began with. Lochend, the name of Jim's farm. All farms have a name instead of a numbered address, which makes places hard to find as most of the place names are not on the houses. Jim has a book with all the houses and history of each place and family and name of the house, that’s the best way to find anything on Westray. Jim says this can be my second home now. “Plenty of room” he says, “tell your brother and friends to come and stay”, “I need company” says Jim. Jim and his brother built the new 5 bedroom house in the 50’s.
Jim has several village women caregivers that look after him, they come at 8am, 12noon and Alyson from the Pierowall Hotel, brings him up his supper and gives his back a wash if he need it. She makes the best fish and chips in Westray and brings us both dinner while I am visiting. Last night, I had a big blue lobster (13 lbs) from Crostie’s Lobster Ponds and periwinkles, unbelievable fresh and delicious.
Had an afternoon Van tour with Westraak, Kathy and her kind husband who run the Half Yok café. We (all four of us) went up to the Lighthouse at Noup Head, perched high atop the cliffs, where the bird life is astonishing, Kittywakes, Ganets, Squeers all nesting in the ridges of the rock face. Then to an archeological dig site near my favourite beech, where I think they will find an ancient stone village even bigger that Skara Brae.
Jock visits Jim every day at 6 to water his plants, the tomatoes in the front porch and the pear tree in the green house in the back garden and do any small chores Jim may need done. Jim has a walker and can still get from his electric Easy boy chair to the table, bathroom and his bedroom down the hall, but that’s it these days, no leaving the house. He dreams of striking it rich (through some mail scheme) so he can have a big staff, a secretary and a motor home equipped with a nurse so he can see the county and have his freedom.
Found two kittens in Jim's yard, of course I started leaving food for them. I asked Jock to keep it up, he said he would.
Visited Jock and his brother yesterday to have my Nun photos taken, Jock is so shy, taking a photo was a big deal for him and he was scared to make a mistake. We took the Nun photos by a tumbled down stone cottage with a blue door that he owns next door to Dogtoo, the name of his cottage. Jock come from a family of 13 children, his sister Kitty, fell of the cliff when she was 18 and a few others have passed away or moved away.

I finally sang for Jim last night, didn’t know if I’d get to it as he seemed to need to talk more than listen. Started with “That’s the Glory of Love” and then did “Strip Tease of the Soul” and “Halloween”, and a bit of Pollyhymnia…when ever I’d start speaking lines they seemed to think I was just speaking, so they could speak too….so I stopped that and listened.
I was really glad I sang to Jim. He was pleased to have a little song and dance in his kitchen. He said “it’s so human, your songs. You just don’t know what to expect, you’ve got something there. You fit in so easily here.”

Stripes: The YouTube Video

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Aug. 5th 2009 11:50am
Drove to Richmond to park my car at my friend James’ Mom’s house…secretly needing a Mom to send me off! And Judy did so in a loving fashion, recognizing this need in everyone to have someone wave them off, and wish them well.

OK, so I’m checking in on time at the Air transit desk, bound for Glasgow…and my cabin luggage is heavier than the 5 kg’s …(oops I thought it was 10kg)…so I had to pay $20 a lb for $80 for 4 lbs. Always check weight limits!!!

I think I should start this World Tour Blog by saying that it is mostly my costumes and show suitcase that cause the extra baggage costs, a Nun head can be a heavy item.

First stop Glasgow, then up to the Orkney Islands.

I am excited to visit my friend Jim Logie, my old neighbour from Homer St, who in his late ninties, returned to the 5 bedroom stone Farmhouse Lochend, where he was born to live out his days with his older brothers and sisters. His daughter Wendy has been emailing me (I will include some of her email,) directions and important information about arriving in Kirkwall on the Orkney’s. Once in Kirkwall I rent a car (try to fit in a visit to Skara Brae) and then drive onto a ferry for a hour and a half, that will take me to Jim’s home on Westray Island.

The following are some of Wendy’s emails….

“Hi Sarah
When you are in Kirkwall the Kirkwall Hotel is a good place for lunch and is situated down by the harbour where you get your ferry, it's a bit old fashioned but the food is good and it is where the locals eat, there are lots of other places including Trenabies coffee shop in the main street (Albert St) so I am sure you will find something that will be O.K.
When you get off the ferry on Westray just follow the road to the village of Pierowall, this is one long straight road about 5 or 6 miles long (most of the other cars will be going in the same direction)you will pass a turn on the right hand side for Cleaton House Hotel, carry on past this and also the big church on the same side until you get to the village, you will pass a small shop on your left hand side called Hume Sweet Hume, carry on past this and also pass the Pierwall Hotel until you come to the School (also on the left,) turn up to the left pass the school ( I think the sign post says Noup Head) go to the top of the hill and then turn left pass a house on your left and a bit further on a farmhouse on your right until you get to the top of a long narrow road with a farm at the bottom (left hand side)this is Lochend!! if you get lost knock on any door or ask anyone for Lochend and they will head you in the right direction.
Have a great stay
Love
Wendy x

P.S The Pierowall Hotel do good take out or eat in food especially fish and chips!"

“Hi Sarah
The road to Stromness is never really busy as it is very rural and not too many tourists about, we were there in June and it was very easy to get about. The weather in Orkney is a bit colder that the rest of the U.K so take some warm clothes and a waterproof jacket of some kind, some good walking boots or shoes are also a good idea, the house is very warm and the beds have electric blankets also lots of hot water for showers.I spoke to my Dad last night and he said to tell you that any shopping you need to get on Westray you can go to either of the local shops and charge it to Lochend, but you may still want to get a few things in Kirkwall if you have time.
I'm sure you will love Westray, there are so many things to see including Noltland Castle ( you get the key to the castle from the farm across the road )and Noup Head lighthouse, but the Orkney guides tell you all the best things to see, the Cross Kirk Medieval Parish Church is one of my favourites, you can drive part of the way and then walk the rest, it's a bit of a trek but well worth it.
Have a great time
Love Wendy x”


Allan Grey says I must see Scara Brae, an ancient Stone Age village, predating the pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge. It has survived over 5,000 years.

Joy Coghill, who I bumped into at the most excellent Uta Lemper concert at “the Center”, downtown Vancouver…says “It’s very thin over there. Try to get to Iona.” Meaning the link between the visible and invisible is thin. I have been to Findhorn (The spiritual -gardening community in the North of Scotland) so I have heard about the fairies and garden spirits….but on Westray Island there is a Fairy museum, “Orkney Fairie Museum and Gallery, where a converted old crofthouse show cases Orcadian folklore and legend with tales of faeries, wee folk, trows and mermaids”. This will definitely be part of my research as an intern of the intangible!

More overweight luggage charges in Glasgow 20 lbs for an extra bag…Small plane about 20 seats to Kirkwall. Rented car, standard only and got used to quickly figuring out about driving on the left! Drive to Scara Brae.

“On the road to Skara Brae where the mermaid fishes play and the sun comes up on Westray and blue lobsters in the bay.” I’m humming this melange of Kipplings poem as I drive along on the wrong side of the road.