A piece of new writing, A Working Title, illustrates the mental chaos of trying to produce original thought under a creeping deadline. While a little rough around the edges in their opening show, with some technical difficulties and a rather large mayonnaise spillage, I am sure that this piece will only get better and better with some time and adjustment to the venue.
Combining sibling rivalry with writer’s block makes this performance equivalent to having too many tabs open on a computer – a fractured and tumultuous insight into the creative process. Elements of the metatheatrical are brought in by the central character as he brainstorms what can and can’t be made into a film, and what it really is that people want to see. From underwater aliens to a contemporary dance show about the environment, he can’t seem to strike upon what would be desired by an audience, succumbing to the only natural conclusion that ‘art is dead’.
However, upon closer examination he comes to the realisation that people want to see real life and be drawn into the experiences of real people and not the absurd. As such, at the close of the play he seemingly writes a screenplay about the screenwriter, himself, and the reasons behind the troubled sibling tensions that are noted throughout.
By merging theatre with the art of film making, this hybrid piece manages to capture the turbulent reality of creating art that people will want to consume. With some teething troubles resolved and the behind-the-scenes tech officially grasped, this show will be a hilarious hour of light relief comedy with a more pervasive message lingering underneath waiting to be grasped.
A Working Title is on at theSpace @ Niddry Street – Studio at 2:10pm from 15 til 19 August; and then at theSpace on the Mile – Space 2 at 7:15pm from 21 til 27 August. Tickets are available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on#q=%22A%20Working%20Title%22.
Image provided to The Student as press material.