What do we lose when we stop believing? Piskie, a new play from BoonDog Theatre written by Lucy Roslyn, asks us to suspend disbelief and enter a lecture on fear by Dr. Ouida Burt, Ph.D. UKCP. Dr. Burt, played by Roslyn, specialises in magical thinking and sleep disorders; her interest in which stems from the disappearance of her dad, a staunch believer in piskies (a Devonian word for pixies), and her childhood piskie Bert.
I was drawn in originally by the beautiful poster by Madison Coby, and found myself heading to Summerhall before lunch to catch the second day performance.
Sitting in Summerhall, watching Piskie, I was struck with the realisation that shows like this is what the Fringe is for. Piskie is a hauntingly beautiful work of art that vibrates with the passion and effort of its small team of creators. Piskie, a well-executed work of magical realism about blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, is so compelling that I found myself getting lost in the story and entering Roslyn’s world completely.
The set is minimal, but effective; as Ouida’s thoughts begin to derail, so do her prepared slides and her team’s control over the lighting. There are a few moments of interaction with the tech crew that help ground the production and remind the audience that we aren’t in Dartmoor with Ouida and her father, but instead watching a grown-up Ouida Burt confront all things that go bump in the night. The transition out of the lecture setting towards the end of the play could have been confusing, but is executed brilliantly by Roslyn and director Jamie Firth.
Lucy Roslyn is magnificent as Ouida Burt. She plays Ouida with a precision and sensitivity that has the entire audience on the edge of their seat. Piskie, to me, is a must see. What starts off as the most compelling psychology lecture I’ve ever attended morphs into a beautiful story of loss and belief, and by the last “Chin up Ouida lovely,” I was holding back tears. Piskie is a sprinkle of magic at this year’s fringe, and I am going to be thinking about this show for a long time.
Occasionally funny and moving throughout, Ouida Burt and her piskie can be found in the Cairns Lecture theatre, at 12:00 until 26 August.
Buy tickets here
Images Provided to The Student by Storytelling PR for press use