Fringe 24 @ The Etcetera Theatre Review

The process of putting a production together is a complicated and often arduous process. However 24 Hour Plays decides to make proceedings even more difficult by giving themselves only twenty-four hours to put a show together. As the Prologue tells us, the actors come together with only themselves, no pre conceived ideas of what they want to create. It is not surprising then that this show becomes centred around the actors’ own experiences and issues.

Fringe 24

The show consists of several vignettes, mostly monologues about a personal experience, with group motifs linking them together. The actors have devised a script over the 24 hours which they often read from. This detaches the audience from the emotional issues they are dealing with. On the whole the text they have written is very engaging but the actors could be more free with it, engaging the audience more even if they didn’t have the time to learn it fully. Moments which don’t involve the script, such as the clowning and improvisation, allow the audience to be more involved as the performers seem more at ease with what they are doing.

The piece tackles big issues such as body image, fear of death and expectations of parents. Covering so much gives the audience a lot to invest in and connect with personally. One moment which works well is a girl trying to practice yoga while the other performers stick her thoughts in sticky notes onto her. More visual moments like this to support their ideas would improve the production.

As a creative feat, making an hour long show in just twenty four hours, this is very impressive. However a greater focus on engaging the audience would improve the production. 3/5

Review written by Lucy Bishop.

Fringe-24 was shown at the Etcetera Theatre on Saturday 4th April. For more information on the project, follow the group on twitter here…

Written by Theatrefullstop