Edfest Day 1 - Rubbing shoulders with theatre royalty, literally

Yep, that's right, last night I literally rubbed shoulders with renowned theatre critic Lyn Gardner as she rushed passed. By the time I knew it was her, she was already a tiny dot scuttling off in the distance. I imagine some of that journalistic prowess of hers rubbed off with it.

Perhaps not...

This morning I attended Just the Tonic's Press Launch feeling a bit of a fraud. I got emailed the invite so thought "why the hell not". I'll tell you why the hell not... Because all the others were from newspapers and magazines, not a publicly contributed-to website. 

I say "all the others" but there weren't that many -just a couple of local journalists, much to the disappointment of the venue. After being coaxed down to the front, I may as well have had a flashing sign saying "pick me, pick me"

... And they did. From now on will not be leaving my coat on the empty chair next to me. If you're wondering why not, I'm sure you can catch up with the programme on BBC Arts. Yup, it was being broadcast. 

Once again I'm at Pleasance Dome, charging my phone and using the wifi. I've just seen a lovely show here called "The Girl Who Fell in Love with the Moon" by the Human Zoo Theatre Company. A couple of fairy-tale type stories fixated around the theme of the sky. Fabulous use of props and physicality, and the ending, quite surprisingly, gave me a tingle up the spine. Considering writing up a fuller review later. 

Late Night Update:

Saw a show earlier this evening that got me thinking a lot, particularly given the circumstances I find myself in at the moment having left a low paid job with an uncertain future to pursue other, long held goals. The show was called "Down and Out in Paris and London" inspired by the memoir of George Orwell with a comparative narrative of modern day poverty. It's something I'm aware of but didn't really know about till I saw this. The poor find themselves trapped in a vicious circle of invisibility, unable to break free. This seems like an important show. Yes, a little preachy and exponential at times, but perhaps that was needed to make sure the message really hit home.

Also, I think Lyn Gardner must be stalking me. From her tweets, it seems she was also at this show this evening.