FESTIVAL NOTICEBOARD
LET IT BE
Les Enfants Terribles’ Oli Lansley reveals an exciting opportunity for those looking to fund an original Fringe work
‘This year is our eleventh consecutive festival and we have a brand new show premiering in Pleasance Two, The Trench, set during the i rst world war, full of puppets, live music and oodles of dark gothic imagery. But there’s another show we’re excited about: Magpie Theatre’s The Boy with the Cuckoo Clock Heart at Pleasance – as they were the winners of our inaugural Les Enfants Terribles Award last year.
We announced the award at 2011’s festival. It came from the fact that ten years ago I set up Les Enfants Terribles with no money, no connections and no idea what I was doing. All I had was a burning desire to make interesting and exciting theatre and an excellent team of people around me who felt the same. All I needed was a little bit of money, a little bit of advice and somewhere to put on a show – so this is what we set out to provide. Our award includes: a cash injection of £1000; a guaranteed slot at the Pleasance; and valuable mentoring from Les Enfants Terribles Theatre Co.
We want to encourage an
entrepreneurial attitude amongst young companies, empowering them to i nd innovative ways of creating exciting and original work and help them showcase it at the Edinburgh Fringe. If you are feeling inspired be sure you apply to this year’s award and maybe we’ll see you at the Fringe in 2013.’ ■ For more details email award@lesenfantsterribles.co.uk or visit the website: lesenfantsterribles.co.uk
10 THE LIST 16–23 Aug 2012
The stupidity of crowds Gareth Richards does the math and takes a risk
‘I n her excellent book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking, Susan Cain describes an experiment that shows the dangers of being around other people. 32 volunteers were asked questions about some 3D shapes. When they answered the questions by themselves, they got them right 86% of the time. When they were placed in a group of people all coni dently getting the answer wrong, they only got the question right 59% of the time. Being around people getting it wrong made them more likely to get it wrong.
As a comedian, all this suggests to me a terrifying question: what if the audience is getting it wrong? How can we guard against mistaken audience responses?
The answer is for each of us to make sure our responses are our own and not merely what we feel is expected of us. When you’re at the Edinburgh Festival, you might come to one of my shows when there’s
a buzz before it even starts, when the audience decides to make me their king for the hour, when there is love in the room, or you might come to a quiet one, when people seem bewildered to be there, when it feels like a waiting room, where it seems like there must have been some terrible mistake. Whichever one you come to (and yes, you’re coming, you are going to come), don’t let those around you decide whether you enjoy the show. They could all be wrong. Decide for yourself.
I understand this may go against me, if you come to a good one and decide it’s rubbish, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take. The sound of a person in the dark, against all the odds, irrespective of anyone else, laughing because they found you funny is heroic, and is the greatest sound of the Fringe.’
Gareth Richards: Introvert: Never Been to Disneyland, Pleasance, 0131 556 6550, until 27 Aug, 9.30pm.
FESTIVAL FACT
THE NUMBER OF VISITORS ATTRACTED TO EDINBURGH FOR THE FESTIVALS IN AUGUST IS ROUGHLY EQUAL TO THE SETTLED POPULATION OF THE CITY.