Illich Sketch Show @ Pilot 4 during Edinburgh Fringe

So the Illich Sketch Show was performed live for the first time in the history of the world, ever, ever last night at the Flatrate event, Pilot 4.

Euan Sinclair had this to say on the matter:
"Our first live show was every bit as chaotic as you'd imagine, but Illich went down well with that Edinburger lot. And we performed a new sketch - written three days' previous - that we intend to inflict upon YOU!! ILLICH Hath Spoken."


My brother Jono drove us down from Glasgow and kicked around, even made a cameo appearance as Illich character Mad Dog MacGraw and friends Finn Townsley, Adrianna Polito, and others turned out to support. Yay.

The 10th installment of Illich will be up on youtube shortly. Exciting stuff.

Some Fringe Reviews

The Kist *****
Fresher The Musical *****
Actions **** written with Rebecca Paul
Linn Lorkin - Hey Piano Bar Lady ****
Apply Within ***
Spring Awakening ***
Sunday in the Park with George ***
Into The Woods **

Immaculate by Oliver Lansley (Rekindle Theatre) Review

Mia (Amiera Darwish) is pregnant, to the best of her memory hasn’t slept with anyone in six months, and now the Arch Angel Gabriel is knocking on her door claiming her unborn child as the second coming. As though the shock of finding out that she has quite possibly been nonced by the big man isn’t enough: Satan also appears to claim her babe as the anti-Christ, her ex is hanging about the house calling her a whore, her best friend has a guilty conscience and a confession to make, and worst of all she’s slept with the biggest geek in the world: Gary Goodman.

Rekindle Theatre breathe new life into Oliver Lansley’s 2006 piece (originally premiered at the Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh) with a stand out performance by Laurie Brown as a campish Gabriel harbouring a temper, constantly finding himself on the defensive as he God’s apologist, at one point even getting chased around the room by a whip-brandishing Mia in a dominatrix outfit. Samuel Keefe and Simon Donaldson also pull out skilled contrasting performances as Gary Goodman and Lucifer respectively.

The kinetics of the piece flow excellently (director Bill Wright’s credit) creating a vivid atmosphere, characters sometimes miming in the background of scenes, at others unceremoniously shunted aside to watch agape by the more dauntless. Tastefully selected music fortifies key moments and we’re even treated to some lively choreography as the cast buffoonishly “show us what they got” to Destiny’s Child’s Bootlicious, one of many hilarious scenes. Another favourite is Rebecca (Saria Steyl) gushing out her narcissistic concern that her own dishonesty will lead inescapably to the loss of her best friend, Mia, and her new boyfriend, Michael, all in one fell swoop.

It’s not a perfect rendering. There are some awkward character dynamics, for example the relationship between Mia and her ex Michael, is more mother-to-spoilt-child than lover-to-ex-lover so any unresolved chemistry between them is hard to imagine, although they sink into it more as the play progresses. There is also a degree of overplaying, which could alternatively be countenanced as intrinsic to absurd nature of the melodrama depending on one’s taste for realism. The spirit of some cut scenes, in which the cast verse narrations in ominous unison while wearing spooky masks, takes some time to develop. At first we’re not sure whether it’s meant to be funny or serious (if funny: not demonstratively enough, if serious: downright cheesy) but the form soon establishes itself and grows on us.

Overall the production is extremely enjoyable and well received.

Illich - The High Brow Sketch Show (Episode 9) Featuring Osho and Anthony deMello

oh yes, what's that old turn of phrase? destroy your heroes?

Performed by Illich, recorded and engineered by Jono at the Soular Power Suite

Working Class Aesthetics – the Pitmen Painters

The Glasgow Theatre Royal has the privilege of hosting Live Theatre Newcastle and The National Theatre in a production of Pitmen Painters, written by Lee Hall, featuring much of the original 2007 cast. The play centres around The Ashington Group, a society largely composed of miners who, under the Workers Educational Association, turned their eyes to art appreciation after seven years of evening classes in other subjects, and got hooked.

Inherently political, but spiced with eager witticisms which temper and dissolve any air of the soap-box, the play explores the relationship between art and class. Not only the idea that pursuit of art is the preserve of the rich, but also that one need to speak a “certain language” in order to enter into a dialogue on culture. The characters are vivid, each providing an opportunity to approach the aesthetic questions raised by the plot from their own points of view which develop into maturity as they, themselves progress.

The integration of the great questions of the philosophy of art is a great success. The Pitmen Painters are used to non-arbitrary answers, hard facts, and are rather disappointed at first when their tutor informs them that those are few when it comes to art. Struggling with the tensions between the abstract and concrete, the significance of feelings, and meaning as internal to the observer, they are entreated to being painting that they may understand from the inside. In doing for themselves they find great fulfilment, understanding, transcendence of their class – in being their own bosses, and a deep appreciation of what makes art and the meaning of being an artist.

The play takes an unexpected yet welcome turn from the critical to the sentimental in the second act. The spirit of the play is allowed to evolve. Having dealt with the outer dilemmas of philosophical inquiry, our attention turns to dilemmas most inner, self-identity and affiliation.

                Raucous sound effects mark scene changes rather intrusively, abd sadly things take a turn for the worse just before the end. The tangible drama of the penultimate scene is cut short and trivialised by a burst of loud music which plays over the stage dress into a final scene which heartbreakingly fails to coalesce into a satisfactory resolution. Jimmy Floyd’s politicised speach on the Pitman Painters creating and appreciating art in tribute to all the other working class people who cannot, falls short of delivering a warming conclusion that we may carry with us out of the auditorium. We feel suddenly harkened back to the spirit of the first act through trodden ground to an anti-climax.

Nonetheless, the production of a play so deeply involved in philosophy which remains so consistently insightful and entertaining at the same time, is no mean feat. The Pitmen Painters is a jewel of theatre: inspiring to the art-lover, animating to the philosopher, enlivening to the humanist, and beyond that charming to witness.



See another good review of Pitman Painters by Rachel Cooke of the Guaridan here

Scottish Government's new policy on tackling knife crime is an idiotic waste of money.

The Scottish Government's new policy specifies that anyone carrying a knife will automatically go to jail for 1-4 years:
1) This does not address social factors that create knife crime.
2) This insane policy will cost £40,000+ per offender, per year (up to £160,000)
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/28/justice.prisonsandprobation)
For that kind of money they could be tackling the social factors that create the conditions for knife crime.
3) This will put impressionable youngsters behind bars where they will be exposed to the company of hardened violent criminals to learn bad habits and make contacts before going back out into society. It will not work to rehabilitate the offenders at all.
4) Jail is not a deterrant to knife crime (http://www.channel4.com/news/a​uthorities-not-doing-enough-to​-prevent-more-knife-deaths)
5) This is knee jerk posturing which no one will oppose because the don't want to look soft on crime. The policy is intellectually bankrupt and creates more problems than it solves.

I emailed my MSP for all the good it will do,
You can do the same: www.writetothem.com

Pilot 3 (a Flatrate production)

I had the pleasure of appearing as Ben E. Sharpe (one of our reoccuring characters on the Illich Sketch Show) at Pilot, "An Open-Mic Night. But loads of them. All at once. All mixed up into a lovely Podcast and available to download from the internet." It was arranged by Flatrate and hosted at the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Sauchihall Street, Glasgow.

CHECK OUT THEIR PREVIOUS PODCASTS HERE

It was really fun basically I was to make improvised business consultations in character with anyone who fancied ceasing the opporuntiy (my friends Finn, Suzy and Randolph who came along had a shot), there were some really funny unexpected moments. Links to the podcast will go up when the news comes through, and some of the extra material will be used on the Illich youtube channel which is really cool.

There were some really great comic acts there including Chloe Philip (stories of funny experiences in the states, shoplifting and institutionalised racism) Martin Bearne (an extended list of punchlines) Geoff Gawler (whom I shared an enjoyable a highly amusing improvised interview with where he posed some left of field questions as an ABC Austrailia reporter) Eleanor Morton (ukulele-driven musical comedy.)

The next Pilot will be held on the 14th of August at as part of the Edinburgh Fringe.
Colin Chaloner of Flatrate also proposed that Illich is reprisented at this event which is really flattering, so we will definately be looking into preparing something for it.

Now, back to Blade Runner.