A cursed army, two twisted lovers, a mighty hero, and a magnificent bull set in motion a terrible war which shapes the landscape and defines the heroic age of Ireland... In this modern retelling of Ireland's most ancient and beloved myth, Youn…
A cursed army, two twisted lovers, a mighty hero, and a magnificent bull set in motion a terrible war which shapes the landscape and defines the heroic age of Ireland... In this modern retelling of Ireland's most ancient and beloved myth, Young Edinburgh Storytellers Mark Borthwick and David Hughes weave together music and myth, blood and laughter, gender and magic, to explore the dark delights of the Táin Bó Cúailnge. An intimate performance of traditional storytelling with music, this show explores how our internal wilderness is just as powerful today as when the ancient stories were written.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
Our show this year is called Táin - it's a retelling of the Irish Epic Táin Bó Cúailnge, where Medb, powerful Queen of Connaught who covets a rival clan's prize bull, tricks the legendary warriors and star-crossed lovers Ferdiad and Cú Chulainn to fight one another in lethal combat. We're performing it in a black box, aiming to be experimental with the medium of storytelling - combining electronic and traditional music, and projecting shadows as set.
Tell us about the creative team and the process involved?
We're the Young Edinburgh Storytellers - this is our third show together. The process has been really interesting. Unlike our other shows, which have been traditional tales stretched out to an hour to better understand and take seriously their complexities, the Táin is usually told over a whole winter. So it's been a process of condensing, simplifying, and looking for the quintessential essence of the myth. So it's the opposite of what we're used to!
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
Good; trepidacious. Our show last year, Land Under Wave, won awards and got five stars from several major reviewers, so it feels like we have a lot to prove this year. We're also performing a short run of Land Under Wave this Fringe, so we want to hold both shows at once, and feel like they're both good, and both of comparable high quality.
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
There isn't much storytelling, and there are even less fully scored storytelling shows. Storytelling isn't like acting - you're not someone else on stage, you're yourself, and the rapport with the audience is real. So there's an energizing tension there, between the conviviality and trust of the intimate storytelling space, paired with the dark richness of the material we're dealing with.
Is there anything specific you're hoping the audience will take away?
We want people to know and love the Táin. It's such a brilliant piece of literature. It's our Iliad. But, because of the dreary translations and daunting length of it, a lot of people haven't heard it. We want people to come away more in touch with their own culture.
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who's watching? Or more importantly – who isn't there…
The ideal audience are those who want to push the limits of traditional storytelling, to take it to a darker place. We also welcome wealthy widows who are looking for adequate husbands to take over their dower estates.
It's an intense month, so where you're able, how do you plan to relax, and are there any other shows you intend to see or want to recommend?
I usually relax by going to the Midnight Cabaret at Voodoo Rooms. There's something about Mortimer Moonbender that I find quite soothing.
In your ideal world, how can we improve the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
I think it's hard to analyze the fringe without analyzing money. This will be my 15th Fringe. I think the bus at Potterow has some of the best fringe content as I remember it from the old days. A space so cheap it's basically free, where people can experiment and you can see some genuinely brilliant stuff from the fringes of theatre. Storyteller Martin Shaw says that when society is sick the medicine always comes from the edges. We need to make room for more material from the edges (fringes, you might say) of society - and if that means a few Oxbrige acapella groups miss out, I think that's probably for the best. We're only able to do these shows because we live in the city, and have connections with venues who give us an equitable cut. We were the best-selling show in our venue last year, and we just made enough to cover our rent for the month. The Fringe is a labour of love, and I want to invite more people, especially more working-class people, to take part in it. And that needs a re-thinking of the economics. It seems like everyone is making money hand over fist at the festival, apart from the ones who are actually making the shows happen!
Interested in being featured on our Have a Gander page? With many previews and Q&As lined up, we're always happy to chat about including your show in future articles. Please do get in touch through the contact page to feature in an upcoming 'Have A Gander'
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