Shameless plug…
Æ Takes to the stage in BLANK
All Edinburgh Theatre is delighted to announce that editor Thom Dibdin will be putting his mouth where his pen normally goes and appearing in a show during the fringe.
The one-off performance – on Saturday 6 August at Summerhall – is of Nassim Soleimanpour’s latest play BLANK, for which Soleimanpour continues his formal experiment with form, and demands that the solo performer of the piece plays it sight unseen.
Although Dibdin is not widely known for his performance ability, there are those who will remember his appearances in cabaret and club as the hostess with the mostest, Ms Penny Pornstar, whose main object was to hand out the juicy fruit, flowers and a healthy dose of innuendo with her Non-Stop Erotic Strop.
This time, however, he is performing in mufti, saying that it is important that the script is the focus of the production – and besides he hasn’t got time to get into full drag.
There is, however, a serious side to the performance according to Dibdin.
“I believe that any theatre critic should be able to understand what it is like to be on stage with an audience waiting on their performance,” he said. “It is a unique feeling, which all performers know, but which not all critics are familiar with.
“If you can understand that, even if you do not have the faculties to memorise a whole script or ability to create a consistent character with all that entails, then you have a greater insight into other people’s performances and are, I think, a more understanding and complete critic for it.”
Steps into the unknown
BLANK follows on from Nassim Soleimanpour’s previous play White Rabbit Red Rabbit which Dibdin performed in 2014 and talks about here: Steps into the unknown
According to the publicity for BLANK: “In a joint effort between audience and performer, the gaps in the script are filled in to reveal a story that celebrates the human imagination.
“As formally inventive as it is engaging, Blank reverses the typical theatre experience: A script riddled with blanks leaves the audience in charge of how the story will unfold. The concept might be simple, the result is nothing short of empowering as a random audience member sees his or her future determined by the imagination of others.
“Known for plays without directors, sets and rehearsals, the acclaimed Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour takes it to new extremes. Each night Nassim’s play full of blanks is to be completed by a new performer before a live audience. The play becomes a story machine to share the life-story of the playwright, the performer and a random audience member.”
Thom Dibdin added that having criticised many, many performers in his years as a theatre critic, he welcomes the chance for others to judge him as he has judged them.
Listing
BLANK
Summerhall (Venue 26), 1 Summerhall EH9 1PL
Friday 5 – Sunday 28 August 2016 (not Mon 22). Daily, 6.30pm.
Thom Dibdin is performing on Satuday 6 August.
Details and tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/blank
Blank on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1776491825921286/
Nassim Soleimanpour on Twitter: @soleimanpour
ENDS
