MONDAY 17 JUNE 2019 THREEWEEKS EDINBURGH | THISWEEK LONDON
WELCOME BACK TO THE TW WEEKLY - the weekly bulletin from ThreeWeeks Edinburgh and ThisWeek London, landing in your inbox each Monday.
MICHELLE BRASIER & LAURA FREW: DOUBLE DENIM ADVENTURE SHOW
Michelle Brasier and Laura Frew first performed at the Fringe as part of the comedy group Backwards Anorak, before returning in 2017 as a double act in their first acclaimed outing as Double Denim. They've now staged three Double Denim shows back home in Australia and present the second of that trilogy - 'Adventure Show' - at Underbelly this August

I caught up with both of them to find about more about the shows, their Edinburgh Festival highs and lows, and how the comedy festivals in Australia compare to the big old Edinburgh Fringe. Read the interview here.

'Double Denim: Adventure Show' is on at Edinburgh Festival 2019 at Underbelly Cowgate from 1-25 Aug. Info here.
ThreeWeeks Co-Editor Caro Moses recommends shows to see at this year's Edinburgh Festival, presented in handy sets of three.


SHOWS WITH ANIMAL THEMES>>

Lucille And Cecilia | Assembly Rooms | 1-24 Aug (pictured)
I love sea lions. I love them so much that they make me feel all squishy in my insides. And what, you may well be wondering, does that have to do with this show...? Well, everything, actually: it's about two sea lions who perform in a circus, one of whom is desperate to escape, the other of which quite enjoys the attentions of their captor. This sounds like it will prove to be a funny and fabulous physical theatre piece, and yes, as established, I love sea lions, so it's definitely going on the list. And yes, I know they're not really sea lions. Listing here.

Like Animals | Summerhall | 31 Jul-25 Aug 
"A parrot says 'I love you'. A dolphin tries to speak. A woman spends a lifetime trying to understand". Another animal inspired show for you (hardly surprising, given it's, um, the theme of this Three To See section) and this time the focus is on love and communication in human relationships, inspired by true stories of animal language experiments and performed by an actual real life couple. Promises to be a blend of surreal comedy with moments of tenderness and vulnerability. Listing here.

Ex-Batts and Broilers | Assembly Rooms | 13-24 Aug 
And so to our final animal show, a piece about chickens, told via clowning, dark comedy, storytelling and live music, exploring female friendship and industrial meat farming. "Gail and Gemma are two delightful chickens in a cage, discovering life as it comes. Join them on a touching, eggciting and cut-throat journey through friendship and chickenhood. Heroically saved by Jimmy from battery and broiler farms, watch them compete for your affections, and decide on your favourite to vote out of the cage to pastures new!" Hurrah! Listing here.
KARENA JOHNSON: CHASING RAINBOWS
Opening at Hoxton Hall this week is a fascinating sounding piece with a compelling dramatic narrative and physical aerial theatre element. 'Chasing Rainbows', written by Oneness Sankara, deals with the challenges of expectations, chasing your dreams and the cost of being a role model through the experiences of a female astronaut.

Hoxton Hall's AD and CEO Karena Johnson commissioned and directs the piece. I arranged a quick chat to find out more. Read the interview here.

Chasing Rainbows will be performed at Hoxton Hall from 25 Jun-20 Jul. Find more information and book online right about here.


THREE FESTIVAL EVENTS>>

Refugee Week Festival | WeWork Devonshire Square | 18-21 Jun
A week of events organised by WeWork in celebration of World Refugee Week, and open to both members and non-members of WeWork. Events include an outdoor screening of award winning film 'Capernaum', the proceeds of which will go to UNHCR, live music, a cooking class with refugee chef Noor, and a photography exhibition featuring the work of five Syrian photographers. For information on all the events and to book tickets for the bookable ones, head right this way...

Westway Solstice | Maxilla Gardens | 21-23 Jun (pictured)
"'Westway Solstice' is a performance work created in response to the ground we stand on, the people who live on it, and the lives that live with us". brian solomon//ELECTRIC MOOSE is an Anishinaabe dance artist from Canada, who, with collaborator Mariana Medellin has created this piece featuring a large, mixed cast of community members in North Kensington as part of Border Crossings' Origins Festival of work from global First Nations communities. More info here.

Crave Festival | Camden People's Theatre | 18-19 Jun
A short festival over at CPT, organised by students of the BA Performance Arts at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama), and featuring some really interesting sounding stuff by international emerging artists to include: a DIY dinosaur making workshop, a digital performance exploring "materiality of the body", an immersive feast, a short film commenting on the circular void of life and an installation about disappointment. For all the details, head over to this page here.


THREE SHORT RUNS>>

Ticker | The Bunker | 24 Jun+1 Jul (pictured)
"'Ticker' follows twenty-something Spencer, a Geordie millennial who is deeply in love with the inestimable Gabi. But Spencer's life is torn apart by Gabi's untimely - and unexplained - death. How can he even begin to cope with finding himself suddenly a prime suspect and a chief mourner?" A darkly funny exploration of male identity, toxic aggression, and the consequences of not talking about stuff, courtesy of the very talented Tom Machell, who we've loved for a while, largely on account of his work as one of TW fave zazU. Info here.

Field, Awakening | Finborough Theatre | 20 Jun
This one could have gone in the festival tips section but of course that would have made it Four To See and that would not have done at all. It's part of the venue's previously mentioned Vibrant 2019 and it's by Melis Aker. "After ten years of self-imposed estrangement from her country, Turkey, Rana reunites with three of her old friends on a soccer field in Istanbul on 15 July 2016 (the eve of the attempted coup d'etat in Turkey), only to realise what it was that really drove them apart". More info here (scroll down).

Everything Not Saved | New Diorama Theatre | 24 Jun
Actually, this one could also have gone in the Festival tips section, but then that would have been Five To See and that would have gone well beyond the pale. This one's part of New Diorama's Incoming Festival, and is an edfringe hit about memory. "Come see ex-lovers argue about when they were happiest. Come see police officers rewrite history. They don't mean to, but they do. Come see Rasputin dance like no one's watching. Also, the Queen is there". Details right about here.


THREE LONGER RUNS>>

The Future | Battersea Arts Centre | 12-29 Jun 
"In the future, intelligent machines will surpass the human minds that created them. In the present, a prophetic band of scientists professionally ponder the implications of this and invite you to imagine the aftermath of an "intelligence explosion''. Little Bulb explore the world of Artificial Intelligence through a blend of "TED talks, futurology and mind-bending cosmic rock": expect something "darkly comic, theatrical kaleidoscope of music, minds and machines". Details right about here.

Radio | Arcola Theatre | 19 Jun-13 Jul
The excellent Al Smith's 2006 (I think) play, directed by Josh Roche and starring Adam Gillen."Charlie Fairbanks was born in the dead center of the United States at the dead center of the twentieth century. Americans are going to the Moon and Charlie's sure he'll be the first one there. But as he shines his spotlight on the Moon, so too does it illuminate the darker side to his nation's history". For all the info and to book head right this way.

Citysong | Soho Theatre | 12 Jun-6 Jul (pictured)
"Late-night taxis, teen discos, home nurses, Jewish launderettes, vigilantes, babies, immigrants, seagulls. Citysong is a play, a poem and a chorus of voices showing three generations of a Dublin family on one day. It turns out one day holds the entire past". The 2017 Verity Bargate Award winning play, at Soho Theatre following its premiere at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. Run started mid-last-week, but you still have lots of time. Tickets do seem to be going relatively quickly so don't leave it until the last minute to book. Do that here.
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