MONDAY 24 AUGUST 2020 THISWEEKCULTURE.COM
SOPHIE MERCELL: GET HAPPY
The Greenwich + Docklands International Festival kicks off this week, and there is lots of outdoor stuff for you to take in.

One of the shows we are most interested in - because we love the company that made it - is 'Get Happy' by Told By An Idiot.

To find out more about the show, and how the company has been getting on during the COVID-19 lockdown period, I spoke to performer Sophie Mercell.

CLICK HERE to read this Caro Meets interview.

'Get Happy' is on at GDIF as part of On Your Doorstep, at Woolwich Common Estate on 29 Aug, Thamesmead on 30 Aug and Eltham on 12 Sep. Tickets are free but must be booked, see the Greenwich + Docklands International Festival Website here for info.
EDINBURGH FESTIVAL PEOPLE TAKE TO THE ONLINE STAGE!
While the Edinburgh Festival may not be going ahead this year as a result of COVID-19, many Fringe performers, companies and venues are presenting online shows during August. We are currently tipping some of those shows in each edition of the TW Weekly.

You can also check out all our coverage of the Virtual Festival - including the Three To See tips and some Caro Meets interviews - here online.


THREE STREAMING COMEDY THINGS>>

Showstopper! The (Socially Distanced!) Improvised Musical | 28 Aug (pictured)
This week the Virtual Edinburgh Festival is kinda on the wind-down, but there's other stuff happening elsewhere and I have carelessly mashed it all together, to be honest. All the shows in this section have an edfringe connection of some kind though, starting with another live stream from the brilliant and talented Showstoppers. See this page here to book tickets.

Comedy Gala In Aid Of Waverley Care | Off The Kerb | 27 Aug
Next up is the annual Off The Kerb fundraiser in aid of Waverley Care, this year online. It's got a long and fabulous line up of acts you'll definitely have heard of poised to tickle your collective funny bones with their customarily quality material. I'll throw in a few names for you: Tom Allen, Josh Widdicombe, Angela Barnes, Marlon Davis, but there are loads more, so get the official info and a ticket here.

Monkey Barrel Comedy Marathon Fundraiser | 29 Aug
And, yes, it's another fundraiser with an extraordinary line-up. How on earth are you going to choose between these three fantastic comedy events? Oh, hang on a minute, though, you don't have to, because they are all on different nights. Thank God! Anyway, this one boasts the likes of Jessica Fostekew, Tony Law, Lou Sanders, Spencer Jones, and many, many more. Info and pay what you want here.


THREE OTHER STREAMING THINGS>>

Sinatra: Raw - Watch Party | 27 Aug
This, as you may well have divined from the name of the event, is a live watch party of a recording of Richard Shelton's solo show about the legendary Frank Sinatra, an acclaimed musical piece that won a Sunday Mail award for Best Solo Cabaret Show at the Adelaide Fringe. After the live viewing there'll be a Q&A with writer and performer Shelton. Click here to book.

Notting Hill Carnival 2020: Access All Areas | 29-31 August
Londoners who usually like making their way over to West London when Notting Hill Carnival time arrives will no doubt be sad that the iconic event can't happen properly this year. But they may be happy to hear that, like other festival events, it's going online. Take a look at this website here to find out more about the digital carnival, taking place from 29-31 Aug.

Quarter Life Crisis | Shedinburgh Fringe Festival | 26 Aug (pictured)
Another tip for you from the quality line up offered by the Shedinburgh Fringe Festival, this time 'Quarter Life Crisis' from very talented Yolanda Mercy, a writer-performer we spoke to about this very show a while back. Read that Q&A here, and read more about how to watch the show right about here.


EVEN MORE STREAMING THINGS (THREE OF THEM)>>

Brit Bennet: How The Other Twin Lives | Edinburgh International Book Festival | 28 Aug (pictured)
Right, I mentioned the fact a wee while ago that the Edinburgh Book Festival had some nice online events going on. And now, because they are ending this week, I thought I would tell you about a couple of them. First up a live event featuring Brit Bennet, author of two novels, the latest being the subject of this talk, 'The Vanishing Half'. Read more here.

Time Travelling with Patience Agbabi & Ben Miller | Edinburgh International Book Festival | 26 Aug
The next event is a recorded one, available to watch on 26 Aug, which is suitable for younger audiences, and obviously it jumped out at me because I am a time travel addict. Well, I'm addicted to fictional things about time travel, obviously, not actual time travel because that's not possible. Anyway, these two have time-travelly books to talk about and I am here for that. See this page here for info.

Nuke It From Orbit: A New Comedy Sci-Fi Panel Show | Free Festival | 27 Aug
Finally, one from the events taking place as part of the online Free Festival, which comes to a close this week. Here at TW Towers, we are always fans of anything comical with a scientific or sci-fi bent to it, so we thought we'd give this New Comedy Sci-Fi Panel Show a try. Read all about it here.


THREE SOCIALLY DISTANCED LIVE THINGS
>>

Coven | The New Normal Festival | 27 Aug (pictured)
The New Normal Festival, which has been taking place in London this month and allowing culture lovers to see shows in the open air, is also coming to an end this week, but there's still some great stuff to take in. One such example is this fab sounding exploration of "belief, magic, mob mentality, gender and class". See The New Normal Festival site here for info.

Standfast by Not Cricket Productions | Makars Court | 28-30 Aug
"Scotland, 1918. Your mission is to prevent a ruthless network of German spies leaking state secrets to the enemy. Step into the shoes of secret agent Richard Hannay to meet contacts, seek out vital information and crack the code before time runs out". An interactive adventure that takes place on the streets of Edinburgh, so this one's strictly for those of you up in the Scottish capital right now. Read about it here.

Unlocked - After the Interval | The New Normal Festival | 31 Aug
And we are back to The New Normal Festival for one final tip, this time for this "journey through 100 years of musical theatre from 1920 to 2020 told through song, dance and narration" from Undercover Productions. They launched just weeks before lockdown and created this show as a way to showcase the talents of some of the many whose careers have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Read more about it here.


THREE THINGS AVAILABLE ON DEMAND>>

'Craig' By The Juicy Orange | theSpaceUK
As you may know, theSpaceUK has had a pretty extensive digital programme going over the month of August, and you can still see loads of great contributions to the online edfringe via their website. Have a look at it all, but here's the one that gets our tip this week, something to entertain the kids. "2020. The world's living in isolation. For Craig, adjusting to the new normal has been sour as lemons. Until Craig meets a juicy orange, who quickly becomes a brand new buddy. But what will happen when Craig gets hungry?" Watch it here.

Jury | Park Theatre | until 2 Sep (pictured)
Park Theatre premiered 'Jury' - a new play by Martin Murphy, virtually directed by Amy Allen - on 19 Aug, but I somehow forgot to warn you. I expect I was distracted by edfringe stuff, or something. The good news is, it will be available until 2 Sep, so you've still got lots of time to view it. So, you know, don't delay, head to this YouTube page here to watch.

Quarantine Bops | Anesti Danelis | from 27 Aug
Final thing for the week: musical comedian Anesti Danelis releases 'Quarantine Bops', a "highly contagious visual musical comedy album to which there is no known cure" on 27 Aug via Spotify, Apple Music and elsewhere. But it looks like you can see the series of lockdown inspired songs via a YouTube playlist too: head this way to see more.
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