ZOO Southside, Venue 82 (Studio) , 2 – 26 Aug 2013, 3.30pm (50 minutes)
Theatre Absolute presents: The Wedge: A gripping urban thriller delivered starkly, simply and close-up. Written and performed by Naomi Said | Directed by Chris O’Connell
Double fringe first winners Theatre Absolute (Raw, 2001 & Car, 1999) return to Edinburgh with The Wedge, an arresting solo show written and performed by Naomi Said, who makes her Fringe debut.
With stark simplicity, the audience is held in an engrossing atmosphere, which ignites the senses.
Illusions of other people in the space, shifting locations and fractured time are created through vibrant imagery and a boldly imaginative performance, conjuring filmic visuals in the audience’s imagination.
Returning to the fields where she found abandon and adventure as a kid, Jess makes a discovery that changes everything. Directed by Chris O’Connell, The Wedge is a haunting new piece of storytelling about finding out, hiding away and seeking a place to go.
Themes of displacement, secrecy and trust are explored through rhythmic and elliptical text, with the audience drawn deeply into Jess’ confession through the honesty and immediacy of the spoken word. A building sense of community, intimacy and privacy empowers a distinctly personal response from each audience member.
The Wedge was developed through Theatre Absolute’s acclaimed Writing Gyms held at the company’s Shop Front Theatre in Coventry. An extract was performed at the First Bite Festival, in Birmingham in 2011 with support from China Plate and later shown at Sprint 2012 at Camden People’s Theatre. The play was further developed with funding from Arts Council England and initially performed at the Shop Front Theatre in October 2012.
The Wedge at Edinburgh Fringe 2013 is supported by Old Vic New Voices Start Up Funds. Theatre Absolute is an award-winning Coventry-based theatre company specialising in new writing, with productions touring nationally and internationally. The company has won two Fringe Firsts, for its premieres of Car in 1999 and Raw in 2001.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
