“There is one world, but a thousand doorways” – Diane Edgecomb brings the dramatic true account of her travels among the Kurds of Turkey to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Her aim was to help preserve a vivid part of a threatened cultured, the traditional folktales passed through the generations by word of mouth but never written down. The task was urgent as Turkish laws have been silencing their ancient language.
Protected by the Kurds, who kept this innocent project hidden from government eyes, Edgecomb found herself in remote mountain villages forbidden to outsiders.
Here, the true stories of their lives and struggle began to mix with their legends as doorways opened on a very different world, a mythic landscape of shepherds, guard towers, caravans, impossible mountain passes and the mysterious “Eggs of the Ancient Tree”.
She says: “During the performance I bring to life the events and people I encountered, playing over 16 characters. I try to let the voices of the Kurds, a people who have been silenced for so long, shine through with all of their wisdom, humour and heart. This is my chance to honour the unforgettable people that I met.”
A master storyteller and theatre artist, Edgecomb takes the audience to the heart of a life-changing journey, revealing an unforgettable world. Exotic legends from her book A Fire in My Heart: Kurdish Tales, the first book of Kurdish folktales published in English, are set against the dramatic true story of her encounters with the Kurds. Carpet dealers, chain smoking octogenarians and shy village heroes bring about a series of improbable, synchronistic events in this struggle to honour these last Kurdish storytellers.
A featured storyteller on National Public Radio, at the National Storytelling Festival and the International Storytelling Center, Edgecomb is known for her unique style where she embodies the various characters and scenes in a tale, bringing each moment alive. She has won the first and only National Oracle Award for Storytelling Excellence in the Northeast as well as five Storytelling World Awards.
‘A storyteller in the grand tradition, Edgecomb is a virtuoso of the spoken word… an entire cast rolled into one’ Publisher’s Weekly. ‘A tour de force in every way… A Thousand Doorways will leave you irrevocably and powerfully changed’ Genevieve Aichele, Artistic Director, New Hampshire Theatre Project.
Theatre (storytelling,
true-life)
· Venue: C Venues – C primo (Venue 41) | 2-19 August |13:30. Duration: 90
minutes | Guidance: 12+ |Tickets: £6.50 to £10.50 | Box office: 0845
260 1234, www.CtheFestival.com, 0131 226 0000, www.edfringe.com
· Group: Diane Edgecomb (Massachusetts, USA)
