Minotaur Column: Behind the Scenes at The 50th Anniversary Fringe Festival

Meeting Greg James, racy theatre and disappointing volcanics… An insider’s take on the 50th Anniversary Fringe Festival.

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The diary of one usher working at UEA’s 50th Anniversary Fringe Festival…

10:30am: The first show I see is Oscar nom Tom Bidwell’s Risky and Fluke. It’s the tale of Fluke, (played by James Gault), one half of a two brother vaudeville show. James has the audience eating out of the palm of his hand, and is supported by Joe Jones. It is a sharp, black piece of writing, both hilarious and heart-breaking.

11.00am: Next is the Question and Answer with Olivia Vinall, who currently stars as Desdemona in Othello at the National Theatre. Olivia comes across as warm, funny and has a great rapport with her old professor Ralph Yarrow. Ralph’s description of her climbing through a window as an entrance for a performance exam has the audience in stitches.

13.30pm: I am ushering for The Sexual Awakening of Peter Mayo/Phillipa and Will are Now in a Relationship. This double bill by John Brittain explores the tricky world of sex and online dating. It’s hot in the Rehearsal Room, but whether that’s due to the racy content or the nice weather I don’t know.

15.00pm: Somehow I have ended up in the Hive, interviewing Olivia. What a privilege! She has a good, firm handshake and gives generous answers. We sit and chat for a good half hour. It is the highlight of my day.

18.00pm: Former Drama student Greg James has been watching shows in the Studio (naturally, it is his old haunt). He forgets to take his jacket so I give Greg James his jacket. I repeat, I give Greg James his jacket….Sorry, where was I?

Greg James (at this point jacket-less). Photo: UEA Drama Studio Facebook Page

18.30pm: Phillipa Hart graduated just this summer, and returns as the next generation of UEA talent. Her final year project is 15 minutes of great theatre. Phillipa holds her own amongst all the professionals of the day.

19.00pm: I leg it to Colman Hill with two other ushers. The volcano splutters and coughs, then the fireworks begin. My colleagues and I feel ourselves getting a little emotional. We are surrounded by a sea of people cheering, the sky is ablaze, and the sun has set. Fifty years to be proud of.

19:30pm: After our weepy moment we make a quick chocolate stop at the newly renovated Union Shop, then return to watch Mark Grist in action. Made famous on the internet for beating a teenager in a rap battle, Mark tells us about his journey from UEA, teaching English and finally becoming a poet.

My favourite poem is Girls Who Read. The poem is the antithesis of the verbal trickery he used to use in rap battles, although he now tries to avoid crudities and ‘subvert hip hop culture’. Girls Who Read is the sort of work he wants to be known for.

Photo: University of East Anglia Facebook Page

Having ushered for my last event and ended on such a high note I’m off to the Big Top Party! The log cuts off here, presumably with this writer’s memories of the night. Overall, it seems UEA’s 50th went off with a merry, if volcanically disappointing, bang.