Shedinburgh Fringe Festival have announced acclaimed stage and screen actor, writer and director Simon Callow (Amadeus, Four Weddings and Funeral, A Room With A View, Shakespeare in Love) will be live in the shed at the Traverse Theatre with his show Being An Actor: 50 Years On, streamed globally at 7.30pm on Saturday 28th August.
Being An Actor: 50 Years On is not to be missed as Simon Callow stands back and wonders: what is acting?
Simon Callow said: “In 1982, I wrote my first book: it was called Being An Actor, and it was my reckless attempt, after not even ten years of acting, to describe the physical, psychological and emotional experience of creating and playing characters. Now, after nearly 50 years of immersion in it, I am still obsessed with trying to plumb its mysteries, and will try, before your very eyes, to catch at its essence. My professional life started in Edinburgh, in 1973, so of course it is in Edinburgh that I will present Being an Actor: Fifty Years On for the very first time.”
The full line up is also announced for Comedians Telling Shed Stories as host Rachel Fairburn is joined by comedians Leila Navabi, Jen Ives, and Ivo Graham with musical accompaniment from Will Duggan.
A programme of free SHEDx talks will be released every week from Friday 6th August, and will feature theatre makers Chris Thorpe, Tim Crouch, Apphia Campbell, and Jo Clifford, alongside key industry figures, producer Richard Jordan and Katy Koren, Artistic Director of The Gilded Balloon. The talks will be centred around the theme of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and aim to inspire, educate, reminisce and advocate for change. All talks will be available via shedinburgh.com.
Shedinburgh producing partners Francesca Moody Productions, VAULT Creative Arts and Popcorn Group said: “Shedinburgh is all about people coming together from all walks of life to make something exceptional happen – something much bigger and even more special than the sum of its parts. We’re particularly indebted to the mighty Traverse and Soho Theatres for providing the space that this magic can exist in, and to our artists, who have bravely taken on the challenge of performing in the shed to help us raise much needed money for the Shed Load of Future Fund in order to support artists of the future get to the Fringe. Without them, we’d just be a pretty-looking shed. We can’t wait to start streaming this unique theatrical experience live into homes all over the world this week.”
All shows and events will be performed live and streamed globally for one night only from two sheds at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh and Soho Theatre in London from Tuesday 3rd August to Monday 30th August.
