A passion for the arts led Commonweal’s Headteacher, Keith Defter, to enjoy a variety of shows at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, but the show stopper for him was the Viscera Theatre comedy – drama sell-out play, ‘In Tents and Purposes.’
This hour long show tells the story of two friends Libby (Roxy Dunn - Channel 4 Babylon, BBC Three Top Coppers) and Sam (Alys Metcalf The Play That Goes Wrong, West End) who at a music festival compete with their egos to tell a comic, time-hopping story, exploring whether our lives are predetermined or shaped by our choices.
In Tents and Purposes was written by Roxy Dunn (shortlisted for Channel 4/Oran Mor Comedy Drama Award), directed by Chris Head and developed with Complicite’s Mick Barnfather.
“We were absolutely thrilled to have this sell-out Edinburgh Fringe 2016 show performed at Commonweal. Having seen and thoroughly enjoyed it only a matter of weeks ago I cannot recommend it highly enough! Read the blurb; google the company but make sure you don't miss it,” said Keith Defter, who in his youth performed himself at this international festival.
“I Went to Edinburgh first in 1976 as a student and then pretty much every year since 1989. I did a number of shows over the years both as performer and director. This helped me develop my love for the Arts.”
Keith spoke to the actors after seeing them in Edinburgh and persuaded them to visit Commonweal on 20 October to perform an afternoon show. They also put on a masterclass to GCSE and A Level Drama students from across Swindon covering acting techniques and improvisation followed by a Q&A about working in the industry.
There was also be an evening performance to the wider community.
About In Tents and Purposes
The show is set in August 2010 and newly graduated best friends, Sam and Libby are letting their hair down at a music festival before they embark on the rest of their lives. In between the naked dancing and the fake funerals, they fit in a visit to a fortune-teller, who predicts career success and true love for Sam – and for Libby, a life of poverty and loneliness. Following them through the next decade, we see Sam become an international success as a chef and marry the love of her life, while Libby languishes alone in a rented flat with her as yet-unfinished novel.
At the mid-point of the show they flashback to the festival where they’re given the reversed fortunes and we see their lives play out a second time around, ultimately asking how much we make our own luck and to what extent who we are determines what our fate will be.
Running parallel to this story are “meta sections”, where the actors, Roxy and Alys, step out of character and create an equally entertaining and, at times,volatile narrative about their friendship and how the play was created.
In Tents and Purposes premiered at the Lyric Hammersmith on 22 January 2016, as part of the Evolution scheme, before transferring to the VAULT Festival from 10 - 14 February. The show then ran from 4 - 29 August at Assembly, George Sq, Studio 4 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The show was a sell out success in Edinburgh, having gained 92% sold across the board and was produced with the support of the Soho Young Writer’s scheme, sister company Folio Theatre and Bechdel Theatre, who pioneer female-lead work.
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