Originally commissioned for the Scottish International Storytelling Festival 2023. Alice Fernbank returns to The Scottish Storytelling Centre with Odin’s Eye and the Art of Storytelling, a solo performance which weaves Norse myth into a personal tale of receiving radiotherapy for a rare eye cancer.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
When a proton beam of radiation fires into my eye, ultraviolet auroras appear in my vision. An unexpected moment of beauty in a cancer treatment centre in the Wirral opens the doorway to a mythical world of Norse gods and their epic quests in the pursuit of ‘seeing’.
Odin’s Eye and the Art of Seeing is a solo oral storytelling performance created and told by Alice Fernbank.
Tales of Odin, Freya, and Mimir are woven into a personal tale of receiving radiotherapy treatment for a rare eye cancer.
Tell us about the creative team and the process involved?
The idea for this show emerged from the refuge I sought in myth, during the diagnosis and treatment of a melanoma in my eye. Throughout this period I was co-facilitating weekly myth sessions online with my partner Svend-Erik Engh and an intimate group of like-minded myth divers from around the world. Every week someone would tell a myth and together the group would use that story to expand into their own creativity. There were certain stories which spoke to me about my experience and seemed to mirror the gravity of my personal tale. When an opportunity arose for me to share some new work in progress at the Scottish International Storytelling Festival in 2021 the piece came together effortlessly within a matter of days. It was as though it had been forming in my subconscious mind for months.
I performed a 40-minute version of the piece at the 2021 storytelling festival in its first draft followed by a discussion led by Donald Smith, Director of TRACS and the SSC. I was greatly encouraged to develop the piece further and in 2023 I was commissioned by the SISF once more to stage a full performance. At this point I needed a strong outside eye to help make the piece stage worthy. Director Kath Burlinson came on board and she worked wonders fine-tuning and refining the piece for the stage.
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
This is the first time this show has been to the Fringe. Although I’ve performed other shows at the fringe in the past, this one feels different. It is the first time I’m bringing a personal story to a fringe audience and with that comes a new kind of vulnerability. There is a new level of self-care involved in sharing this material and I’m grateful to be performing it at one of the most supportive venues in the city, The Scottish Storytelling Centre.
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
My show tells a personal story of ill health and cancer treatment combined with a telling of Norse myths. I’m told my way of storytelling is unique, powerful, connected and moving. I tell alone, on a stage in a blue dress with simple lighting, and that has been enough for my audiences to be moved to tears by the story.
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t there…
My ideal audience is one of listeners who have an appreciation of the art of oral storytelling and if you are a myth lover too even better. But most importantly it is also a piece that speaks to the universal reality that we will all experience health challenges at some point in our lives, and this piece is an invitation to meet this reality as an epic adventure. Don’t bring your children under 12, it’s not for them.
It’s an intense month, so where you’re able, how do you plan to relax, and are there any other shows you intend to see or want to recommend?
I’m looking forward to seeing other shows at the Storytelling Centre. I don’t know what else yet as I’m waiting to hear about the good stuff.
It’s good to get out to the sea to recharge when I’m doing the Fringe. Luckily I’m moving to Portobello just before it begins so some days off in my new neighbourhood listening to the waves will be the ultimate antidote to the Edinburgh crowds.
In your ideal world, how can we improve the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
I’m always disturbed to learn how much venues charge their performers and how much landlords exploit the demands for short term accommodation. I don’t know if this year will be different. I’m fortunate to be playing at a subsidised venue, but it breaks my heart to hear how artists are stretched beyond their limits to get a show on at Edinburgh.
More subsidised venues, investment in art and artists and less of the greedy guys, please.
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