Athens of The North is an interwoven, episodic monologue and love letter to Edinburgh and her people, performed in the iconic Edinburgh Hibernian Supporters Club. In a city being commodified and gentrified so rapidly, three Edinburgh characters weave in and out of each other’s lives; a stream of consciousness set in the capital city over the course of a single day. They subsequently reconnect with what their home truly means to them, in their respective pasts, presents as well as their futures.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
‘Athens of The North’ is an episodic monologue and love letter to the city of Edinburgh and her people, profiling characters indigenous to the Festival City as they examine what their home means to them; in their past, their present and their future.
Tell us about the creative team and the process involved?
The play was written in the summer of 2023 in London, and had a script-in-hand night at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. It then came home to Edinburgh for four 1st draft preview performances at the Hibernian Supporters Club. For 2024, the show has been redrafted and has a new director, Fraser Scott, who has helped elevate the script and the vision of the show to take it to a new level.
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
It feels very natural and organic to be at the Fringe, for it is the very festival and broader situation which became a real jumping-off point for this show in the first place. It’s a protest, of sorts. But ultimately it’s a celebration of people and their home and what it means to them.
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
‘Athens of The North’ is immediately set apart from the other 3,000 because it actively interrogates the problems and strains communities in this city are facing. I wanted to interrogate and explore this mass commandeering of local space for an entire month and beyond because it’s a conversation that doesn’t feel present at the moment. It’s a raw, honest, hilarious stream of consciousness which actually reminds the audience these people live here 365 days a year.
Is there anything specific you’re hoping the audience will take away?
I hope the audience will take away a real sense of energy and enthusiasm about Edinburgh’s culture and its people. I hope they’ll take away a renewed sense of community and the realisation that ultimately, when all is said and done, all we have is one another, with this stunning backdrop of a city that is our home.
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t there…
My ideal audience would be kids and elderly people from Edinburgh housing schemes. Just to give them the opportunity to hear and see themselves on stage in their own city, where the wider world image of Edinburgh is worlds away from them. Other than that, I’d have loved to have Ian Charleson in. A tremendous Edinburgh actor whose life was cut tragically short. He and I were born in the same building which is less than a mile from the venue, and it would have been his 75th birthday on the day of the penultimate performance, August the 11th. The ticket money from that night is being donated to the Ian Charleson Day Centre in London who treat people with HIV and AIDS.
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’ll be relaxing by taking a wander along Portobello Prom, very close to the first house I was brought up in, as well as chilling out in locally owned spaces like Snax Cafe in West Register Street and The Hoppy, my local, made famous by Baby Reindeer. I definitely want to see V.L by Kieran Hurley and Gary MacNair at Summerhall, Oran by Wonder Fools, and a Japanese metal/goth/experimental art band Bo Ningen, who I saw in Edinburgh 7 years ago supporting Primal Scream, performing a live score to the film The Holy Mountain at La Belle Angele. Never seen anybody like them. True artists.
In your ideal world, how can we improve the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
The Fringe will only survive, improve and eventually thrive if it returns to its roots in which it was founded in non-commercial spaces where artists can come from anywhere with bold ideas of performance, take risks and create experimental, enhancing new work. Edinburgh City Council and landlords have a lot to answer for with regards to improving the Fringe too, but that’s a different chat for a different day.
Athens of the North runs at Venue 499: The Hibernian Supporters Club (11 Sunnyside, EH7 5RA)
Runs: August 5th – 12th
Photo credit – Fraser Scott
Interested in being featured on our Have a Gander page? With many previews and Q&As lined up, we’re always happy to chat about including your show in future articles. Please do get in touch through the contact page to feature in an upcoming ‘Have A Gander’