Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Dead Eyes
Stirling University Drama Society
Genre: New Writing, Theatre
Venue: Paradise in the Vaults
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Stirling University Drama Society (SUDS) attempt a narrative structure looking at how people who may have absorbed the sins of their parents are likely to repeat them in the future. Within the context of a university drama society, this is an interesting piece of theatre which is worthy insofar as it does make an attempt to provide a context and an opportunity for people to shine. It does falls a little short now and again of being wholly convincing.
Review
This is really good in places and should be applauded. Getting SUDS out of the McRobert down into Edinburgh has resulted in a decent piece of theatre. The storyline follows Donna who would appear to be an intern in their final week when jobs are given out. Looking to gain employment at a psychologist’s office she is up against the scheming Imogen and Ewan, her two rivals. By the end there appears to have been some form of assault with Donna being interrogated by a police officer as she has the doctor in what appears to be a physically threatening pose.
Acting is decent falling a little short of being wholly convincing partly because most of the actors are playing roles outside their knowledge and experience. At times they manage to elevate exchanges which do drive the narrative very well but there are gaps.
The script could do with a redraft as there is, perhaps deliberately, confusion over what it is that these characters are there for and who the doctor happens to be.
By the end introducing a final character who I think is a police officer but I’m not sure further continues that degree of confusion.
It is directed for the space relatively well though sight lines at times can be difficult in the vaults – should be slightly more towards the front rather than playing at the back. The back tends to be somewhere where people are hidden at the sides and given the small nature of the venue and its intimacy it could be played a little bit more out front.
Having said that this was a group of actors that I found not just worthy but actually quite skilled. They had the ability not just to deliver the lines as they were supposed to be and be directed to but also at those points where the connection between characters on stage was working, was convincing.
I left feeling that I had seen something that was at the beginning of its gestation with a more intensive rehearsal period to draw more out of it. This was a very worthwhile piece of theatre that manages to provide a platform for young people at university who should be encouraged to come out of the Macrobert Arts Centre more often.
