Brighton Fringe 2018
A Woman, In Search
Eliza Caloe & Rory Foster / FILTHpresents
Genre: Contemporary, Fringe Theatre, New Writing, One Person Show, Solo Performance, Solo Show, Theatre
Venue: The Warren: The Burrow
Festival: Brighton Fringe
Low Down
As an actress on stage or off there are parts to play and roles to create. But what happens when the line between reality and creativity is blurred? How do you define where the character stops and the real you starts?
Review
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw
The search for self can be a complex path with many ups and downs and twists and turns. A journey of sometimes painful exploration mixed with joyous discovery, or perhaps vice versa. Humanity, we’re told, is an ongoing quest for truth, clarity, and belonging. A mission to answer basic questions. Where do we fit in? What is our role in society? What do others see when they look at you? And what do we see when we look in the mirror? We exist in the world but what is our purpose?
People in every walk of life ask and try to answer these questions on a daily basis and perhaps none more so than artists. The constant need for creativity requires deconstruction of established ideas, a step away from accepted norms. But if we are purposely looking to walk the path less traveled and find our own individuality somewhere in previously uncharted territory, where do we find our home? Our anchor to reality?
Eliza Caloe is a woman in search of meaning. An actress looking for definition in a world of necessary illusion. Where is the line drawn between Eliza the performer and Eliza the person? Is it even possible to draw a line? A Woman, In Search asks more questions than it answers and at times seems somewhat unfocused in its attempt to find a clear distinction. The scenes are a little muddled and disorganised, but this also at times brings an unexpected focus and trains our attention on a thoughtful, balanced, and intelligent performance. Although the writing can be uneven at times, Caloe and co-producer Rory Foster who has also included some nice multimedia elements, have created an interesting piece in their first visit to the Fringe.
In the end the answers to the questions posed sit in the hearts and minds of each individual viewer but A Woman, In Search starts an important conversation and one which will continue for a long while to come.
“Sometimes you’ve got to let everything go – purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything, whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you’ll find that when you’re free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.” – Tina Turner
