This show finished on Tuesday 25 September 2012, and this page is being kept for archival purposes only.

Freshers' Play's Big Night Out

The Freshers of 2012 get there chance to wreak organised havoc

Date

Tuesday 25 September 2012

Venue

Bedlam Theatre

Author

Never Set

Description

Freshers’ Play’s BIG NIGHT OUT 2K12

Cast and Crew

Team

Administrator Stewart Maclean

Administrator Tom Turner

Assistant Producer Liz Mills

Doctors Mini-Director Sam Kenny

Doctors Mini-Director Sebastian King

Doctors Mini-Director Ruth Luckins

Espionage Mini-Director Theo Mccabe

Espionage Mini-Director Joe Mcardle

Espionage Mini-Director Will Hearle

Group 1 Mini-Director Chaz Watson

Group 1 Mini-Director Rachael Murray

Group 1 Producer Rhiannon Crane

Group 2 Producer Alexandra Olive

Group 3 Mini-Director Bonnie Aspinwall

Group 3 Mini-Director Charlotte Hodge

Group 3 Mini-Director Ian Culleton

Group 3 Producer Stephanie Millner

Group 4 Mini-Director Kirstyn Petras

Group 4 Mini-Director Hannah Taub

Group 4 Mini-Director Joe Shaw

Group 4 Producer Amanda Fleet

Group 5 Producer Megan Bishoff

Group 6 Producer Lasse Lassen

Group 7 Mini-Director Ailish George

Group 7 Mini-Director Gavin Woolman

Group 7 Mini-Director Eleanor Drinkwater

Group 7 Producer Hannah Oliver

Group 8 Producer Emma Connolly

Producer Frances Hebert

Producer Carolyn Doyle

Stage Manager Julia Brown

Technical Manager Lewis Eason

The Third Door Mini-Director Rachel Bussom

The Third Door Mini-Director Lewis Robertson

The Third Door Mini-Director Thomas Ware

The Third Door Mini-Director Calum Martin

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Tuesday 25 September - By for The Student

Setting the new members of Bedlam Theatre the task of devising a short play to the theme of ‘Freshers big night out’ with only a week to do it posed a challenge, but one that every member clearly approached with gusto.

Each of the eight groups was given the name of one of Edinburgh’s pubs or clubs with no limitations or boundaries as to what scenes they could produce. This resulted in a varied mix of plays and characters, from vengeful skateboarding pirates to cross dressing actresses playing cross dressing spies.

Such general stimuli as Voodoo Rooms, Sneaky Petes and Espionage made for an impressive array of sketches; although there were some very literal explorations, the primary emphasis was clearly on the surreal. Think a modernised Monty Python on acid perhaps.

However, the vague nature and short time frame of the task could perhaps be seen in the sometimes floundering plotlines and abrupt endings of one or two of the works. Nevertheless, this is barely a footnote in the entire experience, and could be seen to add to their delightfully odd (if slightly scary) humour.

Each play was tech’d, directed, written and designed by the new Bedlam-ites, and a wonderful job was done providing costume and props. The lopsided cardboard Dalek complete with toilet plunger used in Doctors deserves a particular mention .

The Revolution and The 3rd Door groups provided especially memorable performances. Revolution’s noir crime drama attempted to solve the homicide of Wally (yes, ‘Where’s Wally’ Wally) via the medium of chat roulette, a risky business in anybody’s book, whilst The 3rd Door portrayed an almost LSD-fuelled vision of the party from hell. As the compere quipped, it was what would have happened if “Tim Burton and the Mighty Boosh had directed Friends”.

Overall it is clear that there is a wealth of new talent in the form of this year’s Bedlam freshers; a promising sign of what is to come in the year.

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