Renowned theatre critic Lyn Gardner is known for her shrewd judgement when it comes to reviewing theatre. Yet it's not necessarily the high profile productions that have caught her eye at this year's Edinburgh Festival.
Forest Fringe: Photography by Murdo Macleod
“It’s not just one of the best things I’ve seen in Edinburgh this year, but one of the best pieces I’ve seen anywhere,” writes Lyn Gardner in her Guardian blog. “Tender, true and brutally honest about the embarrassments, the love and the frustrations in the relationships between parents and their teens.”
You would be forgiven for thinking the reviewer was expressing her admiration for one of the world's major theatre companies. In fact, Gardner is talking about a non-professional show put together by Glasgow teenagers and their parents – From Where I'm Standing by Junction 25.
The play, being performed at Forest Fringe, explores the intimate relationships between parents and their children. Gardner believes productions such as this that make the Edinburgh fringe “such an exciting treasure hunt”.
The great pleasure of the Edinburgh fringe is that it does welcome all
“The great pleasure of the Edinburgh fringe is that it does welcome all and a show with a big budget and a PR agency behind it may end up getting less attention than a youth show or a first piece made by new graduates,” states the critic, who also references the girls of Mulberry School who won a Fringe First for their play Unravelling, created with playwright Fin Kennedy.
“It’s one of the things I love about the Edinburgh fringe – that a piece of youth theatre like this competes on absolutely equal terms with professional theatre, and often surpasses the latter,” writes Gardner.
The Drama Student Magazine is dedicated to supporting student work and is elated that such a recognised critic has given her seal of approval for these youth theatre shows.
To read the full published article visit The Guardian
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