Listen The River

The Fringe is a mixed blessing for the critic. On the one hand, there is work from all around the world - Liminal Space, for example, present,  Listen! The River, and I don't get to see enough American solo shows where the performer plays both a one-eyed dog and a water fountain. On the other hand, there's a good chance that this Fringe will be the one that breaks me, as I try to see ten shows a day and brush up my Russian in an attempt to get exclusive interviews from Derevo and Akhe.

Hopefully, I'll get to catch Listen! before my collapse: performer Wendy Peace has promised free gifts (go to twitter and follow @turbo_cat for details) and the play evolved from a meeting between actor and author at a New York based organisation called the League of Professional Theatre Women. Apart from being well-known for my politically correct position on the arts, I've been encouraged to support anything that includes marginalised groups in theatre because of the great work that comes from Stellar Quines, who have a similar woman-positive attitude to commissioning.

The author of Listen!, Robin Rice Lichtig, "was inspired by the relationship between the playwright, Robin, her sister and her cat," explains Peace. "Robin was having a difficult time processing her sister's illness. She felt the need to write about it, but found it easier to express her feelings through the character of Turbo the cat. Turbo really was her sister's cat. He came to stay with Robin on a temporary basis and you'll have to see the play to find out whether he stays. It's a melding of what Robin was experiencing and what she perceived the cat may be going through."

The balance between serious subject and a more humorous angle allows Lichtig’s script to straddle a wide range of characters -  Peace performs seven “beautifully written and creatively directed, including the cat, a one-eyed dog, a ball of string and a flirty water fountain” - and moods - “people will have a chuckle, or find someone they can relate to and be affected by it.”

“Listen! The River initially grabbed me because I felt great empathy for all the characters,” Peace remembers. “They all have very different lives from me, but there's something about them that is very relate-able. I found myself rooting for them and hoping it all worked out in the end.”

Having met Lichtig and been inspired by this play, Peace then hooked up with the third partner in the team: When I met Prav MJ, the director, through a connection that started in Toronto, wove its way through New York, Norway, Barcelona, London and back to New York's LPTW,I showed her the script and she decided it was a great fit for her production company, Liminal Space whose focus is on emerging artists, particularly those from the States.”

Apart from her respect for the writer, Peace feels a personal engagement with the idiosyncratic approach.  “As the owner of a dog and lover of animals I liked the way pets play a prominent role in the story,” she says. “I really believe in the healing power of animals. My Great Dane is a certified "pet therapy" dog. which means she goes to hospitals, nursing homes, etc to visit, and hopefully help people. In New York we participated in a study involving cancer patients and their rate of recovery from radiation treatment if they had a visit from a therapy dog at each appointment. Apparently it does. There are numerous stories of people who have benefited from having a service dog. We're all familiar with seeing eye dogs, but there are now dogs who assist returning soldiers with PTSD, autistic children, people with seizures or mobility issues, etc.This play shows a glimpse of the healing possibilities of animals and that definitely spoke to me.” This belief in the play’s intention led to a further, generous connection. “This is also why we've partnered with the Edinburgh Dog and Cat home. They're an organization that shares in the philosophy of the benefits of animals. They're dedicated to the return of lost pets, the re-homing of pets and the spaying and neutering of pets. A portion of ticket sales will benefit their cause.”








Liminal Space presents
Listen! The River
by Robin Rice Lichtig
Directed by Prav MJ
Starring Wendy Peace

Venue:              theSpace @ Surgeons Hall (Venue 53)        
Times:              13:55 (60 mins)
Dates:               13-14 Aug (Previews), 15-25 (not 19)            
Tickets:            £5 (Preview) (3.50) / £8 (6)