"Not so much revenge as a rising," says Geek spoken word maven

The introduction of a spoken word category in the Fringe brochure – hot on the heels of the new cabaret section – is not controversial: there is already a section for my beloved physical theatre, and any attempt to break down the unwieldy mass of events shoved into the larger sections is a relief for critics and casual audiences. Hayden Cohen is quick to defend the new section, since his Age of the Geek does fall easily anywhere else.

“Geek is a funny show, but it's more cerebral than your average standup,” he explains.  Whilst it has a narrative of sorts, it is not a play with a beginning, middle and end. Whilst my own show has variety as in Cabaret, that doesn't work either as I don't use jazz hands. Spoken Word is for word obsessives. The ebb and flow of the majority of the spoken word shows is a marked difference to anything found in any other category.”

If spoken word is still a slightly marginalized presence, this suits Cohen’s content. “As the perpetual outsider filling the cliché of always being picked last for the football team and being more comfortable with a motherboard than a surfboard, it's clear to me that the smart kids now rule the roost,” he comments.  “Until relatively recently, geeks were envied, but not liked. Now it's cool to be a geek and I wear it as a badge of honour.” Even the musical elements betray a touch of obscure technophilia. “It’s guaranteed to be the only show in the fringe with a MIDI enabled stylophone.” 

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall (V53)

Box Office: 0845 508 8515

FRIDAY 3rd^th – SATURDAY 25^th AUGUST 2012 – 3PM

(excluding Sundays)