One Week at ThreeWeeks

We learn quickly. Aside from the festival favourites of Always Bring a Programme, An Open Mind and an Umbrella (ESPECIALLY if it doesn't look like rain), we learn the importance of timing. Deadlines being at noon on the following day, one doesn't want to write up reviews minutes after seeing the show for fear of missing the next one; neither should we write them at 2 minutes to noon, typing with one hand and nursing a cocktail of fruit juice, paracetamol and pro plus with the other.

We learn the special kind of fatigue which comes from watching shows for four hours a day, walking between them all with our programme, our open mind and our umbrella in tow, and trying to socialise afterwards. See above and the fruit juice-paracetamol-pro plus cocktail.

We learn the scale of the city, we learn to powerwalk off the beaten path and to cross junctions at a sharp angle. We learn how to avoid the flyerers which now plague the busy streets- either by singing loudly along with an iPod or scribbling frantically in a notepad. In any case, throw in the odd mutter aloud and you're there.

We learn that the price of a free ticket is time, which otherwise would be spent with visitors, friends and family, in clubs, in the kitchen cooking, in the bedroom decorating, on the meadows drinking.

But above all, we learn the enormity and beauty of the biggest arts festival on the planet, the Edinburgh Fringe. I have seen sketch comedy, stand-up comedy, two-man, one-man and high-school shows, film screenings and sculpture, sensory deprivation art and badly-made MDF magic sets. Some made me marvel at the performers' talent, some cringe and wonder why they had bothered switching the stage lights on at all.

Week one, from the 3^rd to the 10^th August, has given me a total of 27 shows. Reviews of mine which have been published are at ThreeWeeks.co.uk

Two weeks to go.

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Populaire - film review

In the 50s, having a job as a secretary may have been considered modern, or even empowering, but mostly, as Rose Pamphyle (Déborah Francois) says in her job interview, it's the chance to work for an important man. Seen in this light, the rise and fall of a Speed-Typing champion is just as much to do with a woman's personal victory as it is to do with her boss' encouragement and coaching, as well as the freedom he allows her to have. In the film, and in life, the Speed-Typing Championship probably stemmed from a cigar-fuelled "I bet my secretary types faster than yours" argument, and the exclusively female competitors inhabit a space somewhere between real sportsman(woman?)ship and simply being allowed to play. The rocky ground of post-war sexual power-play is tested with bright colours and the happy clack-clack of a typewriter, and leads us somewhere a little more patronising than first-time director Regis Roinsard may have been hoping for. ...

Writing CV

Let's talk: jenni.ajderian@gmail.com Mild-mannered professional Linguist by day, crime-fighting writer and editor by night. Currently protecting the mean streets of Dublin from bad content. "She's one of the good ones" - FringePig "Best. Review. Ever." - @ObjectiveTalent "This interview has won #edfringe" - @FredRAlexander "I think this is the nicest review I've ever received." - @DouglasSits "Do you give lessons? Jus askin..." - @RockyFlintstone FedEx Digital Infinite Beta blog - 2017 I worked with FedEx Digital as a Technical Copywriter (more info on my LinkedIn Profile ) and produced sassy content for their Infinite Beta blog. The tone here is informal and personable, the aim being to show some personality and attract future team members to the company. How to explain your job title Automated content checkers Technology predictions for 2018 (I wasn't too far off) 3di Technical Commu...

Tinchi Shinmei - Wadaiko Tokara

Scotland is not a hotbed for Japanese music, so Art Lee and his band of traditional Taiko musicians take time out of their set to give us a background of their art, before launching into an adaptation of Bach or songs from a Japanese coffee machine. In the day time Ocean shows, three musicians play with absolutely serene faces and powerful movements reminiscent of martial arts, while the Mountain shows in the evening feature talented drummers using simplistic instruments that resonate beautifully in this historical Prince's Street Church. Peaceful, meaningful music with a purpose, from prayer to celebration, is played alongside Tango or Rumba music, showing the versatility of instruments and musicians alike. **** St John's Church, 5 – 29 Aug (not 11, 18, 25), times vary, £10 - £12 [originally written for ThreeWeeks magazine]

Jenni Ajderian

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