Jules and Jim was not only one of my favorite Fringe shows that we have seen but I think it also captured the ideals of Fringe theatre very well. The production itself only had three actors, the set was very minimal with sliding panels of glass, a widow with shutters, a doorway, and a table.This set was housed in Jermyn Street theatre that held probably about 100 audience members. It gave an intimate feeling to everyone seeing the show and allowed the actors to be very intentional with audience connection, as almost everywhere they looked they caught an audience member’s eye line. This personally gave me a feeling of being in the story with the characters, I felt like I had to be very thoughtful with when I wanted to have a vocal reaction, which happened quite often because I was listening more closely to what the actors were saving and doing, and I wanted to give them something to work with. Overall, it allowed the audience to become one with the piece because it was literally happening five feet in front of them. So even if they didn’t like the piece they still felt like they were involved in some aspect, whether that be an actor making eye contact with you or an actor coming into the audience and standing by you.
The set that Jules and Jim had was one of minimalism for sure. But I want to focus on how they used the window with panels, which when opened revealed water and bubbles in between glass to simulate Kath swimming in a body of water. Patricia Allison, the actress who was Kath was standing behind this glass and pretending to be swimming as bubbles flowed through the glass. It did look a little corny and cheesy but it was also very creative and worked well for what they were going for, which was to simulate a character swimming on a stage without water. And when Kath reappeared from the water, her clothes had water all over them, though not completely soaked like they would be if she actually went swimming, we do love to see attention to small details and incorporating them on some level.
This being my first taste of Fringe Theatre on this trip was a great experience and set the president for all of the other Fringe shows that I have seen and it made me actively seek out smaller shows, as I personally really enjoyed feeling like I had a connection to the actors. And most of the Fringe shows I have seen do not shy away from connecting with their audiences, which has made me rethink my past work and think about my future work. Would myself as an actor connecting more with the audience make a difference for the audience? Would it make a difference in my character development and how I approach a story? When I write should I be thinking about the audience more, or incorporate more audience interacting moments? These Fringe shows have left me with a lot of questions that are allowing me to analyze my work and others in a new light.
Theatre in London U of A 