In his final report from The Fringe, James catches two challenging, defiant and funny shows exploring the mysteries of the human brain 
Yesterday was my day off and I finally got to go and see other people’s performances. Like other festivals I perform at, working at them means it can be hard to find time to see other work.
I headed down to Summerhall first to see theatre superstars Ridiculusmus, who have brought their new work ‘The Eradication of Schizophrenia in Western Lapland’ to The Fringe. The title alone is a selling point to me. I didn’t enjoy watching it, but it’s a brilliant and stunning presentation of the experience of psychosis that everyone needs to see. What it creates is a complex and multi-voice experience that casts aside narrative, to present what it could be like to hear voices or experience delusions. At the end I went outside for a fag with my partner and friend Ellie Stamp, whose show I get to see today. We didn’t say much except that we all found it hard to watch and brilliant in equal parts. We got takeaway coffee and walked through the rain to The Pleasance to see another friend’s work, our heads spinning, and the voices of the four performers ringing in our ears.
At the opposite end of the spectrum in tone to the Ridiculusmus show is ‘Back Stage in Biscuitland’ by Touretteshero. I’ve known the team behind this project for a while now and was really excited to see it. This is a simple and profoundly funny show. It’s about Jess and her experience of living with tourettes.Jess’ tics (the name for her physical and verbal ‘outbursts’) can be surreal and funny. Lines like “pony cunt”, “Alan Hansen naked” or “let a dog fuck your tits” are dropped into the show without any warning or scripting. What I love about this show is the pride. Tourettes, like mental health, is completely misunderstood, yet this show presents the beauty and joy of being different and of not allowing the world to treat you unfairly because of a condition you have no choice about.
As I walked home yesterday evening I pondered the human brain: I’ve seen two shows that explore what it’s like to have brains that don’t work in the way most people’s do. I was left thinking that our understanding of the brain has so much further to go. Art is so important in this exploration, and it has the power to present, represent and transcend our understanding of what different brains can be like. It has the power to change our views of difference. It feels important that there are a few artists at The Fringe who don’t just want to make fluff, but are prepared to make work that is challenging and difficult, defiant and funny, but most importantly, all from lived experience.
Mental runs until the 24 August. More details HERE
