Past Events
- Institute of Ideas and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe present:
- Round Table Rumbles
- Reviewing as spectator sport
- Venue: C Central, Carlton Hotel, North Bridge, Edinburgh
- Date: August 22, 2004 to August 25, 2004
- Time: Nightly at 10.45pm
- Tickets: Free
- Booking: 0870 701 5105
The Rumbles return for reviewing reinvented as spectator sport. A panel of writers, directors, performers and critics enjoys a robust exchange of views about shows on a different theme each night. Then the audience joins the intellectual bearpit! Late bar.
2004's critics included Joyce McMillan, Kate Copstick, Steve Cramer, Ian Shuttleworth, Mark Fisher, Thom Dibdin, with special guests including Brendan O'Neill, Van Badham, Henry Naylor, Michael Caines, Andrew Burnet and others.
Sunday 22: 21st century empire: the balance of power in a post-imperial age
From the war in Iraq to the global success of Starbucks, the idea of empire shows no signs of disappearing even in an avowedly post-imperial age. Will the rich and powerful always oppress the vulnerable? Can multinational expansion and ‘humanitarian war’ ever be forces for good? How does the balance of power affect domestic politics and relations between people?
Monday 23: Real lives: historical biography, autobiography and private lives
Dozens of Fringe shows this year dramatise the real lives of writers, artists, composers, public figures and ordinary people. What is it about biography that interests us so much? Do bio-shows celebrate the lives of heroes, expose the seamy underside of famous figures, or simply show us people like ourselves? How accurate are Fringe accounts of real lives? Does it matter, or is biography just an excuse for a good story?
Tuesday 24: Dangerous minds: from the lunatic asylum to the self-help group
Therapeutic ideas have become mainstream, as we are increasingly uncertain what it means to be ‘normal’ anyway. Does the rise of counselling for stress, relationships and everyday life signify a major cultural shift? Several Fringe shows are set in asylums or feature therapists or their patients, while countless others deal with therapeutic themes such as obsession and loss of control. Is theatre itself a kind of therapy?
Wednesday 25: Friendship: a new haven in a heartless world?
At a time when traditional expectations of marriage and family are giving way to more choice in the way we live our lives, friends seem more important than ever. But what is a friend? Do we have to go through thick and thin together, or is friendship really just about hanging out and having fun? Are things different for men and women? What do Fringe shows have to say about what friendship means today?
