The Edinburgh Fridge

It is inconceivable that a lustful Sigmund Freud and a man with a fear of beards would ever meet in an expanding, dancing hospital. But at Edinburgh’s quaint Greenside venue on a delightfully warm summer’s evening, they did.

In a manner that recalls the principles of Forum Theatre, it was actually the spectators who formed this play. The audience was unexpectedly invited on stage to arrange magnetic words on a giant fridge. Of course, with the presence of children, the resulting phrases were imaginative to say the least. It was then up to Student Improv Nottingham to use three of these phrases as the title, character/relationship and ending of their consequent play.

Although the actors began a little tentatively, it was not long before exaggeration and flamboyance took over and an exceptionally entertaining portrayal of Sigmund Freud (Paul Schmidt) emerged. However, the actors were not alone in their feat; a jolly pianist improvised a comic soundtrack according to their every word and a sound technician’s late cues became punch lines of their own. Unanimous laughter soon filled the intimate space and spectators felt so comfortable that some even laughed alone.

Next time you see magnetic words stuck to a fridge, try to form an obscure sentence. Then, imagine if it were the title of a play. Hard to fathom and a ludicrously outrageous thought, yet this is exactly what Student Improv Nottingham do every evening.