Reviewer: Paige Kynoch Rating: 4/5 ★★★★
An Ode to the Casting Director, 12 August, 12:00
If you are an actor, or have an actor in the family like myself, then you will be able to relate to the many, many trials and tribulations that the leading lady, Sophie, faces.
Winning a Fringe Theatre Award last year, this one-woman piece displays the highs and the far too many lows of the acting industry. Sophie Fisher attends audition after audition, where we see her be a “cool, beachy girl”, get crisps shoved into her face, and scream her lungs out. Failure after failure forces her to feel vulnerable and question her self-worth: is she enough for this business? Should she just listen to her mum and become a lawyer? Or should she persevere?
The layout of the stage felt very intimate, like the audience were peeking into Sophie’s home; the stage consisted of a chaise longue, a few lights, and a television screen. The screen was one of the most important aspects of the show, providing the point of view of the others around her: casting directors, her boyfriend, her family, etc. This element of intimacy, this almost perverse bridging of worlds between spectator and participant, makes the show so much more personal, as we are not just spoken to anymore, but are actively involved in witnessing one of the more soul-destroying and vulnerable parts of one life.
I would really like to commend Sophie for not only committing fully to the physical acting and showing that she is, in fact, an incredible actress, but also for the absolutely unbelievable facial acting. There were so many moments where I was reminded of the actress Mia Goth, specifically her performance in the movie Pearl, but in general, the facial resemblance was so striking. She appears to have an immense amount of confidence in herself, and even though she is recalling some awful experiences from her career, she portrays them with such a believable nature and with so much truth behind them.
One thing I do have to point out is that there is a five-minute segment that references and features retching and vomiting, so if you suffer from emetophobia like I do, then you might struggle. That being said, if this show does intrigue you, please try not to let that change your mind, as difficult as I know that can be, because the show should not be defined by that one segment and has so much to offer.
The venue does not appear accessible at first glance, but there is a lift available as well as stairs to take you to the lower-ground studios. Once you are inside, it is fully flat terrain, and the venue has wheelchair access and wheelchair-accessible toilets. The venue is located at the end of George Square, which is mostly a straight path, and is home to many other shows, with food trucks surrounding the venues, so it is an incredibly central hub where you could spend the whole day.
An Ode to the Casting Director runs through to the 29th of August, and I would highly recommend it, so go see it while you have the chance because at the heart of the show is the one thing we all yearn for: to feel loved, seen, and valued.
