Naked on Stage are a group of creative writing students from St Andrews University who have brought some of their material to the Fringe. Each show comprises of two readings of short stories by the authors, followed by a one-act play. As the title suggests, the line up is different each day, which gives this show a lot of promise, as the line up is never the same twice.
I can certainly see the appeal for both fans of creative writing and theatre and it’s a great opportunity to seek out some hidden talents, although I’m not sure if this is one that will be hugely popular with the members of the Fringe audience who expect a more polished production.
It’s a great testament to a piece of writing if it can hold an audiences attention when performed in such a raw and intimate way but unfortunately the performances I saw didn’t manage to do that. The subject matter for the short stories was far too gentle for my liking, and at some points I found it to be actually quite patronising in its delivery. The play had much more promise and, for me, was the highlight of the performance.
I’m sure that within the overall run there will be some interesting pieces of writing, and for this reason, I would recommend people to give the show a chance.
2/5
Becky Stone
