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Skin a Cat, Assembly Rooms, review

August 24, 2018

The honesty with which Skin a Cat discusses problems that we girls hide (even from our best friends) is the biggest step forward I’ve seen this August.

Rive Productions’ Skin a Cat reminds me of many productions that would visit my school back in the day: simple scenography, topical, funny yet didactic. It’s undeniably better than anything else I’ve seen, though, on the topic of teenage – and especially female – sexuality. Although first performed 2016, the honesty with which Skin a Cat discusses problems that we girls hide even from our best friends is the biggest step forward I’ve seen this August.

The show follows Alana through her sexual life, from the first time she got her period to the time she finally accepted herself as a whole, sexually-satisfied woman. That journey was not easy nor short, with Alana having severe vaginismus. And although at the beginning we believe there is only one happy ending for Alana – a cure for vaginismus needs to be found – the jewel of the show is the ending, which embraces the differences in sexual experiences. Finally, it only matters whether the people involved enjoy the act – not what the society thinks of it. 

Lydia Larson plays the main role of Alana and is helped by Libby Rodliffe and Joe Eyre, who take on a number of different roles throughout the play. Their versatility is a pure joy to watch as they change their voice, mannerism and energy within seconds. The trio, together with director Blythe Stewart and the rest of the creative team, show how a simple staging can go a long way and have more impact on the audience then the vast majority of grand-scale shows. Shows like Skin a Cat are why Fringe festivals exist. 

This show deals strictly with sex but it is suitable for 14+, if you have an open dialogue with your children. The scenes use humour rather than any kind of obscenity (up to the point that I would not be embarrassed to see with my mum). Definitely worth catching this Fringe, or at least reading the text if you can’t manage to, it’s a mind-opener, a conversation-opener – and, in many respects, a necessity. 

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Edinburgh  / Edinburgh Plays

Žad Novak
Žad Novak is currently studying Comparative Literature and German at the University of Glasgow, with Theatre Studies as her additional subject. When not at university, she volunteers/works as an assistant (to the) director in professional theatres in Zagreb, Glasgow and Berlin. Her passion lies in brining theatre, literature and film from non-English-speaking countries into the spotlight, believing that exposing people to artworks from other places helps battle inequality and xenophobia. She is one of the founders of Glasgow International Student Theatre, a theatre society at University of Glasgow aiming to stage translated plays from around the world. Nevertheless, none of this is to say that she cannot enjoy a good production of Shakespeare. She is deeply, deeply grateful to all the amazing baristas across Edinburgh, the unsung heroes that make her Fringe-Binge possible! When she is not involved in making theatre, she loves to talk about past productions, and complains about missing ‘the theatre life’. Recently, she has found relief in writing reviews. Her family and friends are grateful.

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