Miniaturised shows tackle big problems at the Edinburgh festival

Two inventive productions, Dimanche and Concerned Others, use puppetry and object-theatre to tackle vast environmental and social subjectsSuch is the enormity of the problems facing humanity at the start of the 21st century, it is hard to get a perspective on them. How can we comprehend overwhelmingly large events such as the melting of the ice caps at the same time as trying to do something about it? Can the shifting perspectives of puppetry and an object-theatre world, where vast landscapes are rendered in miniature and street-level problems are viewed from above, allow us to think afresh about questions that otherwise seem too close for comfort?Two shows in Edinburgh attempt to come up with an answer. Running in the international festival, Dimanche (?????) is a collaboration between Focus and Chaliwaté, two Belgian puppetry and physical theatre companies, and uses a jokey cartoon-like format to take us on a global tour of environmental disasters. In their roles as a wildlife documentary crew, the performers Julie Tenret, Sicaire Durieux and Sandrine Heyraud (who also write and direct) come to an unfortunate end as the ice cracks, the waters rise and the storms brew.Dimanche is at Church Hill theatre, Edinburgh, until 19 August. Concerned Others is at Summerhall, Edinburgh, until 27 AugustAll our Edinburgh festival reviews Continue reading...