Skip to main content
My Shows
News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

EDINBURGH 2015 - BWW Reviews: LABELS, Pleasance Courtyard, August 8 2015

By:
Featured Topic Edinburgh Festival More Coverage

Labels is a piece of theatre which examines how and why we label people. Written by Joe Sellman-Leava, he draws on his own experience of racism based on his multicultural heritage. Despite being born and raised in Devon, Joe has been asked many times where he is "really" from. His dad is of Indian descent which accounts for his slightly darker skin tone.

Joe is a very engaging performer and has a knack for storytelling. He opens with some statements about immigration, from the likes of Ed Miliband, David Cameron and Katie Hopkins. Having successfully riled the audience, he then goes on to tell us about his own background and the prejudices he has faced. One particular section where he talked about his use of Tinder and the way one woman talked about his "foreign" appearance made my jaw drop.

Throughout the show Joe uses sticky labels to literally label his audience. Joe uses the contrast between the labels and his family stories to make his point about how "migrants" aren't just statistics in the newspaper.

This is a very human, honest and often very funny approach to how society needs to label people as one thing or another.

Ticket information for Labels can be found on the edfringe website.

Reader Reviews

Need more Scotland Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...


BroadwayWorld TV


Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical in Scotland Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical
Gilded Balloon Patter House (8/05-8/29) PHOTOS VIDEOS
Elvis in Chaos in Scotland Elvis in Chaos
Lime Studio at Greenside @ George Street (8/07-8/15) VIDEOS
Dracula: Lucy's Dream in Scotland Dracula: Lucy's Dream
Pleasance at EICC (8/06-8/29)
Spin Cycle in Scotland Spin Cycle
Underbelly (Clover) (8/05-8/31)
Couplet: Folk Marry Kill in Scotland Couplet: Folk Marry Kill
Assembly George Square (8/05-8/30)
Baby Wants Candy in Scotland Baby Wants Candy
Assembly George Square Studios - One (8/05-8/30)
It's A Struggle Coming Out in Scotland It's A Struggle Coming Out
theSpace @ Niddry Street (8/08-8/13)
Shamilton! The Improvised Hip Hop Musical in Scotland Shamilton! The Improvised Hip Hop Musical
Assembly George Square Studios - One (8/05-8/30)
Aberdeen Arts Centre's Big Variety Show in Scotland Aberdeen Arts Centre's Big Variety Show
Aberdeen Arts Centre (10/02-10/03)
Sitting (In Silence) in Scotland Sitting (In Silence)
Summerhall (8/06-8/31)