NARCOLEPSY Comes to Summerhall, Red Lecture Theatre

Multiple Fringe First Award-winner Chris Goode returns to the Fringe with a new solo performance that uses the life and death of River Phoenix, and his iconic portrayal of a street hustler with the sleep disorder narcolepsy, as a lens through which to look back on the turbulent experience of coming of age and coming out in the early/mid-90's - from the distance of a quarter-century and the vantage of a political culture that has been transformed almost beyond recognition.

In March 1992, Gus Van Sant's film My Own Private Idaho was released in the UK. The following year, its breakout star, River Phoenix, died of a drug overdose. These two events were to prove defining landmarks for a whole generation of young queer men and women.

In September 1996, Channel 4 screened a documentary about River Phoenix as a gay icon. One slightly unwitting participant in that documentary was a then 23-year-old Chris Goode. Now he's 46, so that period is literally half a lifetime away.

In Narcolepsy, Chris weaves commentary around extracts from his appearance in that Channel 4 programme, threading together stories of friends, comrades, lovers and other casualties from that elusive time: including the intense summer of his first Edinburgh fringe, back in 1994 - exactly twenty-five years ago. A blend of reflective documentary and fractured autobiography, using vivid archive imagery and a wildly evocative music score, Narcolepsy tells a gently complex, intimate story about how we become who we are.

Speaking about the show, Chris Goode said, "It's an absolute thrill to be returning to Edinbugh with my 25th show in 25 years, and to be (a bit nervously) bringing a more immediately personal show than I've ever made before. To be part of the Summerhall programme for the first time is an especial pleasure: I'm so glad to know that, after all these years, there are still so many new connections to be made. The Fringe formed me as an artist and there's nowhere I'd rather be."

Chris Goode is a writer, theatre maker and storyteller, and the artistic director of Chris Goode & Company. His distinguished track record at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe led to his receiving the inaugural Stage Special Award in 2014. His Fringe First Award-winning shows are: Men in the Cities (CG&Co, Traverse, 2014); Monkey Bars (CG&Co, Traverse, 2012); Kiss of Life (Signal to Noise, Pleasance, 2002); and Neutrino (Unlimited Theatre, Pleasance, 2001). Other recent Edinburgh projects have included: User Not Found (with Dante or Die: Traverse offsite, 2018); EVE (with Jo Clifford: National Theatre of Scotland, Traverse, 2017); What If I Told You (with Pauline Mayers: Summerhall, 2017); and The Worst of Scottee (with Scottee: Assembly, 2013).

Running Time: 70 minutes | Suitable for ages 16+

Summerhall, Red Lecture Theatre, (Venue 26) 1 Summerhall, Edinburgh, EH9 1PL

31 Jul - 25 Aug (not 12 & 19), 13.00 - 14.10

Previews: 31 Jul and 1 Aug, £5

2 - 26 Aug: £12 (£10 concs)

www.summerhall.co.uk | 0131 560 1580

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