Caterham Rep brings an original play written by Louise and Michael Fahey to Edinburgh following their Fringe debut last year. One of three Rep companies within Caterham school in Surrey, it aims to promote excellence in performance, providing opportunities for the school’s most talented senior performers to challenge themselves and extend their skills. This includes participation in a wide range of production venues and genres.
Taking a fresh look at individuality, And Then There’s Me, presents a montage of perspectives and styles, including physical theatre and verbatim, tightly directed and choreographed by Louise Fahey. In a world full of wonderfully different people – dramatic, dreamy, daring and disturbing, we join this medley of characters on a journey through their dreams, hopes and fears as they each discover what makes them different and exciting.
The young troupe of seven girls and four boys, dressed in jeans and multi-coloured zipped up hoodies and different coloured t-shirts, tackle the problems that affect so many of their generation including dealing with issues of mental health, OCD, allergies, self-harming, imaginary and superficial friends. Each cast member shines as individuals and there’s great energy to their performances, but the staging and format lends itself to themes of group working. The audience is taken on the individual’s journeys and it is far from being depressing. And Then There’s Me deals with each of the difficult topics with humour and an element of insight. Far from heavy, the performance takes a light-hearted look at what it means to be an individual, presenting an honest view on how we cope with life’s challenges using the medium of the arts. How do we think others see us? And does it matter?