Buxton Festival Fringe: Normality is a mirage...

Fruitcake - Ten Commandments from the Psych Ward is a sixty minute solo show by comic, poet and ex-psychiatric nurse, Rob Gee.

The show charts a night shift on an acute psychiatric unit, seen through the eyes of a jaded nurse who hears the voice of God. God happens to be a kindly Jamaican woman who gives him ten benevolent commandments to help him through the shift; and life.

Fruitcake recently sold out across North America, picking up numerous awards, including Critic's Pick at the Toronto Fringe, Best Spoken Word at the Minnesota Fringe and Best of Fest at the Calgary, Ottawa and Winnipeg Fringes. Next month it comes to the Buxton Festival Fringe.

Fruitcake's creator, Rob Gee, spent eleven years working as a registered nurse in psychiatric units around the UK and Australia. Now a performance poet, he’s won several poetry slams, regularly appears on BBC Radio and tours internationally. Rob's is the only performance ever to have instigated a fight at the Leamington Spa Peace Festival. For a full biography, click here.    

Rob, who grew up in Derby, enjoyed looking back at his old career with fresh eyes: “When I first wrote Fruitcake, I performed it to an audience of people I’d nursed in the past. I was really nervous! Thankfully the feedback was very positive, it was a huge relief.”

Fruitcake also features internationally renowned dub poet Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze as the disembodied voice of God. Jean has been described by the British Council as “one of the most important, influential performance poets of recent years.” She also has a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Fruitcake is showing in July at part of Buxton Festival Fringe, at Underground Venues (10):  Sun 12th July 5:30pm, Mon 13th July 7pm, Tues 14th and Weds 15th July 5:30pm to 6:30pm.

Admission £7 (Child and Conc £6). Running time 1 hour.

Bookings via http://2015.underthefringe.com/shows/fruitcake.                                         

Bookings (noon-3pm) & info: 02081 440 070. Other prices/discounts available..

 

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