So the final week is underway

At the weekend an interviewer asked me to sum up my Edinburgh experience in one sentence. I said “up/down, recurring and not always in that order”. But in truth I’ve loved Edinburgh this year. For all its frustrations you really can see extremely talented and thoughtful people doing brilliant things of every conceivable kind on an hourly basis for the whole month. It is a privilege to be here. It doesn’t always feel like it, but it is.

My highpoint has been Martin Creed at the Traverse; stonking, jagged, punky pop music with hilarious conceptual art, lyrics, beautiful, funny films and tightly structured spatial choreography, so far up my street that he could have called it Aylestone Road No. 604 instead of Ballet work No. 1020. Totally unencumbered by the form, he has made something radical and thrilling.

On a personal level getting our first 5 star review ever, after 12 years of making stuff together was momentarily exciting, as was the second one. But then came the sobering realisation that this did not (as I had naively assumed) mean sold out shows for the rest of the run.

My low point was hearing Lauren Laverne (former presenter of The Culture Show) saying that the words ‘Physical Theatre’ usually sent a shiver down her spine. She now goes into my moron box. Yes I have one. It’s bloody big and quite cramped in there. I do also have a lovely genius box and that’s even bigger and brimming with delights from Edinburgh 2010. Open your mind Lauren `cause there’s some great shit out there.