Fringe newcomer Antosh Wojcik, whose one-man show at Summerhall explores dementia through spoken word and live drumming, is teaming up with Vintage Vibes, a charitable partnership that tackles isolation and loneliness among over-60s in Edinburgh.
In How to Keep Time: A Drum Solo for Dementia, Reading-born Antosh, 26, tells the moving story of his Polish grandfather’s struggle against vascular dementia and the effect it had on the people around him. “I want to de-stigmatise dementia and give it a human voice,” he says. “I want to unlock some critical questions about memory and language. What happens when memories disappear? Where do they go and can we get them back? Can I use my drums to communicate with my grandfather?” How to Keep Time is at Summerhall from 1st to 26th August at 10.15am and has been selected as a ‘top pick’ of the Fringe by The Sunday Post.
Antosh has previously collaborated with organisations supporting older people such as Creative Dementia Arts Network and is looking forward to meeting some of Vintage Vibes’ staff and participants during his run, as well as disseminating information about the project after his performances. Georgia Artus of Vintage Vibes says, “We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with How to Keep Time. So few people realise that dementia can impact speech and motor skills, as well as memory. This innovative performance brings this to light and we can’t wait for audiences to experience it.”
Antosh Wojcik was a resident artist at the Roundhouse and is a member of poetry collectives Kid Glove and Burn After Reading. He has performed at festivals including Glastonbury, Latitude and Bestival. Twitter @antoshwojcik
Vintage Vibes is a partnership between LifeCare Edinburgh and The Broomhouse Centre. It was launched late in 2015 with part-funding from The Big Lottery towards the first four years. Vintage Vibes hopes to plug the gap of a city-wide service that offers longer-term benefits to people seeking better connections. It offers one to one visiting in and outside the home; hospital visiting; pet visiting/therapy at home/hospice, nursing home; family visiting; and friendship pools. Twitter: @vintagevibesed
Penned in the Margins is an award-winning independent publisher and literary arts producer. Their pioneering productions include Kalagora (2011) and No Dogs, No Indians (2017) by Siddhartha Bose, the medieval re-imagining Fair Field (2017) and solo shows by Hannah Silva and Ross Sutherland. Twitter @PennedintheM
Listings
Antosh Wojcik & Penned in the Margins
HOW TO KEEP TIME: A DRUM SOLO FOR DEMENTIA
1 - 26 August*
10.15 am (60 mins)
£10 (£8 concessions; £6 previews)
* Excludes 13 & 20 August; previews 1-2 August.
Venue: 26 Summerhall
1 Summerhall Edinburgh EH9 1PL
Summerhall Box Office: 0131 560 1581
Fringe Box Office: 0131 226 0000
festival18.summerhall.co.uk
tickets.edfringe.com
Press contact: Tom Chivers 07729 887 236
info@pennedinthemargins.co.uk