OLD PAULINE PROFILES
PERFORMERS
TAKING A SHOW TO THE EDINBURGH FRINGE In art, originality is everything. “You go up with an idea, and you come back with a show” Given this, it is difficult to believe that, every year, over three and a half thousand shows descend upon Edinburgh for three weeks for the city’s famous Fringe Festival. For comedians Alexander Fox and Jacob Lovick (both 2006-2011), the Fringe is a fixture in the calendar. But what does it actually take to bring a show up to Edinburgh? For both Alex and Jacob, comedy and performing dates back to their time at St Paul’s. This largely revolved around a fledgling ImpSoc (or Improvisation Society). A far cry from today’s sellout ImpSoc shows at the School theatre, their ImpSoc mostly consisted of a small cluster of 4th formers trying to make each other laugh in the old Drama Studio. “In a sense, improvisation is the meat and drink of Paulines,” Alex suggests. “Something about flying by the seat of your pants and hoping someone doesn’t catch you out, or saying something with such confidence that no one questions you.” “I didn’t really enjoy sport at School, and didn’t really enjoy many of my lessons. I just found my niche in trying to make people laugh,” Jacob adds. Did St Paul’s encourage them to be performers? Not particularly—very few, if any, of their year ended up at drama school—but it was certainly supportive at the time. There were plenty of opportunities to perform and direct.
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ATRIUM
SPRING / SUMMER 2020
