Rory Aaron’s This Town is a brutal and honest one-man show based on his epic poem And Within These Cobbled Streets. The show pushes the boundaries of spoken word, storytelling and theatre, dropping audiences into a small midlands town whilst investigating the difficulties of male friendship, masculinity and sexuality.
It arrives at the Edinburgh Fringe after a successful sold-out run at Manchester’s Contact and Derby Theatre and Aaron took time out from preparations to tell us more about the show.
Q&A with Rory Aaron
How does it feel to be making your Edinburgh Fringe debut?
This is going to be my first show at The Fringe, so I am very excited. I’ve never actually been to the festival, so I’m just really looking forward to experiencing every aspect. It just feels like the mecca of Theatre, and so many fantastic artists are going to be there. As for having a show at The Pleasance, I just feel incredibly lucky. If it wasn’t for the support of The Pleasance, Curve Theatre, Derby Theatre and Contact in Manchester I’d never have made it.
What can you tell us about your show and its inspiration?
It started off as an epic narrative poem that I published with Verve Press back in 2021. At the time I was headlining quite a few poetry open mic nights, so I started to perform pieces of it as part of my set. It was Sarah Bringham from Derby Theatre who first contacted me about it becoming a play, if it wasn’t for her support I wouldn’t be here now. The show itself is quite autobiographical. You meet this narrator, and he takes you back in time, and tells you about a story of two friends Dean and Joe, as they navigate life growing up in Derby, but you also meet other characters from the town. The main themes are class, masculinity, mental health and sexuality, and there is a lot of tension between the narrator and the story. Why is he telling it you? What is the effect it is having on him?
How do you think audiences will react to the show?
I hope they enjoy it! The show has some sad and funny moments. It is a real emotional rollercoaster, but does end on a high and with a lovely little twist.
How have you been preparing for the festival?
We’re in the rehearsal stage now, so just getting everything up on its feet. I’m really lucky to be working with Kao Hove, who is a director based in Manchester. I’ve worked with them a couple of times and they are so talented. They’ve found such a beautiful and poignant way to tell the story. I’ve also been doing quite a lot of running, and healthy eating, to try and make sure I’m as fit and strong as I can be for the run.
Will you get a chance to enjoy the rest of the festival?
I hope so! I’m there for the whole time, and like I said, I’ve never been before, so I plan to enjoy as much of it as I can. The Pleasance has such an incredible programme, so I’m making a big list of what I want to see. I feel like it is a bit of a once in a lifetime, so I’m definitely going to make the most of it.
Do you have any Fringe anecdotes you can share with us?
Me and my mate tried to hitchhike up when we were 18, we got as far as Newcastle and had to sleep in a field whilst it was throwing it down. True story. This time I’m going to catch the train, just to make sure I arrive.
This Town is at Bunker One, Pleasance Courtyard from 31 July to 26 August
