The University of Edinburgh is a fundamental component of the Edinburgh Fringe. A huge number of the spaces used for performances each August are ordinarily teaching spaces or a part of the EUSA – the Edinburgh University Students’ Association).
The University of Edinburgh also makes much of its historic link to providing the first university-level education for women in the United Kingdom, in the guise of providing lectures to seven women who wished to study to become doctors.
This group of seven women, led by Sophia Jex-Blake, were pioneers in their fields and were opposed at almost every turn by the men who controlled access to education, and the professions, in the Victorian era.
Dramatising the story of the ‘Edinburgh Seven’, as the group are known, is not a new idea – there have been plays made of the story before.
Here, there is heavy usage of the women’s own words, as contained within their public speeches, and private correspondence.
How much you will understand what is going on for the first twenty or so minutes will depend on how well you already know the story of this moment in history for women’s equality.
If you aren’t already aware of who the women were, and what they did, then this first section may be somewhat confusing, as the background is laid out before the premise is introduced.
Thereafter, we are presented with some background, and everything becomes clearer. Of the seven women, some are given more time in the spotlight than others: Jex-Blake leads the way, with Isabel Thorne and Edith Pechey receiving the majority of the secondary attention.
This is a decision which makes sense, as breaking down the full motivations of all seven women would take more time than is allotted for this fifty-minute performance.
Regretfully, this is yet another show which has directed its cast to either sit or kneel downstage, meaning that the back few rows are unable to see the actions of the cast for extended periods. It’s an all too common problem at this year’s Fringe which could be solved with some reblocking.
Overall, this is a dash through the history of the fight these women had to undertake to be allowed to study, to take their exams, and to be allowed to qualify as doctors. As the narrative continues, more and more unfairness piles upon the women. The horror of the Surgeons’ Hall Riot is well represented, and the fear and terror felt by the women is palpable.
The performance ends with the coda that the women, denied their degrees in 1873 by the Senate of the University, were finally awarded their qualifications in 2019. It’s a damning statement of the hypocrisy of a sector that all too often squashes down pioneers, only to use those struggles for positive marketing purposes decades later.
If you are already familiar with the Edinburgh Seven, and want to hear not only their own words, but to understand the public discourse surrounding them at the time, then this is a good play to provide that further detail. If however, you are coming to this fresh, the structure of the piece may lead to an overwhelming sense of confusion.
The Edinburgh Seven continues at Greenside @ Riddles Court – Thistle Theatre (Venue 16) at 12.40pm (12:40) each day until August 24th
Featured Image courtesy of Fringe Society
