Creator: Darren Yorke
Novel Ideas begins with Darren Yorke facing the audience expectantly, as though he’s curious who’s running the show, the audience or him. The tension is palpable. Here is a writer who has all the materials – a pen, paper, post-it notes. Even a typewriter. But can he come up with a story?
Will the audience give him what he wants and needs, or will he pluck inspiration out of thin air? A pleasant mixture of both.
Darren Yorke presents this piece as a writer/teacher. Audience members are active participants in the show. A flurry of post-it notes with ideas go up on the drawing board. Spanner. Glitter. Sandwich. Toolbox. You’d assume it wouldn’t amount to much, and yet somehow Yorke manages to create an amusing and moving tale.
In a shared space – the perfectly chosen Gutter Bookshop, cosy but not claustrophobic – the possibilities that can come out of a seemingly random brainstorming session are inspiring.
Writing is mostly an isolating process; this piece, with all its play and improvisation, is a welcome reminder that writing can be a joyful thing.
The interaction with the audience was well considered, and free enough to be fun without risking becoming an audience’s show. Yorke had great audience control, playing with the audience comfortably. The accompaniment of the cello may not have been necessary, but it was a pleasing overture to a fun-filled fifty minutes. A clever piece.
The Dublin Fringe Festival was the perfect forum for a piece like this.
It’s imaginative yet simple, and thoroughly enjoyable. Hopefully this may mark the beginning of novel ideas like this.
Reviewed 17th Sept 2026.
