Sunday’s Child
Eva O'Connor and Sophie Fuller tell us how their very different degrees combined to create Sunday's Child - a theatre company who are bringing their fourth production to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
| Name | Eva O’Connor |
| Degree Course | German and English Literature |
| Year of Graduation | 2013 |
| Name | Sophie Fuller |
| Degree Course | Architecture |
| Year of Graduation | 2013 |
Your time at the University
Sophie: I was attracted to Edinburgh because of its architectural and cultural beauty. I also thought Edinburgh University had lots of possibilities to not only enhance my architectural knowledge but also to throw myself into lots of other different activities.
Eva: I was drawn to Edinburgh University because it has a reputation for supporting the arts and I wanted to pursue theatre at the same time as studying.
In our first year at University we established our theatre company Sunday’s Child. Whilst studying we have created and produced four original works of theatre. We performed our first production ‘Clinical Lies’ at the Bedlam Theatre student Festival which was the perfect spring board for us to take the show to Fringe the following summer.
My architecture degree helped improve my skills as a director and producer and theatre gave a new perspective to my degree.
In our second year we received the English Literature Play Fund for our production of ‘My Best Friend Drowned in a Swimming Pool’. Last year we were winners of NSDF’s Emerging Artist Award for our third production ‘Kiss Me and You Will See How Important I Am’. Which we performed in Edinburgh, London and Dublin to great critical acclaim. We are currently bringing our fourth production to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
We feel that we had a great experience integrating our academic experience and our extracurricular passion for theatre although it was at times challenging to balance both we had a really positive experience over the past four years.
Tell us about your Experiences since leaving the University
We graduated just this summer so it hasn’t been long! However, we have rehearsed and developed our current piece Substance and will be performing it 27 times in C Nova in the heart of the Fringe Festival.
We really excited about this Fringe, Substance explores the subject of drug use in young people and the effects it has on relationships. We are keen to explore issues that are relevant to young people in society, which are often misrepresented in mainstream debate.
Eva: I was selected to be a member of the Traverse 50, a playwrighting scheme to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh. This was a great opportunity to develop as a playwright. I also had the chance to combine my academic work with mylove of performing when I was invited to perform at the Scottish Story-telling centre on the Royal Mile alongside Ian Rankin, Alan Bissett and Joe Claufield. I performed short stories that I had written as part of my coursework for English Literature.
We are keen to explore issues that are relevant to young people in society, which are often misrepresented in mainstream debate.
Alumni wisdom
Eva: Savour every minute because the four years fly by. Throw yourself into every experience that comes your way. Try and meet all your deadlines.
Sophie: You may not realise the possibilities that your academic studies can open up to you. My architecture degree helped improve my skills as a director and producer and theatre gave a new perspective to my degree. Sometimes it’s hard to see how your hobbies and your degree can go hand-in-hand, but there’s always a way, and the end results can often surprise you.
