Sarah Kendall's Adolescent Advice

As I mature (might as well say it: get older), I find I’m constantly reaching back to my adolescence for inspiration. This year I’m telling the story about the day my friend died for exactly 11 seconds. 

I love writing about my teenage years because I get to live out my Judy Blume fantasies. That stage of life is such a rich seam – it’s a total pressure cooker. When you’re a teenager, quite often a huge chunk of your life is restricted to two locations: home and school. You have no money, you can’t travel and it’s impossible to get away from people. Your first complex emotions are emerging, and you’re trying to make sense of them through the blur of being a hormonal nutcase. Your hair is mad and you smell kind of weird.

It’s a funny, painful and confusing bucket of shit. But it’s also special. A big special bucket of shit. 

If you’re a teenager here at the Festival, I would urge you to go see as much as you can. Look through the brochure: there’s comedy, music, dance, theatre. Some of it is for little kids and some of it is for boring adults. But lots of it is for everyone and seeing a show that you love can blow your mind and change the way you think and the way you live your life. So get out and see stuff. If you have no money, the Free Fringe is a great way to see some of the most interesting and cutting-edge shows at the festival. If you have a bit of spare cash… well, I can highly recommend A Day in October…