EDINBURGH 2014 - BWW Reviews: THE 3RD SECTOR, Pleasance Courtyard, August 9 2014

The Third Sector is a play that focuses on charitable organisations, specifically one that promotes organ donation. The play begins with a young, enthusiastic phone worker trying to raise awareness through cold calling. The woman she calls gives an excuse as to why she won't support the charity and the manager of the organisation explains to his employee that she needs to read between the questions on the script and challenge the responses she receives. He then shifts the blame onto her and implies that if she doesn't get people to sign up for organ donations she is pretty much murdering them herself.

We are given a bit of background about the organisation and introduced to Marlin who is an idealistic young girl that feels she can really achieve some good working with them. She dropped out of university and spent time (funded by her parents) working with orphans in Uganda and is now looking to dedicate her life to helping those in need.

The 3rd Sector is a very clever play with recognisable characters. There are genuine do-gooders but there are also people who are using the organisation to further their careers or to pad out their CVs. The celebrity face behind the charity seems to believe in the cause but others have a very clear agenda and it becomes evident that the organisation is corrupt.

This is a very original play and it is packed with plot twists. The writing is excellent and there are plenty of dark funny moments. A particular highlight was the focus on how certain events are spun for the media and advertising campaigns, describing African villages as "the set" during video appeals and choosing which orphans look the most skeletal.

The 3rd Sector runs at Pleasance Courtyard until August 25th.