Cumbrian writer David Gaffney is known for his fiction – micro-fiction in Sawn-off Tales (2006), short stories in Aromabingo (2007) and a novel, Never, Never (2008) – but now he moves into new territory with his first ever show at the Edinburgh Fringe, Destroy PowerPoint. About PowerPoint, made in PowerPoint, presented in PowerPoint, David demonstrates how PowerPoint dominates, destroys, and pollutes workplace communication with his unique, funny, profound tales of a complex corporate world where the spirit thrives despite everything.

In what has been described as ‘office life eating itself in witty, profound stories of love and desperation in the workplace’, Claire declares her love through the medium of PowerPoint, a homeworker delivers a PowerPoint presentation to himself alone, and imagine a PowerPoint presentation aimed at preventing thought.

Why PowerPoint? ‘I’ve worked in many public service jobs,’ said David, ‘as a debt counsellor, a trainer, a funding officer, and a legal consultant, and I’ve been subjected to hundreds of PowerPoint presentations and delivered many as well. I began to wonder about the format: did PowerPoint release creativity within the workforce or stifle it?’ Using PowerPoint as a format to tell stories, this is the workplace talking to itself in the only language it knows. The stories are about people delivering PowerPoint presentations and, in traditional PowerPoint style, every word appears on the screen.’

David is of course well-known in Cumbria for his work with what he describes on one of book jackets as ‘a shady Government organisation.’ His website has further details of Destroy PowerPoint and his books: www.davidgaffney.co.uk

Destroy PowerPoint will appeal to anyone who likes good literature, strong original comedy, or is just interested in making fun of the way we communicate at work …think Daniel Kitson,The Office, Peep Show, Dave Gorman, David Shrigley. The show runs from 19 – 31 August, 8.06pm at C Soco, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. Tickets £7.50 – £9.50 (£6.50-£8.50 conc.) Bookings: 0845 260 1234 or www.cthefestival.com