You've rehearsed your show, booked your accommodation and packed your bags – but how are you going to cope with the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, while maintaining a semblance of sanity? Olivia Humpheys shares tips from some old pros...
Don’t expect too much
Nadia Kamil, one half of awesome comedy act The Behemoth, says, “Do not expect to win awards and blow all the critics away. If you do, you will endure an oppressively disappointing month. At most, allow yourself to hope you can recoup most of the costs and that eventually your toes will dry out.”
Suzanne Andrade from critically acclaimed theatre company 1927 [read our interview with them] agrees: “It’s fine to lose money, perform to an audience of six, and to wonder what the balls you’re doing at the Fringe; as long as you can take these experiences, use them and come back fighting next year.”
Go guerrilla
Rosy Banham, this year working on a devised piece with PartingShot, recommends guerrilla tactics: “If you can, get your hands on a ladder then hit the Mile at the dead of night and poster around the very tops of the RBS publicity pillars – no one else will be able to reach those top spots to cover you up for a while! If no ladder is available, then get practicing your acrobatics as you’ll have to stand on each other’s shoulders...”
Make time for other shows
Suzanne says, “See as much as you possibly can; it’s inspiring to learn what works and indeed what doesn’t”. Charlie Henniker, of Unexpected Productions (which is taking four shows to the Fringe this year), thinks the best time for this is the first week of the festival: “Tickets are cheaper, your venue pass might actually get you into the decent shows before they start selling out, and you can spend the rest of the Fringe answering ‘yes’ in all honesty when people ask if you’ve seen their act.”
Don’t assume you won’t be able to see a sold-out show, say Barry and Stuart (stars of BBC1’s The Magicians, performing nightly at the Underbelly): “Ask for tickets again 10-15 minutes before the show begins. There are often tickets that are held back and then released just before the performance starts. You can see almost anything using this trick.”
Don’t make enemies
Charlie Henniker says, “Be nice to venue technicians. They make everything work and fix problems in some not-very-ideal conditions. They are mostly confronted by groups or individuals who think that their show is The Most Important Thing in the World and are rarely asked their names. Thank them wherever you can and get them a parting gift at the end of the run – ideally not a signed copy of your production’s poster.”
Prepare for the weather
The show must go on, come rain or shine (usually the former). Nadia says, “Work your fashion look around layering. Edinburgh in August is a weather demo machine. Ideally you want some flip-flops that turn into waders, and a sunhat that doubles as a golf umbrella.”
Take some time out
Some time away from your fellow artistes is an absolute must, if you’re keen on retaining some semblance of sanity. Charlie Henniker advocates spending some time on your own: “You’ll be living, most likely, with the people you see every day for the show. You’ll probably go and see a lot of stuff with them. And depending on your show’s budget, you may even end up sharing a bed with them.”
Rosy advises a trip to Royal Botanic Garden when it all gets too much, while Charlie suggests “climbing Arthur’s Seat alone at 6am safe in the knowledge that when you get to the top, nobody will be able to hear you weeping.”
Enjoy!
Read more How to articles.
IdeasTap is running a series of career-boosting events at the Underbelly, Bristo Square, Edinburgh, from 8 to 23 August.
Find out more on our Edinburgh microsite.Image: Edinburgh Festival 2009-69 by Hugh Simmons, available under a CC BY-ND 2.0 license.