More of a Marathon..

So my friends it comes to the last week of the fringe. Sadly there has been a distinct lack of blogging on my half. Well not Sadly as we have been to busy playing performing watching investigating innovating and generally passing out to really think about life out side the fringe – which is quite strange when you think about it. While we have been trapped in this bubble of theatre (where local news consists of the latest five star shows and press releases) the world around us has changed. There’s been deaths in Norway, Riots in London (in case you hadn’t noticed) but we remain unaffected. The shows still play and the rain still, unfortunately, falls.

It has certainly been more of a marathon than a sprint, with only two days off in a month many shows are fuelled by substantial amounts of coffee (not like some of these student shows who just call it off when they have a hangover) and er more coffee (or in my case Iron Bru..I hope that stuff is not addictive).  So although we may have not been through all the madness that the rest of the world is constantly going through we’ve been on a ‘madcap and inspired’ (according to the stage) journey of our own…more coming soon..

Beautiful and disturbing…

…often live very closely together for me. This is definitely a great example. Seen at the List party in the Summerhall. What a venue! Our friends from Para-Active are opening their all-nighter ‘Hotel Medea’ there tomorrow. Go and check it out of you can. It’s an amazing theatre experience. We went and had a look at the set. It looks great.
Also had a good dance-off with the guys and girls from Dance Marathon- can’t wait to see their show. It’s on at the Traverse.

Well and we are opening tomorrow! Today really. Damn, I should be sleeping!
Britt

Gorilla marketing..because apes do it better.

Well Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.

We have finally landed in a small arty flat in Edinburgh, or to continue the metaphor, the wonderful land of Oz. Good news is it comes with an amazing coffee maker and as the owner pointed out several times, an apple corer (what a relief, couldn’t function with out one of those). Bad news is that we have an incredibly full day tomorrow starting with getting up before sunrise to make rocket shaped promo biscuits…No one can ever say I’m not committed.

Yesterday we had our last preview in Liverpool so its been quite a week all in all. Good news is that even after a bit of time off costumes still fit (phew), lines are still remembered (thank god) and Mary can still balance OVER SEVEN BOXES on her head (gasp).

Off to my bed now but before I go..look out for It’s uniformation day stickers taking over the streets of Edinburgh  tomorrow..that’s if I can ever work out how to get the sticky bit off.

Purpose

I am sitting at the hair dressers, getting another injection for my fabulous hair acting. In terms of places I like in this world ‘the hair dressers’ closely follows ‘on the train’ and ‘on the loo’. All three are great locations for pondering. I guess that’s due to a certain amount of immobility in combination with a clear sense of purpose and a minimal mental effort required to reach the conclusion. These situations suit my paradoxical nature of lazy workaholic. I feel I’m getting things done whilst staring out of the window, into a magazine or preferably at a wall.
For example just now I browsed through pages and pages of pretty people, royalty gossip and predictable relationship advice, thouroughly enjoying myself whilst my roots were bleaching away, doing their thing.
I am having a productive day.
Britt

6 Days to Go…

Its the final countdown, the last week before we all go crazy loose our heads and become one with the force of *intake of breath* EDFEST.

As newbies on the festival scene we have spent the day reading all the blerb we probably should have read a few months ago. But hey, who needs info, Improv is the way forward!

( I mean really, who wants to go to something entitled (loosely) ‘Let me talk at you while you pretend to learn’.  Erm no thanks.  Having said that, Greener Touring could be extremely useful and might also pop in on Digital Audience Development, y’know, In case I run out of things to tweet about!)

The good news this week  is that  the to-do list is getting shorter and we are only 8% off our total fundraising amount. This means even if we, in the words of  Britt,  ’totally balls it up’ we can still function and eat and whatnot.  Hurrah! So a big thanks to all you lovely people who donated- we are performing because of you!

Finally like the professional I am, I will end with a shameless plug:

Get your Tickets for   It’s Uniformation day   at    www.zoofestival.co.uk

See you there!!

(I’ll be the one under the pile of badges, stickers and other (really cool) promotional items)

Meet the Intern

I felt it was about time to introduce my self ; I am the  skivvy/ rocket technician/ tweeter/ fresh blood  of  the  group (ok maybe not that last one, that sounded a bit sinister). But it is true none the less – our group is small but merry (as you will surely see if you are coming to check out our show up in August) and that makes me the obvious newbie. Unfortunately I’ve already played my beginners card when I accidentally sent out the wrong email to a rather large group of promoters *oops*. So from now its strictly professional actions. Yes. *ahem* .

I have been working with the lovely Foolsproof for about a month now and will be travelling up to Edfest with them in early August-  As our time leading up to Edinburgh becomes more hectic you will be hearing more from me and the ins and outs of life up in one of the largest arts festivals in the world. Are you excited ? I know I am!

Watch the trailer

It’s Uniformation Day Trailer‬‏

Tags: edfringe, Edinburgh, Fringe Festival, performance, theatre

Have a look at some images

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Tags: edfringe, Edinburgh, Fringe Festival, performance, theatre

Extremism

The other day I met a none theatre friend of mine and after some small talk we of course ended up with the subject Edinburgh Fringe. This happens without exception in every conversation I have lately. He asked me lots of questions about the Festival until we got to that point I nearly almost always get to with most none theatre people when they say: ‘So you have to pay a lot of money, that you might never see again, work your ass off, get punished if you are too slow, have to try and convince people to see your work by  at least landing a helicopter on Princess Street and after all that you don’t even know if your show, although I thought it was quite good (that’s a compliment, he is not the overly enthusiastic type), will ever be picked up out of thousands of others… Why are you doing this to yourself?

Admittedly, I had actually wondered that before. I still went quiet for a bit and then I said something like this: ‘I guess, in the theatre world it feels to me, if you have done Edinburgh, you can do anything.

He thought for a bit and then replied: ‘Ah, I think I understand. It’s some sort of Three Peaks Challenge or a Tour de France.

He nailed it.

Does that mean, since about two months I am doing the high altitude preparation training? It feels like it.

Britt (or call me Lance)

We’ve got a show!

I still can’t believe it. It’s always a surprise, that moment of going from a lot of material, ideas and general stuff to an actual show. We’ve known it for some days, but I’ve just been too enwrapped (did I just make that up or is that a word in your language?) or too tired to write about it.
I feel a bit like crying out: it’s a girl! It’s a girl! It’s a show! It’s a show!
Jamie has left today and Mamoru is leaving early tomorrow morning. They were amazing. What a brilliant team of collaborators. We are very lucky.
And the smoothest tech this company has ever done. That must be because we keep on getting uniformed again and again.
I got the death speech again, Ben is happy with his ostrich egg and Mary gets to seduce someone in a wedding dress. We all became proper cracks at playing ball. What else can one wish for?