I am gonna be going to the festival this year (very exciting) but have never been before. So any of you Edinburgh fringe veterans out there got any advice? what should I expect? Any funny stories?
Take quite a bit of money though, it's as expensive (or even more) as London. Go to "Frankensteins" (theme pub) for the midnight horror show. It's not scary in the slightest, but is a laugh. We loved it.
The whole town is amazing, you'll have a great time. So many bars, so much to see, ahhh I miss it!
Are you performing or watching? If you're performing I'll give you the work-related info.
Alrite mate!!
Well done! I went to Edinburgh Fringe with a Uni show in August 03; had am AMAZING time!! There'll street acts (circus,acrobats,mimes,dancers,U name it!) fringe theatre,world theatre, comedians,musicals plus late clubs and bars open til past 5am! Plus Edinburghs a beautiful city, more than enough in way of sight seeing;Arthurs seat,Scotts monument, Military Tatu;(gutted I missed that!) shopping up Princess st! I sound like a bloody tour guide, lol!
If you are taking a show up there, one piece of advice I will give you is be tactical when flyering or promoting your show on the Royal Mile; we had to do it every morning,(groan!) Remember a lot of people goin are just tryin to get to work, put up with it every day and get sick of being hassled;(and are bloody miserable!)rejection sometimes can get a bit disheartening! I would advise you to come up with some kind of street performance as a preview of your show; they seemed to get much stronger response and interest? Best of luck, James.C :@)
It's a fantastic experience!! I went there as a performer in 2004, got the bug and visited for a few days last year and will be doing the same this year.
Make sure you go & see as many other shows as poss. (althoug this can work out quite expensive) Some will fill you with admiration and awe, some will make you feel really good about yourself (!!)
Look in the Scotsman for '2 for 1' tickets and just take a chance with what you go & see. If your show is at a venues with several performing spaces in its group, your performers pass should get you in to see other shows there for free.
Don't forget to let us know what your show's called and where & when it's on!
I'm a bit of a Festival veteran as I'm from there & also have acted in/produced shows up there. You'll have an amazing time!
It isn't cheap, but it's nowhere near as expensive as London! Best to take advantage of the half price ticket booth at Waverley for cheap tickets or see things on 2 4 1 as someone already suggested.
Drinking wise, there are a few places I can suggest. The Ivanhoe opposite Jenners (Princes Street / South St Davis St) does great food & 2 4 1 on various bottles. Also £1.50 a pint thursdays if memory serves... My sister works there, so give Susanna a cheeky smile ;-)!
Also, Opium is great if you like Rock music. Sunday is £1 all drinks (yes really) & it's free entry every night - open till 5am too. Espionage is also free in, open till 5, and is a terrible meat market (which may or may not appeal...!).
The place to be is the Library bar in Teviot (Guilded Balloon) as that's where all the performers hang out (comics etc - it ain't that easy to get in tho i'm afraid).
This year I'm having a rest, supposedly, and am reviewing for 'Three Weeks'. We try & review every single show (dear lord...) so the best place to look if you want to find out if a show you're going to is good, bad or indifferent is www.threeweeks.co.uk, the daily review sheet, or the weekly paper. All free so help yourselves.
Last but not least - shameless plugs!
See Patrick Monahan's "Do The Right Thing" at the Smirnoff Underbelly. Truly the friendliest comic around - prepare to be hugged!
Also Jason Wood's "My Anus Horriblis" will be wicked - v. funny & v. camp he's a lovely man with THE most amazing singing voice.
I went to the Edinburgh Festival in 04 and had a good time. It's hard work and yes, I second the advice about having a "gimick" or performance on the Royal Mile when flyering in very true. It is packed up there and everyone wants an audience.
I worked with aforementioned comedian Jason Wood at The Assembly Rooms and Deborah, you're right, Jason is a great guy, very funny and a great performer, so do try and see him if you can. I didn't do nearly as much as I could have and so advice is.. soak it all up like a sponge! The Gilded Balloon is a cool place to go. Luckily I was able to get in. I know it was good because I don't remember leaving most of the time!!
XX
Shannon
17 years ago
6
You must login as a candidate to participate in the forum.
Please note:Messages written in the forum do not represent the views of The Mandy Network, nor have they been vetted by The Mandy Network staff.
If you read something which you believe to be offensive or defamatory, please contact us and we will take the appropriate action.
