Tuesday 24 July 2012

Why The Fringe (part 2)?

AshleyStrand
I could list the known facts about the Fringe concerning its size, history, variety, diversity, etc ... what's astonishing and attractive to me about the Fringe is the combination of those things with the democratic nature of the event.  There is a real opportunity for unknown talents to distinguish themselves ... and this goes deeper than getting good reviews or awards.  There is an access available at the Fringe -- a setting in which any artist who can get himself into the festival has the opportunity to work with the best performers in the world -- which doesn't exist elsewhere.  Presenting one's own material in this context is its own honor and challenge, but in many ways, the best part of the Fringe is the chance to do unplanned gigs ... I did an open spot on the Set List last year, and Rich Hall had gone one or two spots before me.  A lot of the booked performers stayed to watch the open show, and people stayed after and talked about comedy -- not careers -- but comedy qua comedy.  A real global community coalesces for three weeks, offering incomparable opportunities to cultivate one's creativity.



We want to tour The Submarine Show around the world.   The Edinburgh Fringe Festival offers a lot of international exposure, prestigious awards and a diverse audience. This is a perfect show to tour because we can play to any audience regardless of age or spoken language, we have no sets, very few technical requirements, two cast members, the ability to perform successfully in any space from tiny theatres to giant auditoriums, and most importantly ,forgive my frankness, we have a world-class show.  We are also both very excited to see a lot of shows at the world's largest fringe Festival.




I love the Fringe, I get a big energy and creative boost from it. It's the reason why I came to Edinburgh in first place. And although there is a huge and fantastic amount of shows to compete with, it is still a great way of getting your name out there and there are excellent networking and learning opportunities to be explored.
















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