It’s quite difficult to know where to begin to describe the Fringe if you've not been before, as I found out last year when writing about my experiences up there – and two or three blog posts later I still think I had more to say, more scenes to describe and more stories to tell! Simply put, time spent at the Fringe is a complete whirlwind of imagination, dedication and talent, on display everywhere you go and in all forms you can imagine.
From fascinating street performers to free shows aplenty (one of my favourite shows of last year’s Fringe featured an initially very nervous magician who showed us a great trick on the corner of the street, convincing us to come along – before being awesome!), from novel flyering techniques (with everyone competing for potential audience members, the strategies on the Royal Mile can become something to behold!) to spectacularly thought-provoking drama tackling comedy to politics. All of this featuring some of the most talented yet friendly performers on the planet (who you get to network with easily at events) amidst a backdrop of picturesque cobbled streets of a beautiful city. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything quite like Edinburgh at festival time before.
Marketing on the Mile can get creative – as we tried to be with an impromptu rendition of “Angels” last year!
Edinburgh at festival time can be crazy, but it’s one heck of an experience!
Climbing Arthur’s Seat was a perfect way to round off an amazing adventure!
But my outstanding memory stems from how, despite the sleep deprivation, malnourishment (supermarket meal deals tend to be the order of the day for sheer convenience!), and resulting illness we all suffered straight after two weeks of complete mayhem, I can recall emerging from the madness of the Fringe invigorated with ideas for the future, inspired by the standard of performances I’d experienced, and saliently reminded of just how much impact theatre, comedy and the arts, as a whole, can have. One particular show, for example, took on the history an incredibly controversial figure from an alternative angle, and somehow made a skeptical audience consider him differently, at least for a moment, and the feeling of being mentally challenged in that way has stuck with me since. Plus, there’s really nothing like the arts as a medium through which to express yourself – or just play around with them and have some fun!
Having never been before last year’s Fringe, I didn’t really know what I was missing out on whenever I heard about it. But now, having experienced the magic of the occasion once, I can see it becoming a regular trip in the future – having somehow crammed 54 shows into the 18 days I was there last time round, I think I’ve become a complete Fringe addict! In fact, it’s weird to think that there may come a day (probably sooner than I’d hope!) that I won’t be able to attend – so, as always with life at University, I’m going up aiming to make the absolute most of the opportunity to attend – and perform - while it’s there.
And it’s these kind of one-off opportunities, the sort which could open your mind, inspire you and show you things in another light, as the Fringe did for me last year, which the University of Southampton are committed to providing; not just in terms of performing, but in all academic and extra-curricular fields – as the recent Open Days suggested!
For example, the Students’ Union’s touring production company, Gone Rogue Productions, of which I’m a member again this time round, have been fortunate enough this year to have received some hugely generous and appreciated support from the University’s G.F. Forsey fund, covering some of the numerous vast expenses associated with preparing a show and undertaking the trip; a donation which has gone some way to making the whole thing possible. Likewise, I have personally also been humbled to receive support from the ECS Student Development Fund this year, for which I am extremely grateful, and which I hope to use to expand my insight into the networking side of the Fringe this year (whereas last time round I was just overwhelmed by it all!), with the ultimate goal of guiding Showstoppers, the Union’s musical theatre society, up there next year and offering our members similar life-changing opportunities – so fingers crossed!
But ultimately, I think what I’m most excited about is just the chance to get up there and perform to international audiences from far and wide, like last year. The fairly surreal nature of Gone Rogue’s gender-swapped twist on the Oscar Wilde farcical classic, The Importance of Being Earnest, has already seemingly gone down a storm during our preview performances in Southampton, and has resulted in a show which is a heck of a lot of fun to be a part of (although after having to wear them for the first time in my life, I’ve discovered I’m really not a fan of heels!). Likewise, our other show, Stephen Belber’s thriller classic Tape, left audiences teetering on knife-edge tension throughout their previews, promising an emotional roller coaster which stunned many into silence at its conclusion.
Mastering heels is a challenge I never really thought I’d have to take on at any point in my life!
So please do, if you happen to be at the Fringe (or know somebody there!) between the 10th-25th August, come along and support Gone Rogue Productions’ The Importance of Being Earnest (2pm, C Too) and/or Tape (10.15pm, C Too) – both offer a rollicking time and are well worth a viewing, so we’d love to see you there!
In the meantime… well, here we go again!
Robin
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