Playbill: There is something magical about Edinburgh in the early morning, before the city wakes to greet you. Time is suspended in the early hours, the air hazy with morning dew that brightens the eyes and quickens the lungs. The lavender break of dawn is punctuated by flocks of crows, swooping in formation as scatterings of people tread through the cobblestone streets, taking care to maintain the enchantment.
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So going to (and maybe working at?) the Edinburgh Fringe has also been a bit of an aspiration of mine for a long time. Edinburgh is such a beautiful city - and the back to back theater for a week that the Fringe has is so cool. Seeing so much new work and published work together in days that are just packed must be such an interesting experience. The festival guidebook (for the non-mainstage shows) is like a phone book! So much performance art, installation art, music, dance and so much more. I’ve seen them setting up the festival before, and it’s almost like every nook and cranny is filled with some kind of performance space. I’m really curious how many crews and technicians are involved with this endeavor, as every venue and place has such a variety of technical capabilities and needs. Regardless, this is an event I really want to see at least once!!
This summer, I went to and worked at the 75th fringe festival. Hall is entirely correct. There were many days when just observing the streets and preformers busking was as entertaining as going into shows. The kindness coming from each of these performers was shocking, especially as an American who has seen the aggression coming from this type of busking in New York City. Many times people would stop their advertising just to talk to my friends and me about our days and experiences thus far at the festival. As Hall explains well, I think there is a communal understanding of how special and important the fringe is, which creates an incredibly positive atmosphere about the whole festival. It is an experience that does stay with you indefinitely. I cannot wait for another opportunity to present itself, so I can go back and do it again because we are so fortunate as theatre artists to have this "Once In A Lifetime Experience You Can Do Every Year."
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