Ladies and gentlemen, the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe run has begun!
Today marked the first performance of 'Norman Shadowboxer' at C aquila - a milestone for our company. We have officially begun our first run of any show, and after hitting the ground running we're looking forward to the next seventeen shows!
As morning broke over our little flat, there was a mixture of excitement and nervousness within our ranks - understandable, but nothing a little breakfast couldn't help us deal with. As the performers engaged in a warm-up, Naomi and I did an early stint of flyering on the Royal Mile - and from the looks of things, it seems that most other companies enjoyed the hospitality of this city, judging by their absence! After introducing a few families to Norman via the distribution of flyers and some brief conversations, we arrived at C aquila to be greeted by a company ready for the day ahead.
Now, for a show whose set is almost entirely made of cardboard boxes, you may be surprised at just how difficult our get-in is. The placement of our boxes is an exact science, and much time has been spent planning just how we get everything set up in the space before our audience arrives; unfortunately for me, falling up the stairs whilst carrying boxes was not part of this plan. However, this was but a small inconvenience in an otherwise smooth get-in - and with the scene set, and everyone in their starting positions, we were ready to open the house to our first audience.
Welcoming a small but excited audience into the space, we waited with baited breath to be given clearance to begin - and once this was given, the performers took control and welcomed our new-found friends into the world of Norman Baxter. As I'm undertaking the role of technician for our show - not my natural calling, but just one string to my bow - I have a unique vantage point over both stage and audience, and from where I was stood all seemed well. The performers seemed to thrive with a captive audience to perform to - who reacted in the ways we hoped they would - and in what seemed like no time at all an enjoyable first run was over. Once our audience had cleared the space, we were back to moving boxes and getting out of the space - handing over to the next company to perform.
After a brief analysis of how we thought the show went (summary: pretty well), we split up to either have some lunch, or do some more flyering. Our second flyering shift of the day seemed much more successful - both due to the increased number of people around, and the draw of actually MEETING Norman. He's a very charismatic man, is our Norman.
Having performed the first show, we enjoyed the chance to relax a bit and to meet some of the folks around the city - bumping into old friends along the way, and making new ones as we invited them to see our show. It's remarkable just how much of a family the Fringe community feels, and everyone seems incredibly positive at this early stage in the festival - regardless of sales, or how long they may have been flyering for!
Eventually we all found our way back to the ranch, for notes from Naomi about the first show and some dinner; after the madness of the past few days, it's been great to just sit back and know the first show is done. An evening of film-watching saw us end the day, and as I write this blog entry everyone else is in bed - hopefully having a good night's sleep before we do it all again tomorrow...
Until our next entry - sweet dreams, everyone.
- Dan
