Wow - it's been a long time, my friends. Sorry about that.
Firstly, apologies for not posting a summary of the final day like I said I would - it's unbelievable just how much your body and mind can reject the possibility of doing anything after your run has finished. During the final couple of days in Edinburgh post-show it felt like I was floating around, like a weird out-of-body experience - suddenly you're a step removed from the hundreds of people flyering and promoting their show, yet not quite a normal punter or local resident. You're in a kind of limbo, where you fall between these various groups and thus have a sense of being removed from it all.
Packing up the show after our final performance on Day 20 was a melancholic experience - although we were all absolutely shattered by the end of the run, we were also in a routine which we still enjoyed (notwithstanding the early starts!). Knowing we would no longer be setting up our seemingly endless rows of cardboard boxes each morning, there was an air of quiet contemplation in the dressing room as we flattened down our set and packed it into suitcases, ready to be transported back to London and put into storage until next time.
After finishing packing up, we did of course take the opportunity to have a refreshing drink to toast the end of the run - and then we spent the afternoon taking the opportunity to have one last chance to do the things in Edinburgh we hadn't yet had a chance to. Well, that was the theory, anyway - in reality, we saw some theatre. When in Rome...
We did go en mass to see The River People's work-in-progress showing of 'Little Matter', as part of the Edinburgh International Festival. Although not a finished piece, their performance had the same high-quality as their other work, and the Q&A session post-show was interesting for both the company and audience. The piece came from a motivation to explore some incredibly vast themes (quantum physics, the works of William Blake), but as per their usual work its strength came from focusing on personalising the story, and letting the piece be driven by character. It'll be fascinating to see where they go from here with the ideas they have.
Then, of course, we had the curry - and Max's run-in with the Kismot Killer...
And soon it was morning, and time for the company to make their merry way back to London. There were no tears for us, as we'd soon be reunited once more to potentially do it all again! Max and Lisa boarded the Megabus, and Ronan and Naomi jumped on a train - leaving me all alone in the flat, as I was staying an extra day. Being in an empty flat was weird, considering how packed it had been up until that point - but I'll admit I appreciated the luxury of sleeping in a bed for my last night there, as opposed to on the kitchen floor!
After cramming in a few more shows on the final day - and meeting up with some friends for last-night drinks - I myself was soon on a train heading to King's Cross, finding myself staring out of the window as the so much of country passed by on the way. EmptyBox Theatre's first Edinburgh experience was finally over.
So, what can we take away from the experience?
Well, after spending so much time creating and developing Norman Shadowboxer it was great to finally perform it for a 'real' audience, and we are grateful for the fact that so many people came along seemed to genuinely enjoy it. Theatre ultimately lives and dies by the response of an audience, and when you stage something you've invested so much into you're really putting a lot on the line - so it's great when you get positive responses from those who come along and choose to pay for a ticket. As well as the families who attended, we also really appreciated the feedback from other performers and companies who were in Edinburgh - supporting each other's work is a big part of what makes the Fringe community such a great thing to be a part of, and we're glad to have made some new friends during our time in the Highlands.
We'd never dare suggest that everything is perfect in what we do, and the run has given us some food for thought - in terms of the show, our general working practices and any possible returns to Edinburgh we've learnt a lot this summer. As a fairly new company we're still finding out who we are and what we do, so we're always looking for ways to develop as a company and solidify our practice; we're always looking for feedback and input from anyone who has any to offer, as it's one of the best ways for us to learn.
And we DEFINITELY know we'll have a day off in future!
So, what next? We've already taken Norman 'on the road' to the Rotherham Open Arts Festival, with a slightly altered company - alas, Max has now also departed these shores to return to the US - and we're now preparing for a spell of Research and Development for a potential future project. Keep 'em peeled for news about that via our Twitter account or the website...
We're also planning to set up an e-mail list in due course, which you're more than welcome to join. If you'd like to have your name on the list - or if you have any feedback/comments at all - then feel free to email us at info[at]emptyboxtheatre.com. (Change the [at] for @ - typing it that was saves us from being spammed, you see!).
So, we'll now ride off into the sunset until next time. Thanks to those of you who've been reading this blog - we hope it's been an interesting read for you all!
Best Wishes,
Dan
(On behalf of Ronan, Naomi, Max, Lisa and Liz - and Norman!)
