Hi all,
I think it's safe to see we've all dipped over the past few days - we've hit our Edinburgh wall, and we're all getting incredibly tired.
If you could see us every morning when we wake up, you'd notice the difference when we wake up - from being all bright and cheery during the first week, we're now getting more lethargic and less talkative when waking. Doing shows every day, with no day off, is getting incredibly tiring - and when you factor in the flyering and trying to see other shows, you find free time to relax is hard to fine.
Still, we're getting on with the show - and having hit our stride, we're still pulling it out of the bag. This morning's show was great - we had a really lovely audience in, and they seemed to love the show. The fantastic thing about theatre being a live medium is that you're immediately aware of what the audience may be thinking - and if they're laughing, smiling and clearly enjoying themselves, then you find it makes the performers more confident in what they do on stage. With a show that's so visual and that doesn't take itself too seriously, there's often no harm in pushing things even further if that day's audience are responding in the right ways - but you need to judge it each day, as audiences will change and will react differently with each show.
Myself, Lisa, Liza and Max finally went along to see The River People in the afternoon, to see 'The Terrible Tales of the Midnight Chorus'; we're glad we went - the show was great, and it was fantastic to see such a confident and talented company set a standard for the rest of us to strive to achieve. The delivery of their stories was supported by some fantastic live music, and having seen previous shows of theirs I had a real sense that 'The Terrible Tales...' represented them doing something bigger - presenting a range of stories alongside the actual characters of the Midnight Chorus themselves meant that there were a number of narratives, but the company switched between them with such consumate ease that it flowed wonderfully. 'The Ordinaries' - a snapshot of their debut production - is a particular highlight, being incredibly affecting and sensitively handled, whilst never comprimising the aesthetic of their work. You really should all go and see the show, to be able to witness a company who will continue their upward trajectory in the years to come.
This evening, I've been indulging my more geeky qualities by making some tweaks to the website - if you visit www.emptyboxtheatre.com, you'll see that the design now reflects that of the 'Norman Shadowboxer' flyer. I did that, I did. As an advocate of digital and new technologies as a way of promoting your work, I've really tried to increase and maintain the company's online presence during the festival (hence this blog, and the increased number of 'Tweets' promoting the show) - so I hope it's working! If you guys think there's anything else we can do to let you all know what we're doing, then please tell us!
Off to bed, before a day of seeing LOTS of shows tomorrow...
- Dan
Sunday, 15 August 2010
Saturday, 14 August 2010
Day 11 - The Bubble
Edinburgh is a bubble. Good god, I thought it was Wednesday for a lot of today, but no it has been Friday all day. I had to check yesterdays blog entry to see what number day we are in. We are in Day 11. That means we are over half way through our Edinburgh adventure. This gives me mixed feelings as I'm already knackered. I am desperately looking forward to more reviews coming out. We've had quite a few reviewers come and see the show and only two reviews, so it's frustrating to know that there's possible jems of quotes out there for publicity purposes!
I saw a wonderful little piece of very well performed theatre today with Dan. Bound at Zoo Southside is a must see for me. It's got drama, humour, wit, and best of all, sea shanties! It's very much my kind of thing. Looking forward to catching Teenage Riot next week at The Traverse.
This is all the blog I can muster as I have spent a lot of this evening stapling review quotes to flyers, a surprisingly time-consuming exercise.
I'm off to bed with a book on shadow-puppetry!
- Ronan
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Day 10 - What else is happening on the Fringe?
Firstly, I'd like to apologise. This blog entry will be nowhere near as entertaining as the one provided by Lisa, Liz and Max yesterday. Still, I carry on regardless...
Obviously in these blog entries you've heard a lot about Norman Shadowboxer, and some insight into the happenings around the show. But what of the other things happening on the Fringe? What else does being in Edinburgh entail?
Well, lots. Lots and lots of creative, eccentric and drunk people in one place makes for a strange environment.
One of the best things about being here this year has been the number of people you bump into who you already know - there's nothing like randomly spotting friends and arranging to go and support each other's shows. When you're presenting a show for the first time like we are, it makes a HUGE difference to see familiar faces beaming back at you from the audience. It's also nice to leave the 'work' behind and go to a show/for a drink with friends whilst up here - you can go a bit mad with just how intense it gets working on the same show every day, so being able to do something else can be a Godsend.
In addition, there are some lovely new friends being made as well. We're gradually getting to know the other companies in our venue, and through hanging out on the Mile we're also meeting other companies - everyone seems so friendly when you speak to them up here, and it's nice to know you're not the only ones getting up stupidly early every morning to do your show! The locals are great here, too - when you're used to the impersonal madness that is commuting in London, being in a city where people are polite and smiling is a nice change. Norman's already been stealing a few hearts on the Mile, and has been making friends with bus drivers and staff in some of the shops...
Casual celebrity spotting is a fun past-time. Seeing Stewart Lee and Kevin Eldon at our venue one morning was a personal highlight for me, and even celebrities engaging in the most banal of acts (Clarke Peters buying a newspaper) have a particular aura about them. If any celebrities want to come see Norman Shadowboxer, then they're more than welcome to - even if it's just to add to my celeb spotting tally.
What else..? Some of the flyering has been pretty ingenious, and some downright terrifying. The crazy nazi girls in basques and suspenders leading around children looking like WWII concentration camp prisoners were...odd, and there seem to be a number of companies featuring an actor asleep on a bed/dead on the ground. The hundreds of comedy street teams showing no passion whatsoever are particularly annoying me these days. Norman's the best thing on the Mile, obviously.
And I doubt it needs to be said, but Edinburgh is BEAUTIFUL. If you've never been, then come and visit - even outside of the festival season, there's just so much to take in that it's worth a visit. We're certainly doing our best to make the most of our time here.
- Dan
Obviously in these blog entries you've heard a lot about Norman Shadowboxer, and some insight into the happenings around the show. But what of the other things happening on the Fringe? What else does being in Edinburgh entail?
Well, lots. Lots and lots of creative, eccentric and drunk people in one place makes for a strange environment.
One of the best things about being here this year has been the number of people you bump into who you already know - there's nothing like randomly spotting friends and arranging to go and support each other's shows. When you're presenting a show for the first time like we are, it makes a HUGE difference to see familiar faces beaming back at you from the audience. It's also nice to leave the 'work' behind and go to a show/for a drink with friends whilst up here - you can go a bit mad with just how intense it gets working on the same show every day, so being able to do something else can be a Godsend.
In addition, there are some lovely new friends being made as well. We're gradually getting to know the other companies in our venue, and through hanging out on the Mile we're also meeting other companies - everyone seems so friendly when you speak to them up here, and it's nice to know you're not the only ones getting up stupidly early every morning to do your show! The locals are great here, too - when you're used to the impersonal madness that is commuting in London, being in a city where people are polite and smiling is a nice change. Norman's already been stealing a few hearts on the Mile, and has been making friends with bus drivers and staff in some of the shops...
Casual celebrity spotting is a fun past-time. Seeing Stewart Lee and Kevin Eldon at our venue one morning was a personal highlight for me, and even celebrities engaging in the most banal of acts (Clarke Peters buying a newspaper) have a particular aura about them. If any celebrities want to come see Norman Shadowboxer, then they're more than welcome to - even if it's just to add to my celeb spotting tally.
What else..? Some of the flyering has been pretty ingenious, and some downright terrifying. The crazy nazi girls in basques and suspenders leading around children looking like WWII concentration camp prisoners were...odd, and there seem to be a number of companies featuring an actor asleep on a bed/dead on the ground. The hundreds of comedy street teams showing no passion whatsoever are particularly annoying me these days. Norman's the best thing on the Mile, obviously.
And I doubt it needs to be said, but Edinburgh is BEAUTIFUL. If you've never been, then come and visit - even outside of the festival season, there's just so much to take in that it's worth a visit. We're certainly doing our best to make the most of our time here.
- Dan
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
Day 9 - 'Three off the mile'
Three Off the Mile is an alternative column to the standard Empty Box Blog featuring the creative input of Lisa Castle (la voz) Liz Dapo (amo de la marioneta) and Max Ward (el escenógrafo de cartulina). In this weeks column the three discuss their initial thoughts on Edinburgh in general, the Royal Mile in specific, and anything else that strikes their fancy.
Edinburgh
Liz
Who would like to start?
Lisa
I brought some earrings in Sainsbury today. Because I didn't bring any to Edinburgh. What do you think?
Liz
Oh, they're nice.
Max
Okay ladies, lets focus here. What are general thoughts about Edinburgh as a city?
Liz
I'm quite a fan of the city so far. Not so much the hills. I'm a huge fan of the architecture actually. There are so many little corners tucked away and I think it's so charming. I prefer London for the rain though.
Max
What are my thoughts on the city? It's a bit more sun than I remember here, it's my third time returning to Edinburgh, my first time participating. I don't know. What do I say about this place? I could see enjoying a fair amount of time here were it not for the weather, but it's too fickle for me. It's sort of small enough that people have retained a certain amount of friendliness. It is not as dehumanizing as London.
Lisa
I like how when I am reading a 'Rebus' story, I can see the streets he is talking about....
Max
(Referencing his coffee cup) I left my teabag in there for too long...
Lisa
Uh, I don't know. It is a very pretty city. I want to go on one of those tours, you know, look at history and stuff where they take you underground and you see the plague
Max
Would you go on one with....
Lisa
I want the ones with BLOOD and DEATH and PLAGUE!
Max
They jump out at you here and stuff I think.
Lisa
I'd like to learn more about the history of the place. Until four years ago...
Max
Oh this is something fascinating we have learned. An ex Marine Scotsman, with his son, while we were handing out flyers told us: “By the way do you know the oldest location in UK is? “ to which we responded no he replied “It's in the lady's loo at the Bella Italia restaruant at the top of North Bridge. It's the place where Scotland and England signed the treaty that began what we know of as the United Kingdom”
Yeah.
But it would be a total shame if we didn't talk about Scudge.
Lisa
Yeah! Scottish Fudge. Fudgey goodness!
Max
We have learned that nuts are always a good addition to fudge. Whiskey is not, surprisingly.
Liz
Fruits have been good.
Lisa
They scored highly.
Max
Ginger however; maybe not. But putting more chocolate--
Lisa
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Max
It's...
Lisa
It's bad. It's so hard because you just can't differentiate...
The chocolate saturation point....to triple choc something
Max
Uh huh
Lisa
What if they did fudge with chocolate chips in it?
Max
You couldn't have a triple chocolate cookie...
Lisa
They do!
Max
No!
Lisa
They do! They have white choc........we also saw a pigeon throwing up blood
Max
...And that segues us into the mile...so now we are on the mile. The pigeon throwing up...the blood pigeon
The Mile
Lisa
That sort of scarred me for the day. Liz, you are being really quiet...
Liz
Actually as I was walking along the mile this morning I realized that I've been so jaded by theatre that nothing out there surprises me. There are all types of people out there doing all types of things and while some of it's interesting none of it is that surprising.
Max
Part of me — through the flyering experience — wanted to gain a certain level of appreciation for the job and the people who did it.
Lisa
Yeah?
Max
I haven't.
Lisa
Maybe we should say that we've seen some shows.
The Shows
Max
Yeah, why not?
Lisa
The Penny Dreadfuls were very funny – Boom!
Liz
There seems to be a lot of farm equipment lying around here.
Lisa
We can't just quote lines from the show, that'd be terrible...Frantic Assembly was very good.
Liz
I'm going to see that Friday. We still need to check out the Forest Fringe.
Lisa
That always sounds a bit rude. How much do we have to write?
Max
Well we've done a bit but Dan's still got to proof read this. Should we talk about shows we still want to see?
Liz
Aside from Norman Shadowboxer?
All
Hooray!
Liz
Hedwig and the Angry Inch?
Lisa
Hedwig! And we should see Max and Ivan.
Max
I'm gonna throw in Derevo and The River People.
Liz
Ah, I did enjoy the walk up the hill the other day to Arthur's Seat. And we still have to go see the big parthenon thingy.
Max
We've kind of wound down here at the end.
Liz
Do we have to talk about the show?
Lisa
No, that's the point of the blog. We're not supposed to talk about the show.
Liz
Really?
Lisa
Well, that's what I've decided.
Liz
Then that's us signing off.
Lisa
They're gonna hate this.
- Lisa, Liz and Max
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Day 8 - Hitting our stride!
Evening, all!
Time for another late-night blog entry from the EmptyBox ranch - and yet again, as I'm the last person awake I typing quietly. Either the rest of the company are going to bed far too early, or I'm embracing these Edinburgh evenings a bit too much...
After the exciting developments of Monday, today was always going to be a weird one - could we keep the energy going into the rest of the run? As we all arose for the new day, I have to say it felt more relaxed in the flat than at any other point so far - to the best of my knowledge, the rest of the company seemed to have shed any nerves and were much more relaxed about doing the show.
This morning we welcomed The River People - old friends of mine, and a FANTASTIC theatre company - to watch the show. As they have established themselves as masters of puppet theatre, it was both lovely that they came to see us - and nerve-wracking to think of whether or not they would like the show! As the audience arrived, and clearance was given, I dimmed the house lights and watched from the tech gallery in anticipation...
And I've never seen the show as good as it was today. The more relaxed atmosphere saw the guys really go for it, and they felt confident enough to try some stuff which really paid off. The audience themselves really added to the performance, as they were great - they were incredibly supportive, and really seemed to enjoy themselves. The child who told the mosquito to "go away" is welcome to come back and see the show any time, as he is a legend.
As the audience left, Ed from The River People gave a thumbs up to the gallery - and the guys clearly enjoyed the show. If they like it, then I'm happy - they know what's good in puppetry!
When I came down from the gallery Naomi was ushering people out - and as we exchanged a glance we both clearly agreed that today's performance was great. Naomi didn't give any notes as there was nothing that really needed to be said - if every performance can be at least as good as today's, then we should enjoy a successful run from now on.
With the show under the belt, the rest of the day was free for us to use as we please - after some flyering, of course! Naomi and I flyered the audience coming out of Charlie & Lola at the Pleasance Courtyard, in order to try and encourage them to see us too - why try to compete with such a beast of a show when we can try and capitalise on its success?
Personally, I took the chance to meet up with friends who are in Edinburgh, and to enjoy a refreshing drink after a week's hard work! The evening was topped off by a visit to see Clever Peter at the Pleasance Dome - and if you're looking for comedy, I can't recommend them highly enough. Seriously, go see them and expect tears of laughter to roll down your cheeks.
So, that's our first week of Edinburgh Fringe 2010 out of the way! Soon we'll be back in London and crashing to reality - but for now, here's hoping the rest of the run continues to excite and reward as much as it has thus far!
- Dan
Time for another late-night blog entry from the EmptyBox ranch - and yet again, as I'm the last person awake I typing quietly. Either the rest of the company are going to bed far too early, or I'm embracing these Edinburgh evenings a bit too much...
After the exciting developments of Monday, today was always going to be a weird one - could we keep the energy going into the rest of the run? As we all arose for the new day, I have to say it felt more relaxed in the flat than at any other point so far - to the best of my knowledge, the rest of the company seemed to have shed any nerves and were much more relaxed about doing the show.
This morning we welcomed The River People - old friends of mine, and a FANTASTIC theatre company - to watch the show. As they have established themselves as masters of puppet theatre, it was both lovely that they came to see us - and nerve-wracking to think of whether or not they would like the show! As the audience arrived, and clearance was given, I dimmed the house lights and watched from the tech gallery in anticipation...
And I've never seen the show as good as it was today. The more relaxed atmosphere saw the guys really go for it, and they felt confident enough to try some stuff which really paid off. The audience themselves really added to the performance, as they were great - they were incredibly supportive, and really seemed to enjoy themselves. The child who told the mosquito to "go away" is welcome to come back and see the show any time, as he is a legend.
As the audience left, Ed from The River People gave a thumbs up to the gallery - and the guys clearly enjoyed the show. If they like it, then I'm happy - they know what's good in puppetry!
When I came down from the gallery Naomi was ushering people out - and as we exchanged a glance we both clearly agreed that today's performance was great. Naomi didn't give any notes as there was nothing that really needed to be said - if every performance can be at least as good as today's, then we should enjoy a successful run from now on.
With the show under the belt, the rest of the day was free for us to use as we please - after some flyering, of course! Naomi and I flyered the audience coming out of Charlie & Lola at the Pleasance Courtyard, in order to try and encourage them to see us too - why try to compete with such a beast of a show when we can try and capitalise on its success?
Personally, I took the chance to meet up with friends who are in Edinburgh, and to enjoy a refreshing drink after a week's hard work! The evening was topped off by a visit to see Clever Peter at the Pleasance Dome - and if you're looking for comedy, I can't recommend them highly enough. Seriously, go see them and expect tears of laughter to roll down your cheeks.
So, that's our first week of Edinburgh Fringe 2010 out of the way! Soon we'll be back in London and crashing to reality - but for now, here's hoping the rest of the run continues to excite and reward as much as it has thus far!
- Dan
Monday, 9 August 2010
Day 7 - The reviews start rolling in...
Hello all,
I apologise as this blog entry will be quite brief - I'm having to type gently as other people in the room are sleeping, and I don't want to disturb them!
Anyway, this morning saw the first of our reviews published - and I'm delighted to say that the nice people at Broadway Baby have given us FIVE STARS! You can see the review for yourself at http://bit.ly/bb_norman - but it's fair to say we were pretty happy to wake up to that! As this came out before our show, it put everyone in a great mood to start the day, and off we trooped to our performance...
The show saw another great audience in attendance, and they all seemed to enjoy what they saw. Excitingly, Jo Caird from Fest came along, and tweeted some positive words soon after:
"Norman Shadowboxer at C Aquila is a brilliantly imaginative piece of puppet theatre. Technically for kids I think, but I loved it."
Her full review will be in the next edition of Fest - so we're all looking forward to that! In addition, we are also currently the top-rated children's show on www.edtwinge.com - a site which aggregates positive mentions of the show on Twitter. Great news!
All in all, I think I may be the happiest producer on the Fringe today. This evening has been spent socialising with friends old and new, which has capped off what has been for me (and the company) a fantastic day. Sorry this blog entry hasn't been that long - but I hope those of you who haven't seen the show yet are now even more excited about coming along!
- Dan
I apologise as this blog entry will be quite brief - I'm having to type gently as other people in the room are sleeping, and I don't want to disturb them!
Anyway, this morning saw the first of our reviews published - and I'm delighted to say that the nice people at Broadway Baby have given us FIVE STARS! You can see the review for yourself at http://bit.ly/bb_norman - but it's fair to say we were pretty happy to wake up to that! As this came out before our show, it put everyone in a great mood to start the day, and off we trooped to our performance...
The show saw another great audience in attendance, and they all seemed to enjoy what they saw. Excitingly, Jo Caird from Fest came along, and tweeted some positive words soon after:
"Norman Shadowboxer at C Aquila is a brilliantly imaginative piece of puppet theatre. Technically for kids I think, but I loved it."
Her full review will be in the next edition of Fest - so we're all looking forward to that! In addition, we are also currently the top-rated children's show on www.edtwinge.com - a site which aggregates positive mentions of the show on Twitter. Great news!
All in all, I think I may be the happiest producer on the Fringe today. This evening has been spent socialising with friends old and new, which has capped off what has been for me (and the company) a fantastic day. Sorry this blog entry hasn't been that long - but I hope those of you who haven't seen the show yet are now even more excited about coming along!
- Dan
Sunday, 8 August 2010
Day 6: Pixar, Plays, and the Press
I write from the couch of our appartment as the rest of the company watch "Up." I have made the point before, but it's worth reiterating, that PIxar should really one day employ me and this company to do an animation for them...they just don't know it yet! On a more serious note, as a writer, I really appreciate what Pixar do. Pixar tell good stories. That's all I ever want this company to do. It's refeshing to know that and it's comfort to know there is a massive company like Pixar making wonderful films (note "films", not just "animations" - they make excellent films).
From the big screen to the small stage. Myself and Naomi were lucky enough to catch the first performance of The River People's "Terrible Tales of The Midnight Chorus." Excellent piece of theatre, highly recommend it, some lovely ideas and the music re-awakened ideas of the idea we've been mulling over for our new show... more on that another time.
Some hard flyering today also, but managed to get lots of people to book tickets - so we should have a nice number of people in tomorrow. Considering the average audience for the Fringe is 4 people per performance, we're really proud to be beating that average by a long shot! Let's hope it continues.
Looking forward to getting some reviewers feedback next week, and if our response at the Meet the Press event yesterday is anything to go by we should get good media coverage. Fingers crossed!
Looking forward to tomorrow's performance and getting into the rhythm of Edinburgh Fringe Week One.
- Ronan
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