Q&A: Army At The Virtual Fringe

BWW catches up with Wendy Faux to chat about Army At The Virtual Fringe.

What can we expect from Army@The Virtual Fringe?

Loads. A whole mix of live-from-home performances, readings, music, screenings, workshops and discussions. Lots are aimed at the public in general. But there's a large amount which is about people from all across the performing arts sharing their expertise. That's partly about helping the sector as a whole rebuild, with skills sharing and ideas, and partly about supporting people who specifically want to bring shows to next year's Fringe.

We wanted to deliver a programme so that by the end of the three weeks you could be inspired develop your own plans, ideas and productions in ways you may not have considered. Above all I really hope that new networks and collaborations are formed.

We hope that people will be inspired to find a way forward.

Why is it important to have this online presence?

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is iconic. Artists look to it as a goal, an aim. We were 85% of the way finished with our physical programme and during that time you build up relationships. We were already a creative community and I remember saying to Jordan Blackwood, our producer, we have to deliver something. Planning is a huge part of being in the Army; you plan and then ask 'so what?' When you get a positive answer to your 'so what?' that is the route to take.

What are the challenges of delivering Army@The Virtual Fringe online?

With any project it is about identifying the challenges and then finding the experts. I knew that we could do so much with digital platforms but I am far from an expert. We have a small team: Jordan Blackwood, producer, Matthew Shelley PR and Tom Leigh as our online tech. The biggest challenge is interacting with the audience. So much is done in the margins over the coffee, the beer, the meal but none of that will happen this year.

Is there anything that becomes easier/more accessible by the content being available online?

The ability to reach a wider audience is very exciting, already we have interest from the USA and Australia. I hope that we find a hidden talent who joins us this year as part of the audience who may not normally be able to be a part of The Fringe Festival because of accessibility whether that be geographical, physical or financial. If we can find someone like that and then collaborate on how to develop their project for a future Army@The Fringe then that, for me, would be a success.

Creatives sharing skills to inspire talent is something we should all be a part of.

How do audiences access Army@The Virtual Fringe?

All the information is on our website: armyatthefringe.org/virtual Follow the links to the bookings for each of the events. If people are unable to attend the events will be recorded and available through our Army@The Fringe FB and YouTube. Oh, and it's all free, you just have to reserve places.

Photo credit: Jess Maund

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