The Edinburgh Festival

You wish to go to the festival? The Festival? The Edinburgh Festival?

Yes it's that theatrical time of year again when performers, comedians, producers, technical staff, and creative types all decamp for the month to the wonderful, beautiful city of Edinburgh.

Each time I venture to Edinburgh I always forget how crazy the Edinburgh bubble becomes. You lose track of what day it is, what time it is as, every day may not be the same but has the same structure.

This year I was directing and choreographing the satirical, topical, political 'Newsrevue' which now is a fixed favourite in the festival programme. The show is performed by four all up and coming comedians, actors, and actresses. The venue is the highly respected Pleasance Courtyard and the show performs in the 350-seat theatre Beyond at 6.30pm.

The structure of the show is short, fast, well-paced sketches, with some well-known songs performed with alternative lyrics. With some witty choreography, dodgy wigs, quirky props and the marvellous Ed on the piano the show showcases the best of the year's news stories.

We have two chaotic weeks of rehearsals putting the show together in preparation for four previews at the home of Newsrevue, the Canal Café, hen back into rehearsals the following week for another four previews and then hopefully the show will be at least 90% ready for its Edinburgh debut.

So off we set on the joyous reliable East Coast service - first class thanks to Emma the producer, and the train is full of the entertainment world about to throw itself into the circus of the festival; plus a few complimentary sandwiches and a gin and tonic, and we arrive in Edinburgh five hours later.

Edinburgh is a bootiful town but however most of my memories of the festival is the constant onslaught of rain and on our arrival it does not fail to disappoint. Edinburgh has its own smell depending which way the wind is blowing; you can really smelt the malt in the air from the distillery.

We check into our new home for the next four weeks, a lovely old flat down in the New Town area. My room has a sink - handy - and a slightly wonky bed, so I build up the pillows on one side so I don't fall out of bed, I light my scented candle to help refresh the aroma, put my picture frames up and place my teddy bear on the pillow. Voila - my home for the next few weeks.

So let the festivities begin, we have four hours to tech the show, the cast run around the stage like chickens getting used to the bigger, wider playing area. We preview, change the show, another preview, change the show, another preview, change the show and by opening night fingers crossed it's show time.

Opening night comes, goes, the bubble is growing, and the fun has started. The atmosphere around the festival is electric and at times can be overpowering, with people dashing from venue to venue, leaflets flying into your hand advertising various shows and then of course the world and his mother is there: bumping into close mates, other performers you have worked with, and then of course there is the after hour activities. The dangerous thing about the festival is that the bars and clubs are open to 5am - yes, 5am! So you end up bar hopping with various friends socialising and being stagey until the dawn breaks, and as you walk back to your digs the enormous seagulls squawk you home.

By the end of the first weekend the reviews start being released, each show eager to receive a four- or five-star review so producers and PRs as quick as they can get the star ratings on slashes attached to their flyers hoping it will boost ticket sales.

Newsrevue is now in a good consistent rhythm, audiences are loving it, ticket sales are on the increase and the cast seem to be having fun. I then start juggling all my multiple roles at the festival from director to presenter to assessor for MTM Musical Theatre Network. So over the next 10 days I manage to see 48 shows, some stunning inventive pieces of theatre and some you think why did they bother? I have to say by the end I am exhausted, my legs hurt from all the walking up and down the hills, me liver is full and my brain is mush.

It's time for me to leave the festival, say goodbye to my cast and hope they will keep the show in ship shape. So I say my cheerios and board the train with my suitcase that weighs a ton and some clothes that did not see the unusual sunlight of Edinburgh. The train leaves, I settle down in first class, sit back, down a gin and tonic and wonder when my next visit to the Edinburgh festival will be.

Maybe next year?

Oh, go on then - why not?

To post a comment, you must register and login.