Surviving Edinburgh Fringe
By Marysia Trembecka
We have just passed the midway point of Edinburgh Fringe (it runs for three and a half weeks in August) and all us Fringe performers are feeling the constant pressure of the shows, late nights, the stresses of ensuring we have audiences that day. Plus there is the need to smooth over the rollercoaster of the Fringe audience and reviews: perhaps a great but tiny audience, a pointedly nasty review, venue and cast dramas, drunken audience members who will not shut up and keep speaking at the punchlines. Also many performers now are feeling the pressure on their voices and health, with the shows, the flyering and celebrating after.
I am doing two solo shows every day at Edinburgh Fringe 2017, one comedy/cabaret “The Singing Psychic Game Show”, the other a political theatre cabaret piece “Queen Of The F*cking World”, so Comedy Crowd asked me to write a survival guide to get through the last 10 days of Edinburgh Fringe.
Your Voice
Many comics are not trained performers but even some of my trained actor friends find by mid-point of the Fringe that they are losing their voices. So here are some tips to get you through the Fringe. I have been training daily vocally for a few months as I sing as well but still I am using all these tricks to keep the voice going.
Sleep! You need for your voice and general health to get as much rest in where you can. I always go for a cheeky disco nap in the afternoon where possible. Even 20 minutes will help your head space and get your voice rested.
Alcohol… It is not that bad for you actually in moderation, yes it does dry your throat out but you can counteract it by drinking more water etc. What is bad for you though is yelling in the bar after your show at your friends. Trying to get heard over a crowd of people means you push your vocal chords, and that is far worse than drinking a bit. Of course the more you drink the more you forget to look after your voice as you talk loudly to your friends. Find quieter bars where possible. I only drink once a week at the Fringe as I am doing two shows a day and they are both solo shows and I sing. It is hard especially when friends and family come and see the show and want to celebrate but you will lose or at least tire out your voice if you drink too often. The last week of the Fringe I do let that once a week rule slip …
Steaming: this is old skool but still works. Boil a kettle and pour the boiling hot water into a bowl, breakfast bowl size upwards. Put a towel over your head and breathe in the steam for a few minutes. Be careful not to knock boiling hot water over yourself… Steaming immediately rehydrates the vocal chords so I do it last thing at night when I get home from my gigs and also first thing in the morning. I also inhale the steam and sip mugs of hot water in between my two shows, they are two hours apart. I am a complete coffee addict but Edinburgh Fringe is an emergency so the hot water has to take precedence. You will often see me with a mug of coffee and a mug of hot water.
If all else fails and you are losing your voice, shut up. A entire day of vocal rest will really help. Do not whisper, it is terrible for the voice.
Mental Health
The pressure to sell your show to audiences, indifferent responses to flyering and getting press in is immense. We all have to remind ourselves daily that we are one of over 3,800 shows at this 70th Edinburgh Fringe Festival, being here with a show is a massive success in itself. There is always the brilliant show you performed last night but tonight you have a third of the numbers and a reviewer in, the million things you need to do. Having two very different shows for me makes my morning to do list insane. Separate the flyering from your shows, what happens on the Royal Mile has nothing to do with how good your show is. Do not let anyone’s response to your flyering or indeed your show affect how you get out on stage each day.
If you get the crazy negative voices in your head, stop them and think of something positive. Learn to switch the negative thoughts off and focus on gratitude every time, from being thankful you are getting to partake in the world’s largest arts festival to taking time out for a walk (or in my case a sneaky cup of coffee). If you meditate or find time to exercise, do as much of it as possible.
Audience Numbers
I know of a great show here this year that has been nominated for awards and yet has had to cancel three performances this year due to no shows. I have never had that happen (currently praying it never will) but it must be so difficult to not be effected by it. I have focused on really great marketing images in the run up to try and lift my shows to be noticed.
I am doing PBH Free Fringe again (they are amazing!) and so I never have an idea how many people are going to turn up til I get out on the stage as it is unticketed. We do a bucket collection at the end. It can be so easy to walk on stage, see your audience and think oh there are less people in tonight and let that affect your performance from the off. Remember even an audience of one is someone who is giving you an hour of their precious time, they chose your show not the other few hundred that they could be in instead 😉 . Word of mouth is the magic that happens at Edinburgh, if you bring the best work you can, you will see the numbers growing. I saw it last year and this and it is magic. Plus there is bound to be one night where for some mystic reason the audience drops. Relax about it.
The other issue is expectations, both my shows are doing very well, standing room only some nights. However I want to be full every show twice a day, and I am at the Voodoo Rooms for my Singing Psychic show, so a bigger room than last year. However big your room gets you will always be wanting to get bigger, it is human. Just do not let it get in the way of enjoying the shows you have got and the audience you have in front of you.
Reviews
Some years no matter what you do, you do not seem to get the reviewers in, other years they turn up anyway. My only rule here which I am very strict about is not to read any reviews whilst I am doing the shows. I have got my mum or friends to read them and tell me if there is a quote or stars I can use on the flyers. Good reviews (of which I have had many four or five stars for my Singing Psychic) do not help me get out the next day and perform to the audience you have that night who want to determine their own opinion. Bad reviews will stick in your head forever and can affect the performance.
I currently have had only two reviewers in for my Queen show, neither have yet written anything, though my audiences are growing and telling me how they love it. I want reviews so I can tour it but beyond asking politely again, I am just focusing on the fact I have a niche show on sexual politics and those who turn up are turning into mad advocates for the show.
Marysia Trembecka
www.marysiatrembecka.com
Twitter @marysiat
The Singing Psychic Game Show – Trailer: https://youtu.be/247goJVrhp4
Ed Fringe Info link Singing Psychic https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/singing-psychic-game-show
Venue 68 – The Voodoo Rooms 21.30-22.30 Sat 5th to Sun 27th Aug (not 16th)
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Queen Of The F*cking World – Trailer: https://youtu.be/d2Y6ZBUKq94
Ed Fringe Info link https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/queen-of-the-f-cking-world
Venue 239 – The Street, 18.30-19.30 6-26th Aug (not 16th)
P.S. You can also read Marysia’s 8 tips for performing at the Fringe here