Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Fringe- Soren Miller

And the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is off! As our cast of No One Is Coming to Save Us by Lewis Hetherington begins to settle into the constant movement of the Fringe, the hustle and bustle of loading in and out every day, and finding the fastest routes back to the flat to finish laundry, more time begins to open up to experience other shows in the Fringe.

Interestingly, the longer a show’s run goes on at the Fringe, the harder it is to get tickets to see it. This is because of the wonderful power of word of mouth. As more people and reviewers go to see shows, opinions circulate, and seats fill up quicker than they did at the beginning of the show’s run. In a way, this feels opposite to how theatre outside of the Fringe works. Once a show begins, there is usually a buzz. The opening night and the next several shows have high attendance, then it usually tones down to average attendance in the middle of the run with a rise in audience attendance for the last few shows. This makes the Fringe distinctly different from any other performance experience because each sequential show feels like a build up to the next one.

As time goes on and shows begin to sell out, it is important to figure out early on which shows are a must-see and which shows you know will have open seats. First, it is important to get acquainted with all the shows available at the Fringe. The easiest way to see many shows is to walk around Edinburgh, near the venues. Almost every show covers some area of every cafe, restaurant, and mom-and-pop shop with advertisements. Also, many people hand out fliers and advertise on the streets for their shows, so take every opportunity to learn about a show if it interests you. Many venues, specifically the Pleasance, have listed show times of every show available in each of their spaces. (This is also helpful for planning out a day of shows as you can pick shows that all line up together timewise).

Another tip for finding the shows that are popular is to look at the bulletin boards, which are updated each day with the shows that have sold out. This gives you a list of shows, including comedy, drama, musical, etc., which are popular and (hopefully) good. While you won’t be able to buy a ticket for any of those shows for that day, it is a great place to start looking at which shows are popular. The Fringe itself also has an app where you can see each venue and the shows offered there.

While the task of picking out which shows to see might seem daunting, it is important to take the time to watch a wide variety of shows. Obviously, if you come to the Fringe to see new musicals, then of course you can just see new musicals. But an important part of The Fringe is that many casts, writers, and producers step outside of normalcy and produce works for themselves rather than for blockbuster success. Seeing shows that allow you to step outside of your comfort zone is a wonderful way to experience the culture of the Fringe and makes the theatre feel more impactful and connected.

One benefit for our cast has been the Pleasance passes, which allow us to see many free shows at the Pleasance venue. My favorite show that I have seen so far has been a comedy show by Colin Hoult titled “Colin.” It was incredibly hilarious and witty, with a compelling story that carried through the entire routine. Every moment felt interconnected and important, and the entire set had me laughing. While the passes don’t allow us to see shows at places beyond the Pleasance for free, it is exciting to feel a part of the theatre community here in Edinburgh and celebrate and support other artists.

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