Predictable Post-EdFringe Blog

2009 I went for about 5-6 days to crash with Leeds Uni people.  2010 I worked as a Techie for C Venues, and 2011 as a Techie for Pleasance.

But finally, this year, I took my first solo show, Letter To The Man (from the boy) to Underbelly thanks to the support of York Theatre Royal and Pilot Theatre.

So here’s the BEST things about Ed Fringe 2012:

Seeing (and meeting) a bucketload of poets and spoken word artists

I saw/befriended/hung out with/competed against/got advice from/got feedback from  Luke Wright, Kate Tempest, Mark Grist, Cat Brogan, Monkey Poet, Richard Tyrone Jones, Rob Auton, Stephanie Chan, Tim Clare, Molly Naylor and Richard Marsh and Katie Bonna’s rightly-won Fringe First show Dirty Great Love Story.  I also got to see an amazing influence on my work, Buddy Wakefield.

But the highlight was Canadian poet Shane Koyzcan.  Ashamedly, I have never heard of Shane before, but his work was beautiful, witty, personal, sharp and inspiring.

Reassessing the fact that Theatre Is Good

Theatre-wise, I maintain you can’t go wrong with The Traverse, and so glad I caught Blink and Bravo Figaro, tight and well-written pieces.  Comedian Dies In The Middle of A Joke was written by us, the audience, as we shunted along in his interactive recreation.  Every show presumably as anarchic as the show I was in, orchestrated by grand showman Ross Sutherland.  Shout-out too to Milk Presents and their colourful A Real Man’s Guide To Sainthood, Snickelways’ well-crafted Unneeded Baggage, Damsel Sophie’s lawless Hot and Bush & McCluskey’s touching The Loves I Haven’t Known.

Hanging out with people and making new friends and people supporting the show by coming along

You guys know who you are.

Doing a bloomin’ show!

“Interested in spoken word poetry?  Show about growing up?  Send a message to yourself in the future?  13.10 at Underbelly (Cowgate)”.- Me flyering aimlessly.  I got a mixture of audiences, some really clicked with the show, some did not know how to digest it.  Some left me little messages how much they enjoyed it, I got some lovely Tweets, and I’m informed the show brought forth some tears too. 

I feel like Luke Skywalker after visiting Dagobah a second time (in Return of The Jedi).  Yeah, I’ve been before, I picked up a few tips, learnt a few little techniques.  But now, I leave far more prepared.  With still work to do, but far more confident.  Except I won’t engage my Dad in combat.

Letter To The Man (from the boy) is all about growing up.  It’s about giving yourself that bit of advice for your future self.  I have a massive list of advice for Future Henry taking a show to EdFringe 2013 I won’t bother repeating here, but suffice to say I’m eager to tour the show, keep Letter in my repertoire and begin constructing a Second Death Star (by which I mean spoken word show).

Every year I go to the Edinburgh Fringe, I leave feeling ready to improve myself, to Advance To The Next Level.  To Raise My Game.  Onwards & Upwards!  Right, what’s the next project?