The last week and a bit have all kind of merged into one. For all the spontaneity and creative explosions the fringe has to offer, when you're doing four shows a day, everything almost becomes a bit of a routine. But let's be honest about this: it's a bloody good routine to have.
It basically goes:
9.30am wake up
10am leave flat
10.30am arrive at venue, chat to staff about ticket sales, have my breakfast
11.10am set up the play
11.30am do the play
12.30pm the play ends, pack away, call mum and eat my lunch at the venue reception
1.15pm flyer for HOP
2.15pm perform HOP
3.15pm HOP ends, have a pint with my team, check emails, sometimes I go and check my car is still there
4.45pm soundchecks with Dominic for his show
5.10pm Dom's show
6pm Dom's show typically ends 10 minutes early as the room is so hot
6.20pm panic flyer for 'Something'
6.45pm perform 'Something'
7.45pm head back to the flat, drop of bags and head over to the Courtyard for beers
Pretty much this, every day, for 3 weeks.
Obviously, things have been helped considerably by the 4 star review from the Scotsman for the play - it's given me a bit of a spring in my step, but audience-wise it only really helped me just about sell-out for the two days after the review, after that it's back to half-full rooms, which are more than fine.
There's been a few adventures along the way, such as having to physically throw a guest comedian off the stage during HOP because his act was so unsuitable it was threatening to derail my whole show, and praise from 'famous' comedians for my work. It's mostly lovely.
It is full of ups and downs, often enhanced by lack of sleep or amount of alcohol consumed the night before (I've got mates up here at the moment so the last few nights have been particularly drunken). Generally, though, the ups are when I have a big audience for a show, the downs are when nobody turns up.
The play is doing so well for me and I'm so happy, and HOP continues to be a huge success with audiences despite me clearly bored of the concept. Dominic's show that I drum for has been a big hit and is transferring to London for a run soon (I've been offered the role of 'drummer' again, as it works so well with myself and the pianist, Chad, we'll see if the dates work out) and nobody turns up to my evening stand-up show but I don't care because it's my fourth show of the day and I'm knackered. Sometimes people do turn up and I get really annoyed. Sometimes that's visible, other times I get away with it. Either way, three out of my four shows are going well, which, at the start of the run, I would have killed for.
Going into the final few days, my only real regret, as it was last year, is not seeing enough - especially my mates' shows. I did catch Tara's show, though, she's been guesting a lot in the choir, and it totally broke me. She deserves a lot more credit, she's not having huge numbers in and I think that's largely down to her venue being up a hill, but the ending was just remarkable. I'll try and see some more stuff before the week is out.
I'm loving it up here, I honestly am. But I'm exhausted. Quite happy to be at home soon with future wifey, the cats and my many drums.
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