Well, we are into our third week and are starting to feel like old veterans of the Fringe. Ok maybe not quite, but we have learned a truckload about the festival since our arrival. No lesson has been impressed on us more than the importance of the fringe schedule. It is truly stunning how vigilant the timekeepers are and when you consider at our venue alone their task is to keep the 120 shows running on time so that reviewers, audience and promoters can plan their days you can see why. In particular it is the timing of our setup and strike each day that reigns supreme for the folks at Assembly and NOTHING makes them happier then a show setting up in under our allotted 15 minutes. Yup, that’s right – each day we get 15 minutes to release the previous show’s audience, install our sound, lights and set, which includes curtain hanging, haze up the room, get Kristen into wardrobe and then finally get the audience into their seats.
By now it’s a well-choreographed routine accomplished by two technicians – Ian and Penny, our two amazing angels -Rachel and Kyla, our publicist Jo and our incredible stage manager Arwen.
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Arwen here . It certainly was absolute mayhem in the beginning. We have to get the lockers, table, shelves, crates, curtain, mirror ball, footlights, mylar, and hanging lights into place. Which is where Ian, Penny, Kyla, Rachel and Jo come in. There are practical lights to check and gels to change, haze to set up and test; and we’re all running around for 10min straight, shouting out directions and what jobs we have finished: “Am I clear to set the fish?”… “There’s water in the kettle!”, so someone else can move on to their next thing (e.g. the kettle can’t be tested until there’s water in it, etc.). As you can see, most of the pictures above are blurry. This is because we’re all moving so fast! .. The first thing I do is to give Kristen the top of show character mask (Drachman), and then I take the sound computer to the “booth” straightaway. Normally, I run into the stage manager from the previous show and hover anxiously until he vacates the tiny area. But today, he was ready for me and had cleared a path for me to plug in and boot up the computer (sweet). Then I run back down to the deck and start setting the hand props, wardrobe, and the other 3 masks. We were knocking into each other and getting in each others’ way for the first few days, but we’ve got it down to a fine science now, which feels a bit thrilling. We know how to keep out of each others’ way, and what needs to be done next. After I set all the props, I test the sound to make sure it’s running properly. The audience is let in whilst I check my list to ensure everything is there. Then, after a short conversation with Drachman I run up to the “booth”, and we start the show.
I can feel the adrenalin from here. All the best with that brilliant show. Seen is 4 times now and the experience just gets better.