At our Gryphon Venues Lecture Dr. Kekoa Kaluhikalani, Artistic Director, and Christina Poulton, Company Manager, walked us through the nuts and bolts of running a Fringe venue. We talked about the basics of thematic programming.



We discussed the importance of artist relations throughout the booking season and how and when to make special exceptions for an artist whose work you find valuable in fulfilling your venue's mission and furthering the goals of your programming plan.

We also discussed the history of the venue's policies as they relate to Rocket Venues.

Afterwards, Caitlin and Kathleen started work with I Heart Hamas, a socially-conscious one-woman show explaining the personal journey of Jennifer Jejeh to come to terms with her racial identity and her pilgrimage to her hometown, Ramallah. 

The rest of the group got the opportunity to see her show in full later that night and were moved by her performance.

We started our day back at Fringe Central for a lecture outlining how best to utilize your time during your first outing to the Fringe. Christabel Anderson, head of Participant Services, gave us a brief history of the Edinburgh Fringe, beginning with the story of the first Fringe in 1947 and its purpose as a WWII relief center for global arts culture. She discussed the Fringe Society’s 1968 inception as well as the current state of affairs within the organization.

Louise Oliver, head of Participant Development, lectured us on the importance of the Fringe’s focus on the artistic maturation of the participants, and told us all about her job advising shows and theatre companies as to how to make sure the Fringe results in some benefit for the artists who come here, considering the financial burden inherent in the pilgrimage.

Andrew, the Fringe Society’s Media Manager, gave us some brief insight into his role, and how he effectively plays matchmaker with shows and press outlets to ensure relevancy, clarity, and equal opportunity coverage.

Mark, the Music Licensing Coordinator walked us through the nuts and bolts of copyright and licensing issues at the Fringe. Bridget, the director of Marketing and Sponsorship explained her role in marketing the Fringe as a whole as well as in managing the advert requests for the website and Fringe programme before moving on to explain Friends of the Fringe.

We learned a bunch about the festival in a little over an hour! It was kind of like a crash course in Fringe-ery.

Today, our students got their first opportunities to begin exploring marketing techniques at the Festival today! As a part of the Structures of the Fringe Festival class, students team up to assist individual shows by giving marketing advice, working as the show's street team, and assisting in some of the late-stage logistical work that can fall to the wayside. The company's get free, committed laborers and the students have an opportunity to meet tons of influential people, put their skills into practice, and in return for their service, are given venue passes which allow free entry into most shows and discounted amenities.



Lauren & Leah were teamed up with Irreconcilable Differences, an interactive play wherein the choice as to who lives or dies in a failing marriage is made by the audience.

Zach, Sam, and Hayley worked together to assist NOLA, a documentary-style, verbatim theater piece on the continuing effects of the BP Oil Spill on the city of New Orleans, produced by two-time Fringe-First Award Winners, the Suffolk-based Look Left Look Right Productions.

Fringe Central proved to be a wealth of information, coffee, and free WiFi! Zach, Sam, and Jacob Merinar (the first of our delayed students to arrive) attended the first seminar of our festival run, "How to Sell a Show", a definitive guide on how to best utilize the services offered by the Media Management sector of the Fringe Society. Panelists included Sheridan Humphries, independent PR for C Venues, Peter Shaw, Editor of Broadway Baby, Paul Levy, Editor of Fringe Review, and Valerie Potter, an independent press agent with loads of Fringe experience. The panel was mediated by the Fringe Society's Media Manager, Andrew.

The panel discussed candidly the madness of the Fringe as it relates to effectively publicizing your show. It can be easy to get lost in the mix when you're trying to be heard over 2,700 other shows, but the panel outlined numerous ways to get the most bang for your buck at the festival.

Some of the subjects included: 
 - Holistic Marketing
 - Fringe's Meet the Media
 - Flyering Do's and Don't's
 - Writing a Press Release
 - Social Media Integration
 - Discussion surrounding Stuart Lee's Guardian article on Fringe venue politics.

All in all, the event offered practical insight into the world of marketing, and the panel fielded questions for about as long as they lectured. They were personable, professional, and eager to help each and every member of the audience.