Fringe University hosted its USA University Student Meetup, which was a fun opportunity for students to network with other young arts professionals over bagels. Afterward, we had checkins with our mentors, where we have the opportunity to speak frankly about our time here thus far and what we want to get out of the program. It serves as a kind of litmus test to make sure everything's going okay with the program. 


Lauren and Leah headed off to Gryphon to shadow the front-of-house staff for an afternoon. They got to see how quickly shows must turnover the venue and the box office report process that ensures copacetic relationships between companies and venues. Mostly, they got to hang out with the awesome staff at Gryphon and get a feel for the relations people have within the venue business. They got to speak frankly with Kekoa about how he feels about the Fringe thus far. All in all, they made excellent shadows. :)

Our students continued work with NOLA, Irreconcilable Differences and I Heart Hamas. Today was NOLA's first discussion panel with representatives from Greenpeace as well as authors. Several people stayed after the show to hear the discussion, which was mediated by NOLA star, Toby Manley. Earlier in the day, Fringe University held its University Professors meetup at Gryphon Venues, while some of the students who were delayed got the chance to see "How to Sell

We went back to Fringe Central for a seminar on how to get the right people into your performances. Generally, they meant promoters, producers, tour managers, and publishers. Mike Hall, from the BBC was present as well as the producer, Frodo McDaniel, Francesca Clark from Pleasance, and Louise Callow. They discussed with us how it is that promoters actually go about finding shows. They don't like flyers, and are specifically concerned with word-of-mouth with regard to their choices. They have a strict timeline and like to be contacted one or two months before the festival about what you're doing and why they should be interested. They insist on targeted communication, and will ignore blanket email blasts. They like to be contacted via twitter, but once again, in a targeted manner. 

They reiterated the importance of a good image, but Mike from BBC insisted that BBC does not care about your flyer or branding.

An interesting section was the importance of your "cigarette pitch", a short, concise description of your work that would have someone interested by the time they finish their cigarette. This is important because a lot of the promoters frequent pubs as locations for scouting new work. They specifically mentioned Traverse Bar, Udderbelly, and Summerhall as locations to meet producers.

Today we had Structures of the Fringe Festival class. We discussed the specific aims of participants at the Fringe Festivl and got into the nuts and bolts of the festival schedule. Additionally, 2-for-1's at the Fringe began today and we talked about how the Fringe started 2-for-1's as a means by which to effectively jumpstart audience participation at the festival and allow for word-of-mouth promotions to begin amongst folk at the festival.

Ou first assignment was to seek out someone at each of the companies we were paired up with and talk to them a little bit about why they chose to bring a show to the festival, and what they hoped having done so would mean for their careers, long-term.

We were also assigned our major projects-- blogging our experience at the festival and networking with at least ten individuals. Xela and Rachel sent us off with some Fringe U business cards, and we all started focusing on what we'd learned.

We went to Summerhall, the Fringe's newest and largest venue, to have a discussion with some of the staff there about their roles in promoting, programming, and fulfilling the mission and vision of this new space. Rupert Thomson, our representative on programming, gave us a broad look at the science behind 'picking what's on'. He talked about how to specifically define Summerhall's direction in its first real year in operation, and how important the programme is in doing so. He stressed that although the identity of the space as still settling, this festival programme was the organization's best bet at asserting a thematic motif to their patrons.

Though Rupert continued to stress the importance of "having a way", Dani Rae, the arts industry expert, gave us her opinion on being flexible to your artist's needs. She assured us that it's not what you know, but who you know. She reminded us that taking your artist's livelihood seriously is the only way to get them to trust you with their product. She talked about how she had to give artists homework, because in a lot of cases, their lack of press was based solely on them not knowing how to initiate the process.

Anu Thomson, the Education contact, talked to us a bit about the mission of Summerhall as thought-provoking space and how important it was to keep channels of communication open within a creative space. She is hosting a series of educational and philosophical lectures for artists and reminded us to email her if we'd like to attend.

Finally, Mark the Building Manager, took us on a tour of the space and relayed to us several spooky stories about the history of the building and what strange leftovers could be seen from its former identity as the Royal (Dick) Veterinary School.

Xela led a discussion with Richard Demarco, CBE in the Red Lecture Theater of Summerhall, the Fringe's newest venue, owned by artist/economist Robert McDowell. Richard, having been to every Fringe since 1947, gave us invaluable insight into the motives of the festival. He reminded all of us that the festival was founded to help "heal the wounds of war" following WWII. Demarco went on to explain that his interest in Eastern European arts was rooted in his appreciation for arts motivated by suffering and by edge.

Xela went on to ask him about him founding the Traverse theater, and Richard explained that the entire operation was conceived, not as a theater or gallery, but as a meeting place for artistically-minded individuals and an aegis for the protection of Eastern European artists whose lives were endangered by their own work.

He explained his work with Tadeusz Kantor was motivated by his desire to save this man from certain death at the hands of the Gestapo, and that their production of The Waterhen meant the difference between critical acclaim and slaughter.

Demarco went on to denounce distinctions within the arts. "A photographer is just an artist who happens to use a camera," he said as he began to pick people out of the audience to have artistic dialogue with so as to affirm that the Fringe had deviated from its original purpose. He was concerned that it had become a circus more fixated on more and more and more arts rather than substantial, compulsive works.

Demarco has produced 8 Kantor shows and 3 shows by Joseph Beuys.

His final words of advice to the audience were to avoid limiting the scope of your artwork at all costs and that we should continuing to question why venues at the Fringe can't exist all year.

Meet the Media is bedlam! Between the two-hour queues, the crazy costumes, and the desperate excitement in the air, Fringe Central was the most packed we've seen it over the duration of the 4-hour event. Meet the Media is an opportunity for performers to veritably speed-date with representatives from media outlets. They get a couple of minutes to pitch their show to editors, who will in turn dispatch reviewers to shows they find newsworthy.

The event is described thusly on edfringe.com:
An event unlike any other and one of the most popular opportunities at the festival, this is a chance to meet media representatives and get a face-to-face chance to promote your show. Last year saw representation from such publications as The Scotsman and the New York Times. Strictly two representatives from each event only and bring hard copies of news releases, flyers etc.

The Gryphon Venues Press Launch was just as wild though! POINT Hotel's beautiful penthouse was the perfect view of Edinburgh Castle and the reaches of the city. The entertainment, the drinks, and the company all blended together to create a unique atmosphere and some incredible networking opportunities for some of our students who could steel their stomachs and approach some of the media present at the party.

:)