We sat down at the Traverse Theatre, the Premiere Venue for new writing in the UK with Ruth McEwan, Programme Coordinator, and Noelle O'Donaghue, Head of Traverse Learning, to discuss the history of the theater and the regard in which the Traverse is held as a theatrical destination.

The Traverse was founded in January 1963, not as a theater or gallery, but as a members-only meeting place for artists. Memberships weren't required to encourage exclusivity, but alternatively, as a means by which to effectively sidestep obscenity laws in the UK that would impose censorship on the organization. We got to hear some of the stories from the Traverse's founding including the stabbing of Colette O'Neil in the Traverse's first performance. 

In 1988, the Traverse became a public theater, and in 1992 they moved into their new space on a 99-year lease from the Council. Their three missions are Artistic Excellence, Financial Sustainability, and Engagement. Ruth and Noelle discussed with us the nuts and bolts of the Traverse's year-round operations, divided into Spring Season, Festival Season, and Autumn Season. We discussed the festivals the Traverse participates in, including the Manipulates Puppetry Festival, the Traverse Writing Festival, and Traverse 50, a 50th anniversary initiative to break in 50 relatively unknown writers.

The Traverse Theater also conducts engagement programs with youth, universities, and prisons as well as co-producing works that exemplify the Traverse Mission.

Afterward, Tabitha McGrath, who works with Harrison/Parrott Ltd, and formerly worked with IMG Artists, and is a Gryphon Venues partner, lectured us on the Classical Music Industry. She's a classical music manager and was really accessible for some of our students with interests in music production, record labels, and management. She spoke to us about the practical aspects of applying for a job and manipulating your CV to make yourself a better candidate for the positions that you're most interested in. She spoke frankly about some of the struggles she faced in her application process as well as the things she continues to struggle with in her current position. However, her lecture ended on a positive note, as she revealed her 6-month ascent from Artist Administrator to Associate Artist Manager at her current workplace.

Once again, our students met up with their individual company liaisons to continue their marketing internships and to keep up our discussions with them. After having gotten to know us a little better, it was nice to see our students finding comfortable places under the wings of each of their individual organizations. Alan Flanagan at Irreconcilable Differences began to give more responsibility to Lauren and Leah. Francesca Moody from NOLA brought on one of our students to continue to help her arrange her postshow discussion panels at the Cow Cafe at Underbelly Cowgate, and Jennifer Jajeh from I Heart Hamas enlisted the help of Kathleen and Caitlin in managing her social media presence.

While several of the students attended Independent Theatre Council's Nuts & Bolts: The Essentials of Running a Performing Arts Company at Fringe Central. It was described thusly: For absolute beginners (and those who fancy a refresher course), ITC's legendary short course provides an overview of some fundamental topics that you should be aware of when setting up a performing arts company, however small. ITC’s legal expert Jackie Elliman will explain company formation, planning, contracts, intellectual property law and much more.

Those students interested in continuing their Fringe-u-cation in sunny South Australia went to the Adelaide Fringe Info Session where Greg Clarke, Adelaide Fringe Director and Chief Executive and his team gave an overview of the 2nd Largest Fringe in the world.

Our day started with Structures of the Fringe Festival at Summerhall. We checked in regarding our involvement with our company liasons. We continued to try and understand what draws companies her if not for financial gain, and it really began to seem as though our students were getting a better feel for what the festival has to offer as a long-term investment. 

We are working towards a comprehensive understanding of the different aspects of the festival including the Fringe Society, Venues, and Companies and began to discuss briefly the other Fringes around the globe, and how they play into the grand scheme of things. Sam and Hayley were preparing for their shift shadowing the staff at Gryphon Venues later in the afternoon, so Lauren and Leah's debrief helped them to know what they should expect regarding the experience. They discussed their duties regarding the front-of-house staff and Rachel helped them to understand how this deviated from more "typical" front-of-house structures. They touched on the paperless aspect of the venue and how that weaved into their duties regarding Box Office reports.

We discussed the importance of box office reports, seeing as box office payouts aren't completed for some companies until October. Having a signed copy of the box office report is the only way to ensure continuity between the company and the venue. We got some insight into the importance of a Company Manager in a traditional theater setup.

Afterwards, we headed over to the Fringe Fair to take the opportunity to meet various professional organizations including: UK Actors Equity, Tick It (an audience services program that allows patrons to review their experiences at shows online), and E15 Acting School at University of Essex. There were opportunities for students to learn a bit about graduate school opportunities as well as to network with the other participants in the hub.

Today was the last day of Martine Pelletier's Film Fringe Tour at Gryphon Venues. The students attended some really great work from Philadelphia and affiliated artists. Some of the exhibited films included a series of short films, Return to El Salvador, Runaway, The Prep School Negro, and Viette.

Check out FilmFringeTour.com for more info: A touring compilation of film screenings whose goal is to showcase up and coming filmmakers from around the world, and give these best new films a chance to be seen by international audiences. The Tour will stop at Fringe festivals in Hollywood, Edinburgh and Philadelphia. Interested in joining the Tour? Want to know more information? Take a look around!

Our students spent the morning and early afternoon continuing work with Underbelly Cowgate and Gryphon Venues on NOLA as well as Irreconcilable Differences. They continued to engage in dialogues regarding why each company had chosen to come to the Fringe and what they wanted to glean from their experiences. The students got valuable insight as to why the Fringe Festival is such an important arts arena.


Mark Fisher, theater critic for The Guardian and author of The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide sat down with us afterward to discuss sat down with us to discuss what individual factors come into play to determine the difference between "success" and mediocrity at the Fringe. He gave us a couple of examples of shows that might effectively define what it means to be successful. He also invited us to his forum with Maureen Beatty, from The List at Summerhall, Guy Matheson, one of Britain's top solo performers, comedian Ian Fox, and the producer Teresa Burns.

In defining success we looked at some shows from Traverse Theater, the National Theatre of Scotland, Finn Anderson, the Pleasance Grand, and Underbelly, including Bullet Catch, Appointment with the Wicker Man, Streets: the Musical, PEEP, and Sexytime! We discussed the importance of press coverage, topical subject matter, danger/risk, and artistic distinction and how all of these factors come together in different quantities to define individual success for each organization, dependent on their goals. 

Later that evening, some of our students continued to work with I Heart Hamas at Gryphon and PBH's Free Fringe presentation of Overexposed: A Slightly Awkward Peep Show at Finger's Piano Bar.