I’ve learned that a small room isn’t necessarily a bad thing and new work can be successful even if some people might not ‘get it’ initially. We had the pleasure of working in the Gilded Balloon and that provided the opportunity to see a plethora of shows, but while some were hilarious and had me laughing for an hour straight, I always got excited when I was able to sneak in and catch Lucie’s show. 

I got to see the show evolve, from the first day of previews to the week of performances and that in itself was interesting. All in all, Jackie & I couldn’t have been happier to have had the opportunity to work with the pure talent that is Lucie Pohl and can’t wait to see where her career heads.

By: Rachael Brink


This seminar included a panel of producers explaining what it is they do for a living.  The role of producers varies greatly between different art forms, and that leads to confusion as to what the job entails.  The panel for this lecture included Jo Mackey, an independent producer and part time producer for Oval House in the United Kingdom, Judith Dougherty, a producer for Grid Iron Theater, Cheryl Pierce, a freelance producer, and Jo O’Crowley, another theater producer.


The group took turns explaining what they perceive as part of their job.  In general, producers fund projects anywhere from four months to three years in length.  The funding can be through subsidies, but it is very difficult to find subsidies in the art world.  Therefore, most producers use both subsidies and commercial funding.  The producer stays with a project from pre-development through the end of the project.  This includes creative conversations and beginning a partnership with others working on the project.  Producers also provide handholding and support for the cast and crew.  As a crucial member of the team, producers tend to have a more assertive role.  Typically, they do the difficult work that no one else wants to do but that is necessary for the project to be successful.  Another task that producers accomplish is relationship management.  Since funding is a huge part of creating and producing projects, producers have to maintain their relationships with the government, partnerships, and other supporters.

By: Rachael Brink

This seminar features a panel of women discussing how women in sports are perceived very differently than men.  Harriet Minter, editor for the Guardian, ran the panel by asking questions and easing audience participation.  The panel included Felicity Ward, an Australian comedian, Katherine Bohart, a stand up comedian, and Sally Kettle, a TV presenter, author, and competitive rower who has rowed across the Atlantic Ocean twice.

One of the first topics that the panel covered was the association of sporty women with masculinity.  For a woman to be as good as a man in any sport, she is assumed to look like a man and therefore be unattractive.  This creates an aversion for females to play sports, because no girl wants to be told she looks unattractive due to her physique from playing sports.  Felicity Ward brought up the point that it is commonly thought that Serena Williams could not possibly be as good as she is without being compared to male tennis players.  Her statistics are lined up with male tennis players for her to seem good at tennis.  This promotes the idea that women are incapable of being as good as men in sports, and when women do reach a level that rivals men, the media turns on their physical appearance.

Another topic presented, that I feel relates more to the U.K. than the U.S., was equality being on the agenda for sports.  Instead of trying endlessly to be one of the few sports players who make it onto a professional team, women should be active and play sports because they think it is fun.  There is a huge media concentration on super star athletes, who make up only a small percentage of athletes in the world.  This contrasts with the U.S., because the U.K. does not have a law similar to Title IX.  Title IX ensures that both female and male sports are given equal funding in the universities.  In the U.K., the funding is far more skewed toward men’s sports.

Lastly, the panel discussed the misconception that people are either good at sports or not good at sports.  Harriet Minter confessed to the audience that she had only just realized this was a myth.  The idea perpetrates that if one is not inherently good at sports, one should not play sports.  I believe this keeps females from playing sports, because the misconception lowers morale and self-esteem.

All in all, this seminar was probably my favorite one so far.  I really enjoyed openly discussing the inequalities that women face.  Sports is one of the areas where women face inequality the most, and I think the more we create a discussion about it, the closer we are to changing the current circumstances.

By: Heather Reese

A show that really stood out to me on this trip was one called The Ted Bundy Project performed by Greg Wohead. The show was a statement about morbid curiosity, and not being able to look away when something is truly horrifying.. The show told the story of Greg becoming bored one night and stumbling upon Ted Bundy’s Confession tapes. Giving into his curiosity, he began googling images of Bundy, and then of his victims. One young woman became the first audience member to leave in horror at this point. 

Unfazed, the actor continued his story. He plugged earbuds into a CD player and played to himself what was assumed to be Ted Bundy’s confession tapes. Greg began to recite what he was hearing, in a voice mimicking Budny’s. At this point a second audience member left crying; this time a 30 year old man. Greg finished reciting the tapes, and then began to tell the audience of a website he found that night. 

RealGore.com was the site he found. He scrolled through images of the women Ted Bundy had murdered. There were crime scene photos, photos of evidence, and photos from the lab. On the side of the page he noticed a link titled: 1 ice pick, 1 lunatic. Greg told the audience to google the video if they dared, but everyone who has seen it says they wish they hadn’t. 

Greg found this video had been removed but found videos of people reacting to it instead. At this point he began showing a group of boys reacting to it, while narrating what was happening in the video. Three more audience members left. A new projection appeared on the screen, and it was exactly the room the Greg had described to be in the video. At this point, I left as well. While I sat in the hallway horrified, I realized the actor had done an amazing job of proving his point. Getting people to leave showed that gore makes people uncomfortable, but most aren’t able to look away from what is happening. Humans are curious, and drawn to morbid things. The show made you feel the true horror that was Ted Bundy.

By: Erin Williamson

“The Great Downhill Journey of Little Tommy” is the brainchild of Jonas Vermeulen and Boris Van Severen, hailing from Belgium, and one of the shows I’ve had the honor to be involved with. The show bills itself as ‘a coming of age performance told in songs and live drawings.’ When the show first begins, you’re ears are assaulted by a short blond man screaming into a megaphone “MY SON IS GONE,” while the band plays a loud metal style behind him. As this is happening a woman, wearing all black and no shoes, stands behind a screen painting the scenes as they happen. The drawing takes shape as an abstract representation of the story that is being portrayed through each song, adding a visual element to the piece.  

“Little Tommy” tells the story of what happens when a young boy, Tommy, leaves his comfortable home on top of the hill to find the sea. Along the way he encounters people that, for reasons of their own, no longer live in the town he comes from. Each new character displays a different issues that many of us can identify with: the desire to be wanted, depression, arrogance, drunkenness, etc. With each new character, the music is altered to enhance the person and situation being portrayed, much like The Who’s “Tommy,” the original inspiration for the show. Out of the many shows I’ve seen at the Fringe, Big in Belgium’s “The Great Downhill Journey of Little Tommy” is my favorite –and I’m not just saying that because I’m on their marketing team. It is truly an outstanding work of theatre and music that deserves recognition; I mean it did win the “Fringe First 2015” award. 

By: Heather Reese

Today’s workshop was held at Fringe Central Two, and was entitled Fringe Around the World. The panel had seven speakers, each representing various Fringe Festivals that occur around the world at various times of the year. The speakers included David representing Rome Fringe, Amy from Montreal Fringe, Adam from Stucco Fringe, Emma from Fringe World Perth, Xela representing the Pittsburgh and Rochester Fringe, Anita from Ludlow Fringe, and a representative from Auckland Fringe. 

The represetatives began to speak about each of their fringes. They spoke of the benefits and drawbacks of attending each year. They ranged in size from Stucco’s micro fringe, to Montreal’s giant fringe, with attendees from all over the world.  Each Fringe is unique to its city, along with the rules, languages, and attendees that vary fringe to fringe. The Rome Fringe contains mostly Italian shows, and most shows are performed outdoors, while Fringe World Perth contains mostly English shows, and they accommodate all performers with pop-up performance spaces. 

Another benefit of Fringe World Perth is their touring programs and competitive award ceremonies at the end of each Fringe. Anyone can participate in Fringe World Perth as long as they find a venue.  Edinburgh’s fringe, Montreal’s Fringe, and Ludlow’s Fringe are also run in a similar fashion. Any CAFF (Canadian Association of Fringe Festival) Fringe is run in a lottery style. This means anyone can apply to a show, but if your show isn’t picked from the lottery, you won’t be performing at that year’s Fringe. CAFF is a large organization that includes Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa, Winnipeg Minnesota, San Diego, CA, Orlando, FL, New York, NY, and many more. Many fringes choose to become a member of CAFF because of the many benefits the organization provides its members. CAFF offers a touring lottery that any performer can enter, as well as heavy support for performers and venue managers. 

If you ever felt the desire, you could spend all year at various Fringe Festivals around the world. From Perth in January, to Edinburgh in August, to Stucco in October you can find a festival anywhere.

By: Erin Williamson 

As one of the many workshops available via the Fringe Society, Elaine Liner gave a presentation on “How to Be a Media Darling.” How to conduct oneself over email and social media is really something that should be common knowledge, but sometimes we all could use a refresher course. 


Elaine reminded those in attendance that professional media is three things: 1) lazy, 2) overworked, 3) hungry. Because of these qualities you must be precise, interesting, and efficient to be noticed. You must “be so good they can’t ignore you.” Publicity is something that shouldn’t be overthought. You should strive for any positive media mention, and coverage that is free and has the ability to be viewed for free. Simple right?


The workshop stressed that email is going to be your best method of communication with the media. It was also stressed to everyone that the press release is dead, so stop doing it! Remember the media is lazy, so send them your story and make it easy to copy and paste! You should also never attach a PDF file to your email. Everything you want the reviewer to have should be in the body of the email and always include photos. 


A good photo can be the key to good coverage. They should be high resolution and you should have a bunch. You want your story to tell a story and jump off the page, reinforcing whatever is being said in the article. Don’t be frugal. If you want good coverage, you’re going to have to spend the extra dollar on a good photographer; iPhone isn’t going to cut it.


Elaine’s most important message is that you want to be noticed and remembered. Use social media to your advantage and spread the love. The public and other performers will remember you if you tweet positively about others and post pitches in between. Use the 7:2:1 ratio. Seven good tweets about others, 2 soft sell tweets about yourself, and one hard sell tweet about yourself. While you’re at it, use buzzwords like “exclusive,” “controversial,” and “premiere.” You’re competing with thousands of other shows at the Fringe, time to be the media’s darling.

By: Rachael Brink

Admittedly, most of the shows at the Fringe are comedies of some sort.  There are funny plays, stand up shows, and comedians.  The show “Where Do Little Birds Go?” is, however, an exception to this normality.  This performance features one woman who plays the role of Lucy Fuller, an 18-year old sex worker who was kidnapped by 1960’s gangsters the Kray twins.  The story takes the audience on a journey through how Lucy ended up in London and later on, in the apartment where she was held captive.  Her story is mostly interpretation by the writers and director of the play, because there is little acknowledgement of Lucy in any written works about the Kray twins.

The captivating one-woman show features music from the 1960’s, which helps set the time period of the play.  One song in particular led me nearly to tears.  Lucy was been kidnapped by the Kray twins and kept in a flat as a sex slave for escaped convict, Frank Mitchell.  As her relationship with Frank begins to grow, Lucy realizes that Frank has the mind of a child.  She pities him, but she has no other option except to stay with him.  As she assesses her situation caught in a flat with a convicted murderer, she begins to sing “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys.  For me, that put an entirely new meaning on the song.  Lucy could have continued working, made money, and completed her dream of becoming a famous singer.  All of this was hindered by her captive situation.  Lucy, however, makes the best of her situation by attempting to enjoy the company of her fellow inmate, Frank.  Around Christmas time, the Kray twins arrange for a few of their gang members to take Frank in a van to their fantasy cabin away from the city.  Frank follows along, without Lucy, and is shot to death in the van.  Lucy is then released.  She returns to the club where she previously worked and was allowed to sing on stage.

Although very dark at times, the play offered a satisfyingly uplifting conclusion.  This refreshing drama connects with modern day issues of sex trafficking.  Also, the play connects with the audience through the amazing 1960’s soundtrack and Lucy’s youthful personality.  Overall, I felt “Where Do Little Birds Go?” was my favorite play during the entirety of the Fringe.

By: Chelsea Liller

Social Media 101 was a workshop in Fringe Central 1 hosted by two of the Edinbrugh Fringe Festival’s social media personnel.  The workshop informed each of the artists about how to manage their Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter accounts.  

Instagram was the first topic.  The Fringe personnel informed us that the Instagram audience can be tough so you should only post one photo a day and use lots of hashtags so people can find your pictures and “like” them.  The Instagram photo of the day should provide a backstage visual of you’re an artists’ show.  The picture should tell a story through imagery.  Iconasquare is an application that informs you on what hashtags and pictures were most popular.  With this application, the artist can decide on a time of day that works for the most “likes” and what hashtags get their photos seen.  

YouTube is hard to get right.  The Midnight Beast, who has 500,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel gave some tips on how to get it right.  He stated that he does a routine of posting a new video very Monday so it creates a routine for the audience.  Youtube should be short, entertaining content.  Artists should try to establish partnerships with Youtube stars for promotion.  

Facebook is the page for your show, yourself as an artist or the production company.  If your show isn’t moving and only shows at the Fringe, it isn’t a good idea to have a Facebook page because you’ve lost your fan base after the month of Fringe.  Facebook is difficult to build a follower base, but it is cheap and easy to advertise so take advantage of that.  

Twitter accounts should be public, “there is no reason on earth to have a private twitter”, says the Fringe social media personnel.  If your account is private, hashtags aren’t useful.  On Twitter artists should be social meaning they should respond to people, favorite and retweet.  The Thomas Clifford Show informed the other artists that a hashtag should be made for your show and a hashtag should be checked to make sure it isn’t used for anything else before it is established as your hashtag.  

Finally, have the Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram account links on your artist website.  

By: Erin Williamson

Chris Grady headed a workshop called the “CGO Creativity Panel.” The session was organized very loosely in order to allow participants the ability to ask the questions they really desired answers to. Anything was fair game. Because of this structure I took notes on the most helpful bits of information that are listed below:

1. Always bring your best work to the Fringe. If it’s not top notch then it’s not ready.
2. Look at the end, first. What do you want to achieve? Use that as a basis for everything you do.
3. Be aware of the audience you may draw. It’s okay to have a smaller space; they are easier to sell out and it looks better to play for 30 sold out seats that have 30 filled and 120 open.
4. Don’t be shy. Talk to whom you want and make friends. If you have the money, buy them a drink.
5. Network, network, network! Don’t make excuses!
   
6. Send short, snappy, and to the point emails. Always follow up, but if people want to get in touch with you they will, so don’t be annoying.
7. Share good praise; it could make someone’s day.
8. Flyering is more effective when keeping to one spot. Don’t travel/follow after people.
9. Pick a striking poster image. People will judge a book by its cover.
10.  A bad review is not the end of the world! Use it as a lesson and fix things.

I hope you find these tips as helpful as I did. These points will not solve all your problems, and are not a definitive answer to conquering the Fringe, but they do provide a good starting point. It’s better to have a “top 10” list to start from than nothing at all.