How To Produce Perform And Write An Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Show

About the book This book shares eleven years experience of producing shows at the Fringe for the price of two café lattea and a muffin, without the social awkwardness of having to sit with the author in a coffee shop. This guide is aimed at performers interested in producing their first shows at the Edinburgh Fringe. Highlighting the author's personal experiences of half-full houses, flat mates gone bad, hostel horror stories, campsite calamities, and general comedy cock-ups. Although the author's background is in producing and performing stand-up comedy, the principles of venue hire, promotion and publicity are the same for shows of other genres, such as sketch comedy, cabaret and theatre shows, as are the problems of managing large groups of performers. The section on how to write shows details the author's approach to writing his shows as opposed to being a general how to write comedy guide. Unofficial about the book As well as the usual advice on booking venues and ordering flyers, what I've tried to do is give my personal experiences of the Fringe, so for most of the pieces of advice there is a story about how I ended up doing stuff that way. The final section of the book is a collection of first-hand war stories from the Fringe which most of the people who have read them have laughed at. There are a couple of shall we say incidents involving assaults with deadly weapons, mental break downs, general flat mate gone bad stories and heart attacks which don't generally raise a laugh but they all happened and made the experiences much more interesting. I've used pseudonyms in some cases or omitted names entirely because you might well have been gigging with the people involved recently. I've also included my approach to writing two shows I did at the Fringe to give you an idea of working practices and how I put shows together. Hopefully the reader will be able to take something away from my experiences. The book will hopefully be updated as I go along. If you bought it – and I'm pleased to say that it is off the grid with sales, then do say hello. Both the Kindle and on-demand printed version have an address in them which lists where you can find the updates on-line, It seems a bit unfair you having to pay for small updates. Quotes about this book "If you're a young comedian starting out I would urge you to read this book instead of going to Edinburgh."Ian Cognito "Ian's book helped me bring my show from NYC to Edinburgh. It helped me write it, market it, produce it and sell it. Most of all, it helped me have fun with it. Ian knows his stuff." - Peter Michael Marino, New York (formerly of Off-Broadway smash 'STOMP'"This is the complete guide. Anybody thinking of taking a show to the Fringe needs this book!" David Crawford, Screen and Stage Actor featured in George Romero's 'Dawn of the Dead'"Essential for anyone going to the Fringe. It's got everything you need to know but might never think of. The ultimate guide - and lots of great anecdotes.” - John Fleming, Organiser Annual Malcolm Hardee Comedy Awards“I have never had any aspiration to perform at The Fringe, but I found I could hardly put down this book such was the interest it evoked in me, so I guess if I was a person who did want to experience the phenomena then this should be a must read.” - One4Review.co.uk"Even those that have already been performing at the Fringe for a few years are still likely to take something new away the book."British Comedy Guide

This book shares eleven years experience of producing shows at the Fringe for the price of two cafe lattes and a muffin, without the social awkwardness of having to sit with the author in a coffee shop. This guide is aimed at performers interested in producing their first shows at the Edinburgh Fringe. Highlighting the author's personal experiences of half-full houses, flat mates gone bad, hostel horror stories, campsite calamities, and general comedy cock-ups. Although the author's background is in producing and performing stand-up comedy, the principles of venue hire, promotion and publicity are the same for shows of other genres, such as sketch comedy, cabaret and theatre shows, as are the problems of managing large groups of performers. The section on how to write shows details the author's approach to writing his shows as opposed to being a general how to write comedy guide. Press quotes about the book so far: wonderfully illuminating and extremely funny - Festival Previews

'Ah! The Fringe! I can't think of a more delightful way of putting my liver, bank account, relationship, complexion, and mental stability under the greatest strain they've ever known!' Mel Giedroyc It is the world's largest arts festival, attracting everyone from student first-timers to Hollywood stars. Thrilling, inspiring and bewildering in equal measure, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe can make you a star or break your bank. So what is the secret of making it work for you? The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide draws on the experiences of the festival's leading figures - their disasters as well as their triumphs - to take you step by step through the process of making your show a success in the Scottish capital. From choosing a venue to keeping on top of the budget, from sorting out accommodation to securing the best press coverage, from generating word of mouth to making the most of a hit, this unique practical guide for performers, directors and producers helps you get your show the audience it deserves. Among those sharing their expert advice are playwright Simon Stephens, comedian Phil Nichol, actor Siobhan Redmond, producer Guy Masterson, Tiger Lillies front manMartyn Jacques, theatre critic Lyn Gardner, Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award director Nica Burns, as well as the directors of all the major Fringe venues, top press officers, international promoters and insiders from the Fringe Society itself. The foreword is written by playwright Mark Ravenhill.

"Rob Madge's autobiographical solo show My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) is a coming-of-age story that celebrates Madge's experience of growing up queer in a supportive family. It was first performed at the Turbine Theatre, London, on 17 June 2021. The play begins with Madge announcing that they are putting on a show 'about my childhood'. When Rob was twelve, they attempted a full-blown Disney parade in their house for their grandma, Granny Grimble. As Rob donned wigs and played Mary Poppins, Ariel, Mickey Mouse and Belle, their Dad doubled as Stage Manager, Sound Technician and Goofy. Unfortunately, Dad missed all his cues and pushed all the floats in the wrong direction, Mum mistook Aladdin for Ursula, the costumes went awry, and Ariel's bubble gun didn't work properly. Grandma had a nice time, though. Now, Madge is recreating that parade, with the help of actual video footage from the family archive. The premiere production was directed by Luke Sheppard and designed by Ryan Dawson Laight, with music by Pippa Cleary. It was performed by Rob Madge"--About the play

This accessible and engaging text covering sketch, sitcom and comedy drama, alongside improvisation and stand-up, brings together a panoply of tools and techniques for creating short and long-form comedy narratives for live performance, TV and online. Referencing a broad range of comedy from both sides of the Atlantic, spanning several decades and including material on contemporary internet sketches, it offers all kinds of useful advice on creating comic narratives for stage and screen: using life experience as raw material; constructing comedy worlds; creating comic characters, their relationships and interactions; structuring sketches, scenes and routines; and developing and plotting stories. The book's interviewees, from the UK and the USA, feature stand-ups, sketch comics, improvisers and TV comedy producers, and include Steve Kaplan, Hollywood comedy guru and author of The Hidden Tools of Comedy, Will Hines teacher and improviser from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and Lucy Lumsden TV producer and former Controller of Comedy Commissioning for BBC. Written by “the ideal person to nurture new talent” (The Guardian), Creating Comedy Narratives for Stage & Screen includes material you won't find anywhere else and is a stimulating resource for comedy students and their teachers, with a range and a depth that will be appreciated by even the most eclectic and multi-hyphenated writers and performers.

Fringe First and Total Theatre Award- winning Breach (Tank, The Beanfield) restage the 1612 trial of Agostino Tassi for the rape of baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi. Based on surviving court transcripts, this new play dramatises the seven-month trial that gripped Renaissance Rome, and asks how much has changed in the last four centuries. Blending myth, history and contemporary commentary, this is the story of how a woman took revenge through her art to become one of the most successful painters of her generation.

In this hilarious and heartfelt memoir, Haley McGee sets out to calculate—with mathematical precision—the exact cost of love, and whether all of her former relationships were worth it. Haley McGee is in debt. The solution? A yard sale of gifts from her ex-boyfriends. But when it comes to pricing, she gets stuck. Surely the ways we invest in our romantic relationships should be reflected in the price. But how? Is the mixtape from your first love worth more than the vintage typewriter from a philanderer? Does sitting on an X-Acto knife wedged between seats on a bus to see the boyfriend you lost your virginity to increase or decrease the value of the necklace he gave you? Should you be compensated for the miserable times or do they render an item worthless? Haley decides to gamble on a larger payout. She interviews her exes and enlists the help of a mathematician to create a formula—with eighty-six variables—for the cost of love. As she's searching for answers, the one that got away reappears with a new proposition. Female desire, heartbreak and the chance for integrity in the aftermath of both are held up in this whipsmart, original and daringly candid memoir. As Haley McGee interrogates her romantic triumphs and failures with unflinching detail and hilarity, her exquisite prose elevates this all too human conundrum: Is love worth it?

Winner of the 2020 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre I looked at her, wanting her to laugh. Wanting her to share in the joke. But she didn't. She just stared. I knew then, in that moment – that she had taken it literally... Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Richard Gadd has a chilling story to tell about obsession, delusion and the terrifying ramifications of a fleeting mistake. This powerful and engaging monologue play portrays a man brought to the edge by the actions of a chance encounter which takes a toll on all aspects of his life. In doing so it asks important questions about victims, the justice system and how one decision has the ability to change your life.

“The idea is inspired and the treatment piercingly beautiful . . . Two formidable artists have shown respect for the integrity of each other’s work here and the result is magnificent.” —Independent “Bob Dylan’s back catalogue is used to glorious effect in Conor McPherson’s astonishing cross-section of hope and stoic suffering . . . It is the constant dialogue between the drama and the songs that makes this show exceptional.” —Guardian “Beguiling and soulful and quietly, exquisitely, heartbreaking. A very special piece of theatre.” —Evening Standard “A populous, otherworldly play that combines the hard grit of the Great Depression with something numinous and mysterious.” —Telegraph Duluth, Minnesota. 1934. A community living on a knife-edge. Lost and lonely people huddle together in the local guesthouse. The owner, Nick, owes more money than he can ever repay, his wife Elizabeth is losing her mind, and their daughter Marianne is carrying a child no one will account for. So when a preacher selling bibles and a boxer looking for a comeback turn up in the middle of the night, things spiral beyond the point of no return . . . In Girl from the North Country, Conor McPherson beautifully weaves the iconic songbook of Bob Dylan into a show full of hope, heartbreak and soul. It premiered at the Old Vic, London, in July 2017, in a production directed by the author. Conor McPherson is an award-winning Irish playwright. His best-known works include The Weir (Royal Court; winner of the 1999 Olivier Award for Best New Play), Dublin Carol (Atlantic Theater Company) and The Seafarer (National Theatre). Bob Dylan, born in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1941, is one of the most important songwriters of our time. Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016. He released his thirty-ninth studio album, Triplicate, in April 2017, and continues to tour worldwide.

In the world of Fringe (or Off-Off Broadway) theatre, a strong debate has been raging for years - when you're producing a low/no-budget production, how on earth can you make it happen and still treat everyone involved in an open, honest and ethical manner? Where do you stand with profit-share productions when you can't afford to pay Union minimums? Open Book Theatre Management, along with its free online resources of instructional budget spreadsheets, is the first book ever to show you exactly how to mount a theatre production without losing either your integrity or your shirt. It is aimed at actors, directors and producers in the early stages of their careers; drama schools; and further and higher education establishments. The methodologies outlined in the book are transferable across all countries in which arts funding is difficult to secure. The time for going to the Establishment with the begging bowl is over. There need be no more excuses. The author will even show you how to start your own theatre company for only a tenner…