Happy World Fringe Day!!
I'm unreasonably happy that there's now a day dedicated to my favourite thing - FRINGE.
As I (ever so wittily) commented on Twitter this morning -
'I didn't choose the #fringelife, #fringelife chose me.'
And World Fringe Day has come just as TwentySomething begin rehearsals for Hell Has No Fury at the Edinburgh Fringe. It's kinda crazy to think that we're bringing a show to the original Fringe Festival in it's 70th year, like a lot crazy, like ohmygodwhatarewethinking crazy.
My first Fringe - yes this is when I get nostalgic - was in 2010. I started what would be a seven year stint working at Assembly Hall every August. I can't believe it's been that long, but I also can't really remember a time when my year didn't revolve around Fringing. I love it so much I now travel to Prague, just to get to do it again. I've met some of my best friends at Fringe, seen the best (and worst) theatre of my life at Fringe, I've laughed so hard I've cried and cried so hard I've laughed at Fringe. To me, it's absolutely astounding that we get to be part of it every single year.
We did a little Q&A for our Insta last week and I was asked, "What's your favourite thing about #edfringe?" I had to think for a bit, mostly because I wanted to be funny, but also because there are so many answers to that question:
I love the way Edinburgh comes alive during Fringe. I love how many new people get to experience the city. I love the number of new companies who've chosen Edinburgh as the place to share their brand-new work for the first time ever. I love the people who come back year after year, like there's a magnetic pull that stretches across continents and oceans, bringing them back to the Fringe. I love that there are now Fringes all across the world who took inspiration from Edinburgh and decided to dare to be different too. I love walking down the Royal Mile and seeing warring companies vie for flyering privileges. I almost love getting annoyed at tourists in town who don't seem to understand that, 'I'm late for work plz move!'
I could have said any of those things - instead I went for, "my favourite thing is that you can say you're having an early night when you go home at 4am." Which I promise is more poignant than it sounds! Edinburgh doesn't go to sleep in August, there's always something going on, no matter what time of day or night and it's that buzz, the hum in the background, that I love.
I feel incredibly lucky that we're getting to bring Hell Has No Fury to a whole new Fringe audience in Edinburgh and I cannot wait.
A reminder that tickets are on sale on the Fringe website, and that healthy presales allow my blood pressure to remain at a semi-reasonable level.
(I have used the word Fringe 16 times. Just FYI)
Sweeney x
