ED2018

Ten top reasons why Edinburgh is the only place to be in August

By | Published on Saturday 25 August 2018

It’s the final weekend of the Edinburgh Festival 2018. Which means most of the people performing here are now well past the “why do I do this – this is hell – never again!” phase of the Festival and well into the “this is the most magnificent place in the entire know universe – where do I sign up for next year?” stage. And with that in mind, here are ten top quotes from this year’s Caro Meets and Chris Meets interviews in which Fringe favourites remind us why Edinburgh is the only place to be each August.

James Dangerfield: “Edinburgh is remarkable in that it gives so many shows a chance to find an audience, a voice and – in the case of reviews – quotes and publicity materials to add to the tank for driving the show onwards. This is especially true if you happen to be covering a niche subject; for example, I saw wonderful show about a woman with diabetes called ‘Pricks’. The Fringe is a perfect springboard for a show like that!”

Victoria Firth: “As long as I’ve worked in theatre, Edinburgh has always been a high point of the year and a must do on the theatre calendar. I’ve come so many times it seems like a second home and I’m so delighted to be a part of it”.

Sid Singh: “The chance to perform an hour of stand-up every single day to a brand new and sizable audience is a luxury not available to most American comics. I’ll come here every year I can and do as many shows as possible!”

Faye Treacy: “It’s an amazing atmosphere and it’s really good to hone your craft, and hopefully it’s the place to push yourself up a level”.

Zach and Viggo: “We keep coming back because it’s an incredibly inspiring place to be and we get to learn from the most innovative people across all mediums. This motivates us to be our most creative and experimental selves while still managing to be engaging. We’re also coming back because we like to perform and play music a lot and we get to do that every night so, yeah, that’s cool”.

Patrick Eakin Young: “This is a very bizarre and beautiful show, but I think that Fringe audiences are up for anything, so I feel like it’s a good place to be. Putting it in a Fringe context means that people who might never otherwise be exposed to a show like this can have the opportunity to take a chance and come and see it, and that is really exciting”.

Tessa Waters of Fringe Wives Club: “Edinburgh Fringe is the kweeeen festival! To paraphrase Liza, if we can make it here, we can make it anywhere. The world is here, and it’s the largest arts market in the world if you want to give your show a touring life”.

Roman Fraden: “I’ve seen SO many people falling on the streets. Is it the cobble stone? That’s been a highlight for me – though no one has gotten hurt! Also, living in a beautiful city filled with castles and going out to do my show night after night after night has always been a dream for me. Aside from getting good reviews and making connections, that alone has made the trip worthwhile”.

Lisa Fa’alafi of Hot Brown Honey: “Edinburgh Fringe is an amazing platform to showcase work and for us it has been integral to our World Pollination strategy!! We are really clear that this show is for the people – Game Changers, Truth Sayers, Movers, Music Makers, Myth Slayers, Shake em up Women, Queens, Queers, Peace Makers and Risk Takers. Ed Fringe is where the people are, open- minded, ready to connect and make some noise!”

Bryony Twydle: “Of all the amazing things Edinburgh has to offer, the one thing that always sticks with me is the smell. I think it’s the beer they’re constantly brewing here and it makes the whole city smell of Weetabix. There is something really nostalgic about that smell, it takes me back to my very first time at the Fringe. Other highs for me include the feeling you get when the review that you’ve been waiting and waiting for comes out and it’s really nice, or when you go see something that not only makes you laugh but also gives you all of the feels … or the general post show drunkenness when you’re hanging out in the Courtyard, I love that Edinburgh never seems to sleep during the Fringe”.



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