Image credit to Kate Bielinksi on Unsplash

It's been a whirlwind and my latest opera has been and gone. We delivered two performances in St Cecilia's Hall in Edinburgh, which were very well received. On the day, I shifted my focus from the work to the audiences and noticed a few cool things:

1. There was an eight(ish)-year-old child in the first show, and she was bouncing along to the upbeat numbers, and really appreciated some active staging and a bit of silliness.
2. The afternoon audience was one of the most inclusive I've ever witnessed. We had audience members using wheelchairs, accompanied by assistance dogs, and living with developmental disabilities. The performance was not advertised as "accessible" but by performing in an accessible venue with no additional technical effects, the show clearly attracted a wide range of attendees. I am thrilled about this.

I also got to be an audience member myself while at the fringe. My personal highlight was Hamlet by the New York Circus Project. Recommended by my good friend (and top tier stage manager) Chaz Webb, it was an electrifying hour of physical performance and classic text. I've seen multiple versions of Hamlet in my time, but I've never cared about the ghost in the way that I did through circus. The final fight scene was my favourite and I was buzzing by the end. Safe to say, I'm now obsessed with contemporary circus.

I also saw Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, which is hilarious in its unpredictability, and our drunk performer was really going for it. My final show was Articulate from a lovely Australian troupe, and it had a great sitcom energy.

I'm so glad I made it to the fringe for even these few days because it was good for the soul. I've been a bit cynical about Edinburgh Fringe since the pandemic, and I do still believe there are some big problems with how it operates. However, being back in the heart of it reminded of all that is good about the festival. You are amongst so many other artists who believe so passionately in sharing stories and entertaining others, and you can take a risk on a show, knowing it wasn't too much money and if it's not for you, you'll have forgotten it in a few hours after the next one. You can see a huge range of genres all in one day because the shows are on throughout the day and all in one city.

Going to the fringe gave me an important reminder of why I do this and how great live theatre is.