Pig PensWe had joy, we had fun, we are pretty fucking done…
THE SEASONS OF THE FRINGE.
I’m not sure who came up with the idea of the traditional ‘one day off in the middle of the Fringe’ model, but they were either a sadist, mad or both. Sure ‘Sadist’ and ‘maddest’ don’t rhyme for THAT reason, but it makes you wonder doesn’t it?
In case you don’t know, whilst most people work on a ‘5 days on, 2 days off’ system, Fringe performers undertake a more unorthodox ’13 days on, 1 day off, 12 days on’ arrangement, a state of affairs almost certain to produce symptoms of, if not full blown madness within the working month.
This also has flow on effects for you, the audience. The most striking being that the performance you see will vary depending on which week you visit. These are imperfect categorisations of course, but broadly you can expect your experience to fall into one of the following.
WEEK 1 – In week 1, audiences see performers as full of enthusiasm as they aren’t competent. This almost definitely isn’t their fault. Maybe they didn’t get enough previews to really develop a one hour show fully (most of us). This means that they’re tinkering night by night and you are in many ways guinea pigs. Preview prices may be somewhat related.
WEEK 2 – This is in my opinion the sweet spot. Shows are now in good nick, plus the natural sharp improvement curve that just comes naturally between the 10th and 20th time you do ANYTHING makes us all feel like every show was EVEN BETTER THAN THE LAST ONE!
This feeling means, that unless the performer is an inveterate alcoholic (most of us) they should still be full of energy and giving their very best. This sense of responsibility is only enhanced as EVERYONE is technically still in contention for awards.
WEEK 3 – This is split in two depending on how the last two weeks have gone. That said, no matter who we’re discussing, everyone is tired. Not to give too much away, and not to quash the mystery of a comedian’s life, but this is when a flood of emails/texts/WhatsApps of the variety ‘Oh, I can’t really do the gig today. My voice is ruined/I’m sick/Fuck you I’m a broken man I need to lie in bed undisturbed for a period of between but not including 12 to 16 hours’ These can be forgiven, as they’re all to pull off gigs booked in mid-June with a distinct lack of foresight.
The two categories of shows you might see in Week 3.
SHOWS IN AWARDS CONTENTION – Performer-wise, this is very much like Week 2. The buzz that they might be in line for an award keeps the performer going to bed early and looking after themselves, in stark opposition to their deep-seated self-destructive comedian tendencies. Audience wise, sometimes the tourists start pouring in, quipping “Oh, I read a good review of it in The Scotsman”
It is a simple fact understood by anyone who has watched their Mum exclaim “y’all motherfuckers forgot about Dre” that something breaking mainstream can spoil it. So it is with comedy. You might find that the sold out crowd of that buzzy show that you’re watching is populated with a fair complement of people who don’t particularly like whatever particular brand of deadpan, whimsy, clowning, filth or heavily opinionated social commentary whichever show happened to get 5 Stars in The Scotsman is providing.
SHOWS OUT OF AWARDS CONTENTION – This is a risky move. Performers who care about such things and who have been ‘behaving’ all month in the vain hope of being one of the chosen few to be nominated for an award may do a full 180 and begin drinking, smoking, snorting and fucking their way through the remainder of the festival.
Sometimes shows performed by people in this state can be absolutely spectacular. But it’s also true that performers like this can be erratic.
WEEK 4 – By now, the nominees are out. The mystery is gone. And if you go to a show you are watching someone who has said the same hour of dialogue at least 20 of the last 21 days in a row.
Have you ever been so tired that you become slightly delirious and everything is funny? Week 4 of the Fringe is kind of like that. If you’re lucky, you might stumble upon a perfect moment of last-legs hilarity. But also, you might just find a weary human trying just trying to fall over the finish line.
So there you go. The seasons of the Fringe, and what you can expect of them. Sure it’s the third week of Fringe and you can’t act on all of it. But it’ll be just as true next year.
Bookmark it, refresh it next July and heed the words of a man who has gone through the Fringe thirteen times. Unlucky for some. Diamonds for you.
Yianni Agisilaou: I, Human
Pleasance 10 Dome, 9:40pm
August 1-26
Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/yianni-agisilaou-i-human