David's Snow Day.


I ended up not doing a show today, which in a perverse way felt like a bit of a treat.

I was talking to my technician Michael moments before we opened the house about how the intensity of a run on the Fringe would be easier to withstand with a day off a week. While it’s fair to say I’ve started every day tired for at least a week now, my energy tends to kick into gear once I get to the venue, but today was the first time I needed a fifteen-minute power-nap before leaving my digs, as the results of a month of early starts had finally caught me up.

I don’t think anyone is built to withstand so many shows without a break; it doesn’t really happen like this in many other instances outside of Edinburgh - and yet so many of us return year after year, trying to achieve the nearly impossible act of doing a twenty-five-ish day straight, and wonder why we come out the other side shattered and prone to low mood; even the Lord Almighty created the Earth with a day’s rest.

(Not that I’m comparing myself to God. YET.)

That said, I could have put in an extra day or two off as well as the 14th (when my venue was closed), yet the voice inside me told me being up here and not performing would be a waste, or that perhaps that my show wouldn’t be programmed if I took too much time off. In retrospect, that’s ridiculous; I may even had a few busier gigs, if the people who wanted to see me had slightly fewer dates to choose from.

The funny thing is today’s show nearly went ahead, as technically I had three people booked, though there was one no-show, and the other two didn’t fancy watching it alone, which I understood completely. In the end, I offered them free tickets should they decide to come again, but told them they needn't feel pressured Either way, I’ll make the most of my bonus day off and relax for a bit; at least then I can approach my last three shows with extra vigour.

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