In true
‘this-could-only-happen-to-me’ style, I’ve just ordered a new projector screen
to be delivered to Edinburgh, as some git who’s also doing a show at my
venue must have knocked mine over where it’s stored in-between shows and broken
it, without making any effort to let me know.
(Well, any successful
effort at least.)
It was while setting
up this morning that I discovered it had been disturbed, as the pole that
supports the screen when it’s extended (and is usually both clipped and LX-taped
to the back when it’s away) had become dislodged, and one of the ends of
the base was dented. It wasn’t until I pulled the screen up from the base that
I realised the extent of the damage as the screen would no longer
retract and had lost all tension. Thankfully, it was usable for today’s show, though the jury was out as to whether it would last the rest of the run.
What’s
particularly annoying is it has managed to survive being shipped here and back for my last two Fringe runs - not to mention every Mostly Comedy in the interim - until some dishonest tool
of an unconscientious Fringe performer knocked it over and propped it back up
again, even though it was clearly damaged. But why should I expect
less? That’s what most people on the planet do; it’s each man (or woman) for
themself; thank God Doggett & Ephgrave are made of money and can afford to
replace it fifteen or sixteen times over.
If it had
happened towards the end of the Fringe, I would have probably decided to make
do with the old one in its broken state and thrown it away on the last day to
get a new one delivered down South, thus saving me the hassle of having to
ship one home, but the remaining twelve shows seemed slightly too many to
risk it lasting when it’s so integral to what I do. I'll now have my fingers
firmly crossed the new one arrives at my digs this Tuesday while
I’m in, or a comedy back and forth could ensue while they try to deliver
it (which will almost certainly be the case); I know how these things go.
Broken equipment
aside, today’s show was the busiest so far, which was surprising considering how
bad the weather was this morning (i.e. rainy enough to put people off coming out
full stop). However, despite being a big crowd for me they seemed a little
self-conscious, though they particularly like the off-book stuff. They
definitely warmed up as the show went on, and I may even have misjudged the
reaction initially, as it wasn’t until some of the brighter projections
lit the room that I realised just how much everyone was smiling; proof you
should never assume too much.