Edinburgh or Bust.


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.

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