mostly david ephgrave

Today was another extraordinarily long day, but now I’m at the tail-end of it, I at least feel the majority of the groundwork for my 2018 Edinburgh Fringe run has been done. The day started with a lengthy taxi ride to everyone's favourite destination - Edinburgh's Parcelforce depot - with my acoustic guitar in tow, to pick up my projector screen, projector stand, a suitcase full of equipment and another full of clothes, before returning to my digs to drop off my luggage to then take the rest of my stuff to the venue for my tech. I had a nice chat with the driver about what it’s like bringing a show to the Fringe (dropping in the usual “how much it costs to do it” clanger that always provokes a response), for him to tell me what it’s like to grow up and live in a city like Edinburgh. The conversation was so easy the journey sped by and before I knew it, I was in my venue, setting up. Of course no day on the Fringe would be complete without s...

To say yesterday was exhausting would be an epic understatement. The day started with me checking out of my temporary accommodation in a youth hostel (I’m not sure the first word is still applicable to me), leaving my luggage there to go and meet one of my new flyerers for this year. The best way to describe the hostel is “functional”. It was made up a series of mini-flats in a typically many-floored Edinburgh building, with me staying in the forebodingly named Flat 13 at the top of eight (count them: eight) floors. As I walked towards the entrance, one of the people who worked at the hostel asked if I’d like a hand with my luggage, which I politely declined like a typical Brit. It was about five floors in that I knew I’d made a mistake; note to self: next time, say “Yes”. "Cosy." I arrived at City Café at midday to meet my new flyerer Cameron, who’s a nice chap and very keen. It’s so important to have people you can trust f...

Today’s show was the most fun one yet. For the first time, the thing as a whole started to make sense, which was a pain when I had press in yesterday. That said, there was an industry presence today too, so at least they got to see it when I was going at it a fair lick. (That sounds inappropriate, so I’ll leave that image there.) Today's audience were very on-board with what I was doing, which was great. It was noticeable how different their approach was, compared to the last two 2for1 days. It may be a coincidence, but I felt the people who were there today were on the same page as me, and knew what they’d come to see - or maybe the wind was just blowing in the right direction; you can never tell with the Edinburgh Fringe; it’s a changeable beast. There was some concern before we kicked off, as only one of the PA speakers was working. The in-house technician was still trying to fix it minutes before we were due to kick off, whi...

When you regularly organise shows like I do, far too much of your time is taken up with logistics. Such was the case for me today, and primarily tonight. I have a preview in London tomorrow that I organised, booked and promoted myself at a venue I’ve worked at previously, which doesn’t have much of a tech set-up. Consequently, I’m taking most of the gear there myself. This wouldn’t have been a problem if I had someone coming with me to share the load, but sadly, a couple of people who’d originally been hoping to do this had to pull out unavoidably. As a result, I spent most of this evening with my brain zoned out, as I tried to figure out a feasible way of carrying everything I need on my own in one go; if only I possessed a pit pony. Part of the reason for my brain freeze was due to spending a long day split between rehearsing, organising, promoting, procrastinating…and other words that end with ‘ing’. It can be hard to multi-task with such little...

I had my technical rehearsal today for the weekend’s Etcetera Theatre shows, frustratingly in the midst of the twenty-four-hour tube strike. Tube strikes tend to follow Doggett & Ephgrave about. Tube strikes and major sporting events. I’ve lost count of the amount of shows we’ve put on in London on the same day as one or the other, or both; we’re the Mystic Megs of Gig Inconvenience, so don’t ask us for tips on scheduling. Today’s strike really didn’t hold me up, to be fair. I only needed to get from King’s Cross to Camden and back, which is barely any distance. The buses were as plentiful as they were boiling and packed; I arrived at the venue on time, but sweaty. It was strange teching at the Etcetera without Glyn, having done so much there together in the past. It’s our most-used venue outside of Leicester Square and Soho Theatre, and a lovely space with a good set-up. I had the technical manager on hand to assist me, which was great, but it led to a false sense o...