...and so Ephgrave's Fringe Promo Machine springs into action (with a cough and a splutter, and a quick emergency call to the RAC.)
See below for my answers to a few questions for potential use in a feature about the Fringe for Fest, to hopefully get some publicity for this year's EdFringe solo show, 'Niche'.
Easily the most exciting part of writing this was discovering a little technological secret: in all the years I've had a Mac, I never knew I could make it read my work back to me, giving my prose a Matt Berry-like quality; suddenly, answering this Fringe Q&A got interesting.
(Beneath the article you find a link to listen to my answer to the first question, with Berry intonations; I know it's essentially just Siri, but it still amused me.)
David Ephgrave: Fest Q&A.
Q: What are some of the past practices that the festivals have nothing to be proud about?
The obvious way the Fringe continues to let itself down is by exploiting everyone from performers to flyerers to tech staff; its massive black-hole-like pull inevitably facilitates greed. Thankfully, not everybody's on the take, but an alarming percentage is, and the escalating cost of putting on a show prices so many out of it; this is my seventh or eighth Fringe and I don't think I've ever technically been able to afford it; there are only so many organs and orifices you can sell before your body ceases to be a functioning entity.
Q: By contrast, what’s getting better that we can be proud of?
One thing that's definitely improved is people's attitude to mental health. Taking a show to Edinburgh is an emotional rollercoaster, both in terms of how hard you work and how easy it is to lose faith in your ability through overtiredness. I still think reviewers could be more mindful of the potential impact of their copy - Googling your own name on the Fringe is like asking for an appraisal from your arch nemesis - but the more performers stick together and resist the temptation to overdo it, the nicer and healthier a place it will be.
Q: Where’s the best place to eat or drink in Edinburgh (maybe think beyond the city centre)?
There's a great little Hong Kong-style fast food restaurant called Dai Pai on Nicholson Street that I've been known to frequent in the past. They do a great seafood broth that almost makes you feel like you're eating healthily, plus you can pop to the independent coffee shop Coffee Angel next door to pointedly not read your reviews over dessert.