Edinburgh Fringe

Hey guys

I am kind of sick of people saying this is my preview for the Edinburgh fringe, then just doing the same material I have seen them do at many other open mic nights, why is it your fringe preview if its the same gags you do all year round, still being fairly new to the game perhaps I am missing something.

Anyway I have been offered a couple of spots up at the fringe, I am not really interested in seeing any acts I have seen on the open mic circuit doing half hour shows, no offence to them of course, and I am not really in a financial position to go and pay to see the pro's while I'm up there, so there's no point me going right? or is that Edinburgh is full of TV execs looking for the next big thing and perhaps I will miss a great opportunity!

Any advice?

If you go up on the first week you may well be able to get into quite a lot of shows cheaply or even for free, especially if the act in question is expecting reviewers to come to the show and want them to see a nice big full audience (letting loads of people in for free is called "papering" in the industry and often accounts for a lot of the "Sold Out" signs you'll see for shows).

Probably too late now but it's always worth registering with the Fringe Society as a "Comedy Promoter" as that'll often help you to get freebies.

In all honesty though, you really need to go up to Edinburgh with some sort of plan, even if it's just to get some spots, see some shows and hang out in Brooke's Bar/The Library Bar, hoping to "network".

The days of acts being "discovered" up in Edinburgh has pretty much gone, the acts who'll get "Edinburgh buzz" are the acts who are already doing well on the London/UK circuit (mostly the London circuit as comedy industry types travel about as well as my car sick dog).

In fact, I could probably write a list now of the 10-12 acts who will have "buzz" without watching a single Edinburgh show.

Forget the comedians, go down the other end of town to the book festival! It's much more civilised.

Thanks for your advice guys, I think I will stick around London this year anyway, I really want to try and get more 10 spots as I have more material now and perhaps with so many acts out of town it might be a good opportunity.

I was reading that Henning Wehn says the Edinburgh Fringe is becoming more like the Oktoberfest beer festival in that there are massive bars and people just go there now for the social side and not bothering so much about the comedy.