Gemma Hurley, from the group performing the comic play 'Death Ship 666!', explains the benefits of performing a morning show...

As soon as we received our 10:45am slot on the Free Festival for our parody disaster play - Death Ship 666! - we all suddenly felt very, very sober.

Surely everyone in Edinburgh is going to be passed out in a drunken coma before mid-day?!? Our audience won't be drunk/conscious enough to laugh, or we'll pass out and miss the show everyday ourselves!

However, we're just over a week into the Fringe now, and we've been overflowing with audiences every single day with crowds standing at the back, or balancing precariously in the bar of the Gothic Room. We've been turning crowds away at the weekends, with glowing five star blog reviews.

We were completely unprepared for such a success in the morning, but with hindsight, here are some reasons why you should consider doing it too:

1. If you're the first show of the day, audiences will actively PLAN to see your show, rather than pencil you in and never get round to you.

2. If you're a free show, audiences are more likely to part with their cash if they haven't already spent their pocket money on their last four shows that day.

3. Your audience demographic is easier to handle - less drunken hen party, more cheery dedicated Fringe goers and switched on families (our show is a PG, so no crying babies allowed).

4. After the show is finished, the cast have the rest of the day to catch up on sleep, see shows and flyer, rather than sleeping in and missing the Fringe!

5. And most importantly - there are far fewer other shows to compete with before noon!

We have had a blessing in disguise for our 10:45am morning slot at the Free Sisters for Death Ship 666! and would recommend everyone to consider the benefits before dismissing it in favour of more late night drinking time, like we initially did.

Death Ship 666! is at The Free Sisters until August 25th. Listing