The final preview is done and the next time I take to the stage will be for my Edinburgh Fringe 2024 run.
My show is getting close to where I want it, but it’s not quite there just yet. My last preview in Shaftesbury was a marked improvement on my other previews and my audience was easily bigger than my previous three previews combined. I think I must have had around 50 or more people in.
Ten minutes before the show was due to start, when the room was almost full, my music stopped playing and I thought it was an issue with the cable. As music is kind of important for my music round, I went to the nearby theatre to get a replacement cable. In previous years, this would have sent me into a panic, but I was strangely serene about it all – all part of this new health kick that genuinely does not include any drugs.
I sourced a replacement cable, went back to my venue and swapped leads. Still nothing. I then tested the mic, which had also gone off despite working fine 15 minutes previously. I had a fiddle with the cables around the back of the mixing desk and the music started again. It turned out to be a temperamental cable around that was fine in a certain position but not fine in another. Thankfully, it stayed in the fine position throughout.
It was a big room, with people spread pretty far back and most seats filled. The window was open for ventilation and the ceilings were high. The show was fun, but not all the material was landing in the way it’s meant to. But People seemed to enjoy it far more than I thought judging by the acoustics. I ended up with a record haul in my bucket collection of more than £170. The previews have definitely all taken me back to the roots of the show, small audiences, weird venues, and finally a bucket collection. I am pleased to report that ticket sales are looking strong already. Will I reclaim my Jpeg laurels? Who knows/cares? I’m just looking forward to performing at the Fringe again. I never intended to be away so long.
I don’t know how the next month is going to go. But will find out all the details here.
In just over a couple of hours, I will be boarding the sleeper train. I am currently more excited about having my own cabin on a train than performing my show. Tomorrow morning, I will wake up in Edinburgh and get off the train at 8am with an entire day to get everything ready for another Fringe.