I have written here previously how I don’t normally enjoy Saturday shows as much as other days of the week at the Fringe. It’s normally busy but can feel a little flatter than other days. Well, yesterday, which was a Saturday, provided me with one of the most fun shows I have ever done.
The audience were great throughout, engaged and up for getting involved, without being too much.
One of the highlights was them booing me for getting the answers wrong. Admittedly, it was due to some deliberate dirty tricks from me earlier. I then encouraged them to boo me more loudly, which they obliged. And I told them they were booing because of their own lack of knowledge about a specific type of cephalopod.
Any conventional show would regard this as being something negative. But then my show is certainly not a conventional show and I revel in this sort of thing. It was hugely enjoyable, and not just for me.
My voice is also feeling really good. My vocal cords have been causing trouble for a good few years on and off. This year has been particularly bad. On a few occasions, it felt like my throat was closing up as soon as I started talking during a set. It could be down to a lack of using those throat muscles for the better part of five years, and how they interact with adrenaline. I’ve started doing warm-ups to get the voice muscles relaxed before a show. I’m also having daily spoons of honey. Whatever I am doing seems to be working, which is definitely good news.
Today, I have two shows, including my first ever extra show due to demand – which is ticking something off my list of achievements.
Sales numbers for the extra show have picked up a bit, but are lower than I would like at this point. It’s always going to be tricky when you don’t have any real profile or online following to sell tickets with little notice. I hope the fact that it’s the only chance people will be able to buy a ticket before Wednesday will work in my favour, as Sunday and Tuesday are all but sold out, with Monday my day off.
I am going to put in a couple of hours of flyering before the late show. I have also booked someone else to flyer for another hour and a half. So, hopefully, that will increase ticket sales.