I am now two shows into my 24-show run, and it is very much a case of so far, so good. In fact, I am already surpassing my audience figures at this stage from last year.
The capacity of my venue this year is 90 seats, up from the self-imposed limit of 80 last year. For the opening show in the new room, I managed to get about half the total capacity. It was exactly what I needed to get to grips with the new room, deal with the teething problems, and figure everything out.
The audience were a talkative bunch and gave me a lot to work with, including the points deductions for repeat offenders. In terms of the material, the second two-thirds didn’t quite hit as I’d like and highlight the work that is still required to knock it into the shape I want.
As I said in the previous entry, I think I am in a better position with it than I was 12 months ago with the material. Having the five previews in the previous month provided invaluable, especially the two back-to-back in Durham on the first weekend of August.
The second show of the run, business picked up considerably, and I actually achieved my first sold-out show of Edinburgh Fringe. In fact, this was the largest audience I have ever performed the show in front of, with 89 – beating the possible 81 I had for the first show in Durham.
Satisfyingly, the show was also stronger on the second day. I made some tweaks to the material and it mostly all worked much better. There are still one or two bits I need to strengthen to land more consistently, but I’m definitely not far off. Furthermore, new jokes are springing from the ether with each show as I start to ad lib and add new bits. Another aspect I am pleased to report is that I finished the show on time for the second day running, despite having a much larger audience to do all the admin with.
After the show, I celebrated my first sell-out show by having lunch at the Mexican restaurant next door, which serves amazing food. I fully intend to work my way through the menu this August.
Once I’d finished my lunch, I started doing some flyering. After about an hour, I started to feel faint and spaced out. This sensation only ever seems to happen when I’m in Edinburgh for the fringe. It also began in 2024 when I’d changed my diet and lost weight to try and get my blood pressure under control. I suspect it’s connected with this and need to figure out ways to avoid it happening again.
I had planned to go around the old Edinburgh haunts this evening, but decided to listen to what my body was telling me and head back to my accommodation for food. I now feel much better and will figure out a strategy to keep whatever it is under control to make sure that I manage to survive the month.
It has been a good start to the fringe, I just hope the trajectory remains upward. In any case, I will be prepared.