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This will be an ongoing insight of what it is like as a technician at the Edinburgh Fringe. From our first week to our last, these will be an inside look at what happens behind the scenes that most people don’t get even a glimpse of. This is the sixth week of the EdFringe.
Photo courtesy of CSI: Crime Scene Improv (@crimesceneimprov on instagram)
This is the final week of shows before you take the descending steps into the derig. The production office is more of a mess now than ever before, and the waffle station didn’t help but you’re not about to blame it on the waffles. More shows have already finished their run, so more venues have time to decompress before the inevitable pounding headache that comes when taking down all of the venues. It is during this lovely downtime that both of your technical managers have ideas…
One of your Technical Managers decides he is bored and doesn’t have enough to do. So he “volunteers” (more like enlists) some of the technicians in the surrounding area whose venues don’t have enough going on according to him for a project that he comes up with. He has decided that the site needs more colour. It is now your job to hang lights off of the outside arches as well as along the corridors of any alleys. A few hours of added work later and you hate to admit it, but it does look good. Why did he have to have this idea on the last week of shows though, especially when he knows as well as you do that it’s just going to have to be added to the list of things that will be put back into a flight case next week.
The other Technical Manager has decided that we deserve a night to enjoy one of the venues to ourselves. He asks that we make suggestions for a movie we’d like to put on and he’ll order a pizza. After many many many suggestions come through, a poll is made as well as a decision.
Another staff party also follows at one of the other sites to keep up morale, and more hangovers follow the next morning. This not-so-well-kept secret about the Fringe is true, there is a lot of alcohol involved in not only the performers nightly routines but also the technicians. The main difference being, you’re the one that has to get up somewhat early the next morning and operate the shows that have all the bright lights and loud noises.
There are also some shows at the Fringe that are true of the statement “You don’t always believe it until you see it.” The Fringe has always had a reputation for pushing the boundaries of what art and theatre are about. Some shows have taken this in a more comedic direction, and some more questionable… Either way, there are just some shows that you have to see with your own eyes to believe they actually exist. One example that comes instantly to mind is a show involving a man in nothing but a green thong and certain dance moves…
Janine has always been a part of music and performing. The first show that inspired her to go into theatre was the Velveteen Rabbit which she saw as a child, and Drew works to keep that magic alive in her work. When Drew was accepted into an internship program for audio engineering at a recording studio, she jumped at the opportunity. That was at the start of 2020, and so much has happened since then, both in her career and in the world. Since then, Drew has taken several opportunities to work at recording studios, concerts, festivals, and even large theatres while spending some time on tour. Drew's favorite by far though, has been the chance to work on Broadways and West End shows, as this was a dream come true. Drew is honoured to get to share these experiences from being inside the entertainment industry.
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