Venue media launches are strange things – just how do you get the media interested in your corner of the Edinburgh Fringe when there is so much else going on?
The big operations with hundreds of shows have parties and previews packed with razzamatazz and sometimes the lure of the odd exotic free drink (one of our people discovered Parma violet gin for the first time at a launch event this week).
Army@TheFringe has five shows plus an exhibition and installation, so we take a different approach by inviting the media along to get a taste of our diverse offerings.
To do that we try to think of what would make interesting photos and interviews.
So, in year one we had dancers from 5 Soldiers and in year two there was the cast of The Troth– with superb WWI Indian army costumes, contrasted with a dancer in a vivid and beautiful sari.
And now it’s year three and the challenge is to keep it fresh.
Hopefully the idea of three opera singers, two brigadiers, one Army chef and an actor in a pink suit achieves that.
Our plans to include a large flamingo (a prop from one of the shows) have been dashed as it’s gone AWOL, but we have something even better in mind.
The opera singers are the world-renowned Simone Ibbett Brown, Teiya Kasahara and Lila Palmer from the intersectional feminist team behind Dead Equal and the brigadiers are Suzanne Anderson and Robin Lindsay, Operational Head of the Army in Scotland.
They will be accompanied by Nicholas Alban of Edinburgh-based Creative Electric and, we hope, one of the Army chefs who will be offering field kitchen curries and other superb dishes to Army@TheFringe visitors.
We’ll be posting our own photos on social media and here as soon as they are available.
And if you happen to be a member of the media and interested in popping along the timings are Friday, 2 August at 10.00am at Hepburn House, 89 East Claremont Street, EH7 4HU.
