Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Low Down
A moment to spend time in a card-based workshop that is immersive because it asks you to be a participant. Targeted at Fringe performers and others who stumble upon it, like I did, depending upon the quality of chat and conversation once you arrive this is meditation and hope in the midst of chaos.
Review
I’ll be honest. I stumbled into this seeing I had some free time and clicked to book. I was unsure what it would be and, to an extent, doing any kind of review is a little cheeky, but I really did enjoy my time in a gentle atmosphere of calm and refreshments. But, as a pay what you can offer, there is a possible charge at some point for the experience.
What I let myself in for was picking at random three cards, as asked at previous workshops at the Fringe, under three categories – community, expectations and strategy – and then we collectively choose which will be the focus of conversation. The questions are used to start conversation. Obviously, if people are willing to participate, and we are at place where people have chosen to come be heard and perform so a pretty easy pick as a focus, then conversation flows.
In my group, there were performers, a producer from one of the venues as an organizer who joined us part way through which led to some fascinating exchanges of information and things that we wanted to connect with. Given that it was curated by an American who works for Warner Brothers and in Hollywood it was interesting to see that rather than taking a more a glitzy glamour approach that it was so down to earth.
The problem is that we are in a thoroughfare in C alto, meaning people are coming in and out, walking through, with artists and members of the team who are working the venue which interrupt. There were also a number of acapella groups outside warming up, which became a bit of a running joke, though it never really stopped focus on any important points.
One thing I loved about this was the way in which we were able to exchange, talk freely and honestly about not only our experiences with the Fringe but to see and hear people who have been there for over 30 years retaining an enthusiasm. It meant that the younger ones amongst us (not me) felt that they were is hope for the future, even though they had small “crowds” for their shows. It made the whole experience more of a rounded one. By the end I didn’t skip away but I did walk away feeling that in the context of an opportunity for people to simply sit and hear the experiences of others, that the Fringe needs, not only to have a society who are going to programme these events, but artists themselves need to curate them together. TBD are to be credited with doing this, however so are Fringe Review who, at Greenside run their own workshops so maybe, the Fringe Society need to make with it and join some things together rather than running things all themselves… Now there’s a strange thought…
