Company Manager Iain Dodds on Accommodation, Welfare, and Curry Date: 30 August 2011
So the Fringe is over for another year. A month-long assault on all the senses. And where better to hold the world’s biggest performing arts festival than in the most stunning city in the world. Where people from all sides of the globe come to perform, watch, learn and experience something new. It is also the only city I know that can go through all four seasons in half an hour.
Coming on board as Company Manager for Seabright Productions was exciting and I was kept busy from day one. A usual day would be meeting performers, taking them to their flats, making sure they were comfortable and had everything they needed. I had a cork board above my desk covered in flat keys. Towards the end of the festival one side of my desk broke (reason unknown...) and was temporarily propped up with a slab of wood. If someone had seen my desk for the first time at that moment, I looked like a third rate estate agent going through a recession.
I was in charge of the general welfare of the performers (including arranging comps etc) which was made easy as they were absolutely lovely, friendly and approachable. Moving constantly from place to place, the rain was constant. The sun came out for roughly 8 minutes. Then it rained again.
The Festival never ceases to amaze me. The enthusiasm at the start of the Fringe is overwhelming. The second week people are still excited but slightly fatigued. The third week they are strangely quiet. Either way it’s always slightly amusing watching a guy dressed as a clown from head to toe, devoid of any smiles, standing in the pouring rain holding a limp flyer without a hint of irony.
To be part of Seabright Productions has been an amazing experience, and working alongside some fantastic shows and people has been a genuine pleasure. I love the spontaneity of the day, as it keeps me on my toes. It’s been hard work but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. This is my fourth Edinburgh Fringe but easily the best. I’ve seen a variety of shows throughout the month, including both of our Fringe First awarded shows (Somewhere Beneath it All, A Small Fire Burns Still and An Instinct for Kindness)
My life will return back to normal post Edinburgh, but next August the mayhem starts all over again. The performers will flock in from all over the world, and I’ll naturally be treating myself to Mosque Kitchen practically every night (pretty sure I’m due free meals now). I’ve met some fantastic people along the way (you know who you are), caught up with old friends, while always experiencing something new. Next year, the rain will hit again but hopefully the sun will last longer than 8 minutes. And hopefully that clown has managed to raise a smile.
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