To want to put a play on at the Edinburgh Fringe?

[WimpleOfTheBallet]

I know I'm not..but hoped someone here might have experience of doing this.

In short I trained as an actor and spent a pretty fruitless ten years in London doing crap plays and even crapper student films plus some TIE. Four years ago after 1st DC and now living back up North I started writing and had much more success than I ever did as an actor.

I've had a play on in Manchester and a lot of my sketches on Radio 4 plus other things

[wonders why she feels compelled to list her credentials]

Now I've decided I want to put a show on in Edinburgh...but how does one go about it? Any tips please?

[ratspeaker]

It's very competitive for space in Edinburgh, it seems like everybody their dog and aunty want a theatre, church hall, phone box during August/ Sept.
I suppose the Fringe website may be a starting point
I think there's registration fees involved in getting mentioned by the Fringe magazine
Most sure about venue costs- premium time of year same for accomadation

[theatremum]

Hi there - if you're still looking for info do contact me. If there are any other theatre mums out there who are going to The Fringe this summer do try and see a show called Tiny Dickens - it's a collection of Dickens' stories - I saw a preview down here yesterday with two of my three kids and they loved it. I'd say it was simply the perfect family show if you're looking for something fun and also a tiny bit educational - mine came out wanting to read the books. It was done by students and really accessible and fun. Best wishes, TM

[SnapesPlaything]

You won't be able to do it this year, not a chance, even if you could get a venue you wouldn't get into any of the programs.

My advice would be to book it early early early and research the different companies, some are very good, some are terrible. When you book a venue, ask for photos and look very carefully, we got told all sorts of guff about our venue and it was shite! Also block book a hostel early for your cast, all the hostels are booked up by early summer just for performers.

Make a metric fuckton of leaflets and make them eye-catching, get the cast to give them out, don't pay anyone, the paid leafletters are terrible. Get them dressed up and doing something odd when leafletting. When I was leafletting I pretended to passers by that they were magic charms against sharks but would only work if you kept them dry. Half an hour before your show start writing special offer on the fliers and give them to people saying they will let them in for free, more bums on seats is always a good thing even if they are not paying.

Think very carefully about how much you want to charge for tickets, more than a fiver will put many people off, free shows do not mean you are terrible. If you do free fringe you get the venue for free and have a bucket at the back at the end, this can make more money than tickets. I have seen some excellent shows at free fringe. Also don't expect to make a profit, nobody makes a profit at the Fringe.

Write to every magazine you can think of, Three Weeks is a good place to start, you want as many reviews as possible, chase them up as they will forget about you.

Have fun, its a great experience.

[Groovee]

I live in Edinburgh, the fringe programme comes out about early June.

This may help www.edfringe.com/participants

[LineRunner]

Your best bet is to go this year and see how it all works, talk to people, look at how the publicity machine works (prgrammes, leafleting, hawking in pubs), what venue you get for your buck (you'd have to book it pretty quickly), and work out where you and your performers would stay (B&Bs get booked up, too).

And good luck!