Things I’m glad I lugged to Edinburgh: · My gym kit · My Kindle and other things to read · My denim jacket that takes a long time to dry Things I’m genuinely glad I took to Edinburgh · Comfortable shoes · Absolutely no smart clothes · Tupperware · My Tinkerbell travel mug · Two sets of headphones (the dog ate one) As ever, Edfringe was a long, crazy, tiring but fun month. At the half way mark it seemed that it would never end and that I’d be destined to walk up hill for an hour a day (ok, half an hour, the way home was downhill). But it did and all of a sudden, I was fighting my way onto a train at Waverley and heading back to London. At the fringe in 2017 I had a solo show and mainly flyered on my own. I had a lot of wonderful support from family and friends but if I wasn’t there, there was no show. This year couldn’t have been more different. The Swell Mob by Flabbergast
“Hi everyone, just to let you know, I’ve been cast in an immersive show and I’m heading off to Edinburgh in August” “Brilliant!” “Congratulations!” “Well done!” “Exciting!” “What is an immersive show?” Ah. Yes. Exactly. What is an immersive show? After two weeks of R&D I think I can now answer that question. Immersive theatre is the thing at the moment. With the huge success of companies such as Secret Cinema , dining opportunities like The Fawlty Towers Dining Experience and the current birthday party phenomenon that is escape rooms – the audience for immersive work is huge. Audiences are looking for a thrill. An up-close experience. Something a little different. My go-to for definitions is usually Google/Wikipedia. In this case “immersive” is lumped in with “interactive theatre” with Wikipedia saying “... immersive theatre, which brings the audience into the same playing space as the performers, obliterating any walls that separate