Penultimate Performance

Today we completed our second-to-last show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The time's disappeared and our show is hopefully making the impact we intended it to.

We had our biggest reaction from our audience today, with a couple of girls really connecting with our work and seeming to have minor breakdowns in front of us. Speaking to them afterwards, they were moved so much that they were desperate to make a difference.

Seeing these reactions - whilst being somewhat harrowing for us - is exactly why we came here, so we are very much pleased that our message is being heard.

We are also collecting a number of these reactions on tape so we have a permanent record of what people are saying, which we are posting up on our Facebook and YouTube. And at some point soon, we should have a trailer of the show, as we are recording our performances as well.

Tomorrow is our last day, so we're going to throw everything at it, and return home triumphant.

Audience Reactions

In the face of a barrage of bleary-eyed and emotional audience members, we thought we'd start recording some reactions to brag about the show.

Below are a couple of videos, filmed on Saturday and Monday, respectively.

Thank you so much to the guys who agreed to go on camera to advocate our show, and for spreading the word for us, helping us bring in bigger audiences every day.



Five more performances to go, let's see if we can go out with a bang.

Street Show

Our audiences are growing, but our promotion is relentless. Onto our second box of flyers and our posters are rapidly depleting.

We have also had our first street show, in which we attempt to convey something of the drama involved in Chaos By Design into a 20-minute slot on a busy high street.

Emmanuel did a great job rallying up some atmosphere and creating a buzz around our stage, and as we flyered the gathering crowds, I hope that our message got across;

'COME TO OUR SHOW. 4:50 EVERY DAY OTHER THAN SUNDAYS. THE SPACE ON THE MILE. COME TO OUR SHOW!'

Photos from Melissa Farrington:

Photoshoot

We have had a day away from the venue today, so notes have been exchanged and a few more final creases have been ironed out. In our time off, we shot ourselves some photographs just to give us something for reviewers and journalists to use, as well as giving us some more visuals to use on our social media.

We had booked a photographer to come, but in the radio silence from that arrangement we did a few photos ourselves. I think they've turned out quite well:

Back on it tomorrow, we should be getting some reviewers through the doors soon as Benedict and Raynar spent hours queueing yesterday to get our voices heard. From what I've been told, they did a pretty good job of it, too.

Tech & First Run

We have completed our first show!

Our tech run last night was as hectic as we thought it might be, getting used to the space and restaging to suit the corner stage, as well as trying to work out what we needed to do with lighting for the first time.

Leading into our first show this afternoon, we were a little apprehensive but excited to get going. Benedict's voice has been fading worryingly for the past couple of days, so we've had her chain-drinking honey & lemon, only breaking to suck on boiled sweets and gargle salt water.

Thankfully, whilst the rest of us shamelessly flyered with Emmanuel providing a African drumbeat, Bene's voice recovered and got her through this afternoon's performance.

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I'm finally feeling like we're at the fringe; standing amongst the hundreds of other well-meaning-yet-inevitably-desperate creative people on the Royal Mile, I fell back in love with the atmosphere of this magical place.

Bene and Raynar are out meeting the media and hoping to raise a bit of hubbub around us tomorrow morning, whilst the rest of us will continue to pace the streets, flyers in hand.

Show 2 tomorrow, before a day off on Sunday.

We Made It!

Whoever knew that one train journey could cause so much stress?

After sprinting along platforms with more than our own weight in luggage, fighting unresponsive ticket machines and struggling with lifts, I thought I could relax. How wrong I was; realising that I dropped my wallet at Manchester Piccadilly - with the tickets and rail cards for half our crew inside - I frantically phoned anyone and everyone who I thought could help. Finally, after running down carriages to fruitlessly look for the conductors, being cut off half way through crucial phone calls as a tunnels engulfed us and making a mini-drama for half the train to spy in on, I got news that my wallet had been found.

The next problem was convincing First Transpennine Express to let us stay on the train, despite our conspicuous lack of tickets. They seemed to accept the terrified look on my face as I explained to them our story, so I slumped back in my seat and finally allowed myself to breathe.

The wallet has since been recovered and I am in the process of gaining back what little respect I had from my peers before the incident.

The illusive wallet in question

Travel crisis aside, we have moved into our Pilrig flat and have made ourselves at home. As I write this, our actors are sleeping, leaving our production team (of which there are only two, but 'team' sounds more impressive) milling around, busying ourselves with whatever jobs we can find for ourselves.

Today we pick up our flyers, posters, final props and - according to our itinerary - 'acclimatise to Edinburgh'. It's not quite Tibet here, so I'm thinking our bodies are already fairly well adjusted to the atmosphere - my desperation for organisation must have ran away with me a little when I was writing that document.

Tomorrow, we get into our venue for the first time for a dress rehearsal, and Friday sees our Fringe stint begin.

Hard work begins as soon as the bleary-eyed rabble roll out of bed.

Show 1: Bury Metro Christian Centre

28th July 2013, 14:00: the first time the team behind Chaos by Design all meet.

                       19:30: the first time Chaos by Design show completes a run-through.

Last night, at the Bury Metro Christian Centre, Chaos by Design completed its first-ever, full run through. And just to rack up the nerves one bit more, we were yet to finish a dress rehearsal when 18:30 came and went and the opening music faded up to introduce the first scene. 

What's more, Benedict and Raynar were up into the early hours yesterday morning tweaking and finalising the script, leaving themselves and Emmanuel mere hours to learn their lines.

But what would theatre be without the manic, last-minute insecurities and worries? Be it the genuine drama of our under-rehearsed minds, or the wonderfully dramatic waves of thunder which periodically echoed through Bury at poignant moments, (or it could have been the talent on-stage that night), our message seemed to hit home.

Now our team is finally together, we are ironing out the creases and looking forward to our first Fringe show this Friday. One last day in Manchester before we make Scotland our home for the next few weeks.

A huge thank you to everyone at the Bury Metro Christian Centre for turning out last night and helping us raise an incredible £500, and to Ya Freddy Wanga for opening the show for us.