photo time from Edinburgh

Our performance space: C Soco Venue Studio 1-a brand new venue, so new it does not yet have houselights. It is in the very large attic of a building next to the main C venue. It has 58 seats in thrust arrangement and is, compared to many spaces that act as venues at the Festival, quite user friendly.
On the Royal Mile--many thousands of people, most of whom are handing out flyers to promote their plays, music events, dance and comedy shows. Edinburgh is an amazing, ancient, exciting city during Festival time.
Our approach to Edinburgh Airport. Here we are over the Firth of Forth after an approach over the city from southwest to northeast. Final leg will take us over Arthur's Seat before landing at the airport.

Julie's Daily Journey

Many thanks to my friends Tony, Joan and Rowan Haigh for being guests in our audience last night. Tony and I go back to graduate school days. Tony and Joan teach at Centre College, a member of the Associated Colleges of the South consortium. It was a real treat that Tony, Joan and their daughter Rowan (who works in the theatre like her dad) could see our work.

We have lucked out. Most days are sunny--not typical for Edinburgh. Ideal weather for our afternoon flyering, and perhaps catching a quick show. Late afternoons are all about preparation for "magic time" (as Jack Lemmon used to call it). Actors do make-up and hair at the "flats," then everyone walks or take a short bus to the C Venue on Chamber Street. Other company members are carrying props, including our previous laptop computer!

The first few days, dressing rooms were not available. They are now, though all company members schlepp up three flights to our performance venue in Studio One. We generally wait about twenty minutes for the previous show to end, then a C Venue staff member gives us the cue to enter the space. We wait for the stage to clear, then the company sets up within five minutes. When the house open, audience members are seated within a few minutes. The show lasts 68-70 minutes. Then we "strike" the show within five minutes. After a brief post-show chat, all props go back to the flats!

Yesterday, my son Trevor and I caught an interesting comedy show called Heroes and Villians, playing in the basement pub of a near-by restaurant. The writing is very witty, and all connected to the challenges of post-modern relationships. So far as I can tell, the company consists of the two actors and the stage managers (who Trev and I flyering the other day). Interesting and encouraging that so many of the company members here at the Fringe are young people who appear to be in their twenties. Here we are in the midst of the new generation taking theatre to the next level!

We also caught a lunch time stand-up routine, a very funny fellow who is clearly a seasoned performer. His name is Brian, and his intentionally "low tech" political humor was original and saucy. The audience was small, couple of his buddies, also comedians, a middle-aged couple, and us--but a delightful 45 minutes. The masters of comedy also expressed interest in Miss Julie, so we may see them at a show. (Yes, I'm always looking for graceful ways to share my excitement about our work!)

I am hopeful of getting photos posted this evening--Edinburgh time. A number of us have been on the look-out for interesting bits.

A number of us are off to do the tour of the Underground Edinburgh at lunch, before dazzling the city with our flyering technique.

Cheers,

Alan

Bob says, Bloody Brilliant!

Hey everyone, this is Alex. Today was a very productive day! Not only did I see one show before our performance, I passed out tons of flyers and even twenty actual tickets. Yay! I had a lot of help from Spurge. People seem to actually talk to her! People here are so pretty- no really, they're gorgeous! They are all friendly too.
Bob came to see our performance tonight. I have never met this Bob before, but he said the show was "bloody brilliant." He promised to pass the word along about this amazing Miss Julie company. ( We were all wondering if we could put that on our flyers; you know, "Bloody brilliant!" -Bob.)
Today before the show, all of the actors were in places, and our C-venue staff member started to announce that we were ready to begin. At that moment, the light board monitor went completely black. We died. The end. Ok, just kidding. We managed to fix it in a couple seconds and went on with the show. Then, in the middle of the show, a light cue refused to come up correctly, so we decided to skip it and move on. Really, we just wanted to see if the actors were on their toes! They survived beautifully!
Right now we're just hanging out at the cafe in the theatre building. A gorgeous guy is currently staring at Amanda (who can really blame him?). He's in the show that we're going to see tomorrow, called Someone Who'll Watch Over Me. Mac saw it a few days ago and hasn't shut up about it since, so we thought we'd try to see it. Also, tomorrow, I'm going to see a kid's show. I'm kidnapping ten-year-old Rosalind (Alan's adorable daughter) to go with me. I'm excited! I hope Alan doesn't press charges! : )

-Alex

PS- Karate chop your neighbors!

Flyering High (Street)

Promotion is the Word for each day. High Street is one of the The Spots that company members who are producing at the Festival attract an audience. Not only are actors, stage managers and technicians passing out flyers (colorful postcards trumpeting our shows), but street acts abound! Fire eaters, magic acts, musicians, tight rope acts--just to name a few--festoon the streets with color and action.

The challenge is to make a personal connection with as many passers-by as possible. It is not enough to merely get our flyers into someone's hands, to but entice them with something about the world of the play in about ten seconds. Yikes!

"Flyering" is also a great opportunity to meet other Edinburgh theatre folks. In fact, I suspect that company members make up a significant number of theatre goers at the Festival. We have exchanged flyers with more than a few. Hitting the streets is essential for generating audiences.

The most interesting production I've seen at the Festival--not that there's been much time yet--is Tony the Blair Musical. The writing is fresh and funny, and the young company plays it with a brash charm.

Well, off to lunch, then more "flyering" for me...and perhaps a quick squint at show before our 5:15 performance.

Look for photos shortly, and more updates from the company!

Cheers, mates!

Hi! Amanda here again, along with Kate.
Well, we survived opening night! This is not a small accomplishment. We had to put on our make-up and do our hair back at the flat, and then we gathered all of our costumes, accessories, shoes, extra make-up, props pieces, and who knows what else, for the trek down the street to the theatre. Because it was opening night, Ms. Patti treated us to a bus ride to the theatre, so that we wouldn't have to walk. Once we arrived, we tried to change into our costumes in a crowded restroom, and then we all gathered in the lobby of the theatre, only to find that the venue was running shows about ten minutes behind schedule. I don't know how all of the company members felt, but I was a bit relieved to find myself with a few extra minutes to breathe before we had to jump on stage! We began our set-up and fight warm-up five minutes before the house opened, and then we were on. For me at least, the show flew by. I think that there were perhaps 15 audience members there, but I really didn't pay much attention. We had a few technical difficulties in that one of the panels on our kitchen counter fell off, and then Kate's necklace went flying off her neck just before the big fight scene began. Thankfully, we were able to recover from those two unexpected events fairly easily. I tried to replace the panel during one scene, but it fell off again. The next time I went on-stage, I was able to motivate carrying it off-stage while still in character (at least, I think I may have pulled that off!). Miraculously, brilliant Kate managed to catch her necklace as it went flying over her head! Other than that, the show seemed to run pretty smoothly, and now, I think we can all breathe just a bit easier. Until tonight's performance at least!

Now Kate informs me that I have written quite enough, and it is time for some of the other company members to make entries. So, we leave you for now, and head off to harrass Mac, Spurge, and Nikki into writing to you!

-Kate and Amanda

Alarms and Adventures

We awoke yesterday morning to the sound of bold alarms. We found ourselves together on the Clerk Street sidewalk with other semi-amazed (and some of us still sleep glazed) guests. It was a quick episode to be sure. An official looking gentleman in a black suit, in tandem with at least two firemen, scoured the building from to bottom. Apparently, this big drama was due to mere burnt toast. However, romantic that I am, I preferred to think of the brilliant electronic battle cry as a declaration of the opening day of Miss Julie!

And open we did. We have loads to share with you. Briefly, I just checked the net and we have received our first review. Geoffrey Evans gives us four stars. The entire text, available at one4review.com is quoted below:

"Miss Julie
The three handed play Miss Julie written by August Strindberg has been adapted by Alan Litsey bringing it up to date and also relocated in the American deep south and is performed with zest and no mean talent by Birmingham Southern College Theatre from Alabama.

Now set in the home of a wealthy family on the fourth of July, Julie, played with passion by Kate Jenkins, is the beautiful, rich bitch, crazy daughter of the house. Kristin, the much put upon family maid, Amanda Kramer and her boyfriend, trailer trash musician with a past John, portrayed by Mac Smith are the other two performers.

At the party Julie makes a play for John, because she can and her attentions are not rebutted but him, but does he have an ulterior motive? Who is Julie’s stalker? Is Kristin as mild as she seems?

The answer to these questions can be found by going to see this superb interpretation of an engaging play, but be quick the show only runs until the 11th."

Scotland Rocks!

We are finally in Scotland! This is Amanda here, and Kate and I are writing to you from an internet cafe here in Edinburgh! We are about to head to the Royal Mile to pass out flyers for the show, and then we will be off to the final dress rehearsal before our opening tomorrow night. We had a four-hour tech rehearsal yesterday, in which our miming skills were put to the test; none of our set or props has arrived yet! We are all eagerly hoping for their safe arrival sometime today, but unfortunately, there are no guarantees. Oh, the joys of touring overseas!
Last night, Alex, Spurge, Mac, and I went to a party at our venue. We met a ton of theatre people, most of whom are from the UK. Everyone is very friendly and excited about the festival. We plan to try to go and see tons of shows while we're here. Kate has already seen two! (Sadly, I was too exhausted yesterday to drag myself out before the party; lame, I know!) Kate and the rest of the company saw Tony: The Blair Musical, and she also saw a musical called Famished, which they described as a combination of Urinetown and Young Zombies in Love. Yep, we feel right at home around here!
Well, our time here at the internet cafe has totally expired, so we'll check back in with you later!
- Amanda and Kate