#heroesoffringe

As I’ve never taken my own work to the Fringe I know it would be great learning opportunity and I was prepared to test it by doing two shows as part of excellent ‘fringe-fest’ comedy promotors - Heroes Of Fringe. By being part of their programme wa very valuable as I was able to engage with new stand-up loving audience. I made connections with the Polish community in Edinburgh too with support from the most popular Polish news portals in Scotland Emito.pl and Radio Szkocja. Wesele was covered & Reviewed by Tydzień Polski (print and online) and Cooltura. The show’s audience was 50% East European / Polish.

Wesele sold out the first night with almost 100 people in Heroes@Boteco while the second show had a smaller and more focused afternoon audience. With an almost 50/50 British / East European audience split (quite common for the show) I was in for a very different run. The dynamic between chin-strokey EdFringe theatre buffs devoid of energy after seeing 100s of shows that one day alone and the East Europeans who were up for a night out was particular. With two opposing energy levels and attitudes towards the Wesele experience (not a theatre play one can watch from a comfort of a far away seat) highlighted the real division: of class, place in society, languages, high/ low art and expectations of what theatre should be and do. Though a difficult gig - I learnt an awful deal from it, including the importance of making work that demands people on either side of the division to interact in one space.