Fringe Benefits

What’s your experience of producing theatre on the London fringe? Is the Fringe just a passing point on the way to higher grounds or is it a platform in its own right? In this article, Andrea Donovan, founder of the London-based fringe company matt’s little sister, presents a series of raw thoughts and observations on what makes an underpaid, underrepresented and all round challenging artistic environment worth struggling for.

We were supposed to have 6 and a half hours for our get in. ‘Well, that’s great’ I thought to myself. We can get used to the space, do a cue-to-cue run, practice our dance and have a full technical run through. Perfect. Lights up at 7.30pm and we’d be well and truly ready.

‘I’m sorry, there’s been a mix up and your get in is at 5.30pm’ the Theatre told us.

5.30PM! What? How can that be…What about the….FIVE THIRTY? That gave us two hours – Just two hours to cram everything in and come up smelling of roses at 7.30pm. And we did. Well…it was more fear mixed with a bit of sweat than roses, but we got the job done because we had to. You work with what you’re given in Fringe Theatre and that’s what I love about it. You don’t have the luxury of big, impressive sets or fancy lighting to hide behind. Stages are often tiny and you almost end up sitting on the audience’s lap in most venues; but this is where I thrive because after all the ‘decoration’ is taken away, what remains is the essence of the work. Up, close and personal. What you’ve written, directed or what you’re performing has to make up for this lack of support.

The theatre company that I co-founded produces regular work on the London Fringe. I am not able to pay my actors (they do it, like me, for the love of it), I have no money to buy lots or props or to construct an elaborate set and I have to rely on favours from friends for the technical side of things. Therefore my work has to stand out as being the most impressive part of the production and this is why, I believe, you find some of the most original, entertaining and experimental theatre of today on the London Fringe.

My most recent show, me and him, currently on at the Hen and Chickens Theatre in Islington, was performed to an audience of just 8. Eight expectant faces and I knew every single of them. Granted, this is not a huge problem, but considering my two-person sketch show is a comedy, obviously the more laughs we get the better. I don’t think I’ve ever had to work harder. Absolute concentration was paramount because all that was going through my head was:

‘Oh my sister’s over there…and I can see Tim…Why is no one laughing? How much money will I owe the theatre? There’s Sue at the back etc.’

But once I’d got over the initial shock of feeling like I was doing a skit in my living room for 8 of my friends, I threw myself wholeheartedly into this 52 minute piece of work that Reedy and I find hilarious and have a lot of faith in. Nevertheless, 8 people is actually quite a good audience compared to what we first started out with, 6 years ago. Reedy and I were part of another company, Tigco, that at the moment is playing to packed houses with their comedy series, Tuesdays, at another London Fringe venue – Lowdown at the Albany.

Wasn’t always the case though.

We once did a show to one-person….and she was the girlfriend of one of the cast members! Funny looking back now but at the time it was heartbreaking for us naive, young dreamers who thought that because we’d put so much time and effort and energy into it surely we’d sell out. We think it’s amazing so everyone else will…right?

However, all was not lost and I did come away with something that night. Adam Riches, Founder of Tigco, taught me that it doesn’t matter how much money you lose, how many people were in your audience or how small you may feel, as long as you learn something from the experience and you apply it to your next production then you haven’t lost out on anything. In fact you’ve gained something because what you learn creatively will be far more rewarding than making a profit or having a full house. If you’re out there doing it, trying, then that’s half the battle. Like someone said to me recently

‘You are in the 2% minority of this world that are doing what they truly want and that in itself is success’

I feel very lucky to be part of that 2%.

So what I’m trying to say is come and support the little people; those of us at the margins who are trying to live our dreams. Dare to venture out into the dodgy little fringe theatres, the rooms above pubs that are dotted all around London. Performances may not be extremely slick or hi-tech. You may never have heard of the company you’re watching. You may be crammed into a tiny, sweaty theatre that forgets to tell you to turn your mobile phone off, where the air conditioning is so loud that you sporadically miss a minute’s worth of dialogue, but like I said before you will be watching some of the most original, entertaining and experimental theatre of today – out there on the London Fringe.