DAY 18: Out there promotions and unexpected themes for performance… It’s an unusual day

What happens when what started on the “fringe” takes centrestage?

It becomes a global celebration of everything art. For 78 years, the cobblestones of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe have witnessed the move of the margin to the mainstream. …And this year, it will also give volume to the 50 curated climate narratives that refuse to stay silent.

Storyteller and Arts Enthusiast Himali Kothari reports from Edinburgh.

DAY 18:

When there are hundreds of shows to choose from on any given day, it is a challenge for the festival goer to decide which ones to catch. For performers or creators, it is an even bigger task to stand out from everything on offer and grab the potential audience’s attention. Most acts are self-funded or receive very little support, which means artists dig deep into their own pockets to pay for travel, accommodation, and food, besides the expenses of putting up their show. Teams are mostly skeletal and, in the case of solo acts, often singular. Everyone must chip in and do everything. With almost no budget for promotions, artists get innovative.

In the almost twenty days that I have been here, I have seen on the streets: bands marching up and down the Royal Mile with their posters held high, orchestras on street corners, a group of neon-pink faces in green onesies, an opera singer in her glittering stage costume handing out flyers… and more. Young students employed by venues plant themselves on the pavement, handing out flyers coupled with a 10-second line to sell the show. But these are easy to bypass, or you take the flyer and toss it into the next bin you see. Strapped for cash and keen to fill up seats, some have gotten more creative.

A popular one is the stand-up comic who stations himself at street corners, stopping people and offering to pun on any topic they suggest. He has become well-known on social media as “the pun guy.” An interesting one I encountered today was a flyer thrust into my hand with the line: “Some free paper?” Ten on ten for acing the ‘cutting through the noise’ mantra of advertising.

Variety Spices Up the Day

With my Fringe experience nearing its end, I plan my schedule today based on what has been missing so far.

My first choice rests on two factors: one, it is a story rooted in the motherland; and two, the venue is Pleasance, one of the most popular Fringe spaces. Technically, Pleasance is a theatre trust established over four decades ago, with a presence in Edinburgh and London as a platform for both established and emerging artists. In Edinburgh, it is spread across three sites, and my destination today is Pleasance Courtyard.

Courtyard, though, should be considered a misnomer. Surrounded by stone and brick buildings, the “Courtyard” includes 18 sub-venues, each hosting different events. The garden-like layout amid the buildings features multiple pop-up food stalls, bars, and coffee stands. The space is owned by the University of Edinburgh, and the student union plays a huge role in the event planning.

I am here to watch Kanpur: 1857. Based on the siege of Kanpur during the 1857 uprising, the play begins with an Indian rebel tied to a cannon, about to be executed. A prologue informs the audience that this was a common method of execution for rebels and that villagers were often forced to sit around the cannon and watch.

The play unfolds as a conversation between a British officer and the rebel. The officer questions the rebel about the massacre of British women and children captured during the siege. The rebel, hanging onto life by the rope that ties him to the cannon, shifts between fear and defiance. As the cannon goes off and the auditorium plunges into darkness, the question of who was the villain and who the hero remains unsettled.

From history to a glimpse of the future, my next stop is an exhibition titled Tipping Point: Artist Responses to AI. We are at that juncture where we either look at AI with excitement, fear, or—more likely—a bit of both. The purpose of the initiative is to reimagine the use of AI and inspire viewers to reflect on the role it plays in our society.

The open call invited artists not to use AI in their projects but instead to think of issues around responsible AI, particularly where it intersects with human rights. From sonic sculptures to e-zines resisting generative AI, the exhibit has the potential to spark dialogue around the ethical and ecological implications of artificial intelligence.

The last stop of the day is in a spare room in a studio that also doubles as the space for an IKEA Museum (did not know that was a thing!) and shop. From the Primordial Soup to Primates in Suits is quite a mouthful of a title for a one-man show.

Dr. David Jones is that one man—with multiple titles: research biologist, lecturer, Natural History Museum of London staffer, stand-up comic, and most precious to him, the sixth-most expert on termites in the world.

It is a lecture on evolution. Why am I here? I cannot say for sure. But minutes into the talk, I am glad I am. His lecture is punctuated with audience questions and pop quizzes. Jones has the 40-odd-strong group engrossed with both data and wit.

From theatre rooted in history, to an art installation, to a biology lecture, today’s events show that the promise of performance is everywhere—if you are willing to act on it.