I just have to post a quick update letting everyone know that now Adam (as Merkin) has made 4 babies cry within as many days while we were out flyering on the Mile.

It's. Just. Hilarious.

-K

*In "real" news, we had lots of people come up to us today on the Mile and say that they either A) tried to get into the show last night and couldn't because we were sold out, or B) have been told by someone who already saw the show that they MUST come see us. Both of which are awesome. Only 2 shows left at EdFringe! Here we gooooo!
 
Wooooohooooooo!!!!! Guess what we did!!!! Sold out our Thursday night show! That's big for Edinburgh, imagine a city that doubles it's population and hosts 2,700 shows in over 300 spaces....and of all the gin joints in all the world, 42 people decide simultaneously to come see All an Act at Surgeons' Hall. And guess what else. None of them left disappointed. We had the great casts of Trojan Women and Ovid checking us out, as well as an Actors Studio Drama School Alum we met on the Royal Mile randomly, and a few new friends from Blind Mirth and the crew they brought with them. Plenty of shows here advertise when they come back for a second run that they sold out a show in Edinburgh, and plenty of them rig it so all their friends and family come on one night to fill the house. But we didn't do that, and we can still lay claim to all of it. So hooray for all of our friends and family who created this successful show, we wouldn't be able to do it without you, we wouldn't even want to. And now you can all go to your bridge clubs, faculty meetings, PTA meetings, social gatherings, and business luncheons and brag about how you helped create a sell-out show in the biggest Arts Festival in the world.

Now I know I just kind of knocked your socks off, but there's more...

We had two reviewers from edfringereview.com come the night before our sell out show. And they both gave us four stars, here's the link, you should check it out. That means All an Act is a three-time four-star show, and if you'll recall that little three-star we got from The Scotsman, the biggest newspaper here...turns out they are trying to do away with the five-star review and work on a scale of four unless they see the greatest show of all time and can award it a five. So our three-star there is a four-star anywhere else easy. So print that out on your business cards folks, you made a sell out show that blew audiences and critics away in Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2012. 

Be proud of yourselves, we are so grateful for you.


 
All right kids, we've got 4 performances left, and it feels like we just got here last week.
We've been working our butts off out on the Mile, peddling our show and getting people to come out and see it. We had a good show last night - barring the fact that my nose keeps falling off - and Adam and Mel even met a fellow ASDS alum out on the street! He graduated in 2004 and said he would come see the show - it would be awfully nice to have some hometown support in this last stretch.
Going out on the Mile again soon, I've stocked up on the cough syrup, and oh, our air mattress sprung a leak a couple nights ago, leading us to sleep on the floor one night and on a half-deflated mattress the next. We think we've fixed it though (fingers crossed).

Love from Scotland,
All an Act
 
Hey! We got our photos from Gunnar! Here's a taste for you, it will take a bit for us to upload some choice ones to the website's slideshow. You can see Kathleen as Petunia doing her best ballerina(not bad, eh?) and Adam as Merkin being depressed and alcoholic. If you look close you can also see the ceiling and the back of the curtain, which gives you an idea of how small our space is, although we make do pretty well I would say.

Got out on the Royal Mile today as Merkin, swigging a flask and causing a scene, trying our best to figure out what kind of "advertising" really sells the show rather than just dressing up like clowns(everyone thinks they know what a clown is until they actually think about it). Seems like it went well, plenty of people are interested in the show, so we'll see if they come 'round. Meanwhile our friends at Blind Mirth and our new friends at The Awesome Show are plugging our show for us as we plug theirs, so we hope to be able to help each other out since our audiences like to see good stuff that's funny.

It's hard work making theatre, so it's time for some foods, a rest and maybe a show. Fight the good fight!

-All an Act
 
So we get a day off today, or at least we don't have a show and we mostly just have to get our eggs lined up for the final week of Edinburgh Fringe and the onslaught of marketing we hope to achieve to finally get some people in the house.

The day of rest is much needed, for two of our members are down with some sort of malady, Sean and Kat are resting and taking vitamin c and zinc to recover soon we hope.

In the meantime, Melody and Adam attended a networking event with potential producers and companies today, and once again the response was positive. We continue to impress people with our play, the themes and ideas behind and in front of it, and our wonderful marketing materials, which stand out from all the rest. And when those people come see the show, they are further impressed, so we soldier on to get more people to sit down for forty minutes and take in a show they won't want to miss....

Love to all back home and anywhere else you might be, we can't get enough of Edinburgh.
 
The full review is posted below, but here's the link anyway http://www.broadwaybaby.com/listing.php?id=16606

4 Stars! Woohoo, let's get some butts in these seats!

Do you ever wonder what lies beneath the red nose and big shoes? All an Act gives the audience a peek behind the scenes of the circus to see the people behind the make-up, because after all clowns are real people too. Relationship issues, swearing and talk of STDs ensue as we explore the trials and tribulations of clowning around.The show is performed by Depot Theatre and comprises of two clowns, Petunia and Merkin, a warring double act whose bad feeling is spurred on by a previous drunken night of sexual activities. Cue a show of quarrelling clowns whose words spark amusement, sadness and intrigue. The script is good, fast paced and full of character - keeping its audience involved and entertained throughout - with just the right amount of nods to clowning to keep the theme well and truly in the air.

The acting is equally good - extremely natural and easy to watch. Both actors should be commended for their ability to deliver the script with such ease; their physical and vocal techniques are spot on for their differing characters. Set in one dressing room for the entirety of the play the blocking could have been difficult, but both actors move around the stage with a realistic air further drawing the audience into the clowns’ unexpected relationship.

With a wonderful twist at the end, All an Act is an enjoyable show that deserves a far bigger audience than it received; I will leave you with my favourite quote ‘why do you say things that make me want to kill you?’ Surely everyone can relate to that.


 
Wow oh wow oh wow oh wow! What a day here in Edinburgh (yesterday nothing much happened, and we all felt like going home and to bed after a glass of scotch).

But today was a different story!

Finally got all 10,000 flyers from the printers after so much hassle it should be illegal. Saw a great little high school group doing shakespeare, and an incredible show called How to Start a Riot that has Occupy Wall Street written all over it, just incredible. Then it was off to the Royal Mile, where we tooled around in our makeup and gear making friends and getting butts in seats. 

And as if that wasn't enough, we had our great new friends from Blind Mirth come yet again to help us fill the house for a reviewer we were meant to have in the house. And they brought more and more people, over 30 I think, our biggest house by almost double. They give us a bad name with their generosity, we're going out in a few minutes to buy them a drink. 

And as if THAT wasn't enough, a photographer we met on the Royal Mile, Gunnar Bye from Norway, is heading home tomorrow, and was only available tonight. So he came to the show to take photos. For free. Completely for free. He was so happy to see the show, loved it, took a bunch of pictures "for fun" as he put it, then went home. We'll have the photos in the emails soon enough. 

It's just an incredible world here. Last night we were all feeling kind of bummed, small house, stolen iPods(mine, taken to Portugal as it turns out), more hassle from our printers and yet another day without a review we've been expecting for a week. Then today happens and we just can't wait to get up and do it again.

More to come from us and the world of Fringe, but for now we owe a bunch of college kids some good times...

-All an Act
 
I'm incredibly jazzed about the way the show is being received (aside from that elderly couple that appeared disgruntled upon exiting yesterday). It appears we have a smallish hit on our hands with several more showings to go.  

Running around the city with Petunia pretty much sold me on the idea that, yes, there are men out there with clown fetishes. And they are creepy in oh, so many ways.

Attended "How to Start a Riot" today, playing in the same theatre as we, and was ridiculously impressed by both the performances and the use of visuals. I may have to see this one again, and I would recommend it to everyone.

Many thanks to the casts of "Blind Mirth" and "Proof" for taking the time to watch us work. Their enthusiasm for the work was extremely gracious.

Kat hates burner phones and she wants everyone to know that. She also hates customer services numbers that make you pay to talk to them. There is also a strong disliking for roosters, but I never really inquired further about that.
 
We got our official posters and postcards today, and they look AWESOME! We met more people from other shows, saw some shows on our "free" time, saw some castles, and got a better feel for the beautiful city that is Edinburgh.


It was pretty rainy today, but we managed to post more flyers inside restaurants and shops, got some advertising space in Three Weeks, and made a home-cooked meal. All in all, an eventful day.

And tomorrow, we are going to see more Fringe shows, dress up in our clown gear, and paint the town All an Act!

More updates tomorrow, gotta hit the hay.
 
Day Off today, which means we took a great surgery at Fringe Central today on how to potentially tour a show in the UK or abroad. We have a huge list of contacts we will be inviting to the show, who knows, maybe someone will want to give us yet another great opportunity, and allow us to do this wonderful show a while longer. 

Melody and Kathleen went to yet another meet the media event. Thankfully for all of us here at the Fringe, a lot of great organizations are trying really hard to give us all chances to network and get in front of the media in the hopes we will get bigger audiences and more reviews. 

And after all that, it's time for a full night's sleep, there's a first time for everything...

Love to all the hometown fans,

Adam, Kathleen, Melody, and Sean

(And here's some tattoo fireworks for your enjoyment...)