It's been 20 years since I first went to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2004. For a lot of those years I've performed with Comedysportz. In the early years we played in small rooms to a dozen people, and even though I joke that performing at the Edinburgh fringe is the 'longest return on investment ever' (I'm not sure that's true), it's been amazing since the festival recovered from the pandemic (2020-21) to be playing to full rooms and be in two shows. Not all performers get to do that, such are the highs and lows of the fringe.
Something I've noticed in the last few years is the increase in improvised shows. It's nothing new, and perhaps there's even a bit of cognitive bias here, but it seems more popular than ever. Competition? That's just the nature of the fest, and with so many different formats and themes, from musicals to murder mystery, folk horror and burlesque, there was plenty to choose from.
I hope the increase in improv shows will help raise awareness of improv as a tool. It's not just for performers, it's something everyone can learn and engage with to build better conversations and relationships.
Were you at the Edinburgh Fringe this year? If you got a chance to see either Comedysportz or The Totally Improvised Musical, thanks for coming and supporting the show.
From fun sessions, to specially developed presentation skills and team building, get in touch to find out more.
Photos by Brainne Edge.
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