Tales Of Edinburgh

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is on and sadly, we’re not there! So we’ve dug into the archives to find some of our favorite Edinburgh moments. Thrill to tales of discovery; amazing performing experiences; reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones; the only (horrible) way to become a Catholic martyr; special appearances by Rachel Parris, Yisrael Campbell, and Tim Fitzhigham; the real-life inspirations for the Red Wedding and Shakespeare’s “The Phoenix and the Turtle”; fun-loving Puritan numpties; new Jews, old Jews, and faux Jews; the joys of both seeing and performing multiple shows during a single Fringe; the dangers of flyering; excerpts from The Complete Millennium Musical (abridged), which performed at the Assembly Rooms exactly twenty years ago; international tour dates for the Fall of 2019; and discovering how the theatre can become your temple and John Malkovich your lord and savior. (Length 25:51)

Episode 607. Getting To Edinburgh

How do you get to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival? What’s involved with producing yourself at the largest theatre festival in the world? Jamie Gower, the creator and star (sorry, operator) of Denny O’Hare: I Feel Fuzzy, takes us step by step through the process of creating a show, picking a venue, developing a budget, making peace with the idea that this will most likely be a money-losing operation, and most importantly, understanding the danger of not going. Featuring nuts and bolts, waived visas, the value of pre-planning and starting early, the advantage of not being a good puppeteer, learning how to create good press releases and posters and flyers, the importance of location location location, and the supreme importance of not waiting for permission. (Length 24:53)

Episode 556. Abridged Too Far?

”We premiered our one-hour version of William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last week, and RSC UK cast members Joseph Maudsley, Matt Pearson, and James Percy discuss the ups and downs of further reduction. Featuring problems with pacing, riding over slumps, totally different experiences, 30-year anniversaries, Read more…

Episode 547. Playing The Festivals

”There’s something about a festival crowd…Our recent three-performance appearance at the Virginia Arts Festival in Norfolk inspired memories of appearances we’ve made at other festivals over the years: the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Just For Laughs, Serious Fun at Lincoln Center, the Holders Season in Barbados, and festivals in other Read more…

Episode 511. Improvising Jane Austen

Rachel Parris (from BBC’s The Mash Report) is one of the performers in Austentatious: The Improvised Jane Austen Novel, which performs in London, Edinburgh, and around the UK, and she talks about how one goes about improvising this beloved British author. She also discusses creating her one-woman show “Best-Laid Plans” and Read more…

Episode 508. Tim’s Shakespearean Ancestors

”Actor, singer, improviser, comedian, and radio personality Tim Fitzhigham talks about the connections between some of his ancestors and a young dramatic poet (and possible Catholic) named William Shakespeare. Featuring family connections to both Edward Alleyn and Anne Line, the making of a saint, possible inspirations for Cymbeline and “The Phoenix and the Read more…

Episode 507. Our Edinburgh Favorites

”On this, the last day of the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Reed Martin, Austin Tichenor, and Teddy Spencer reflect on the favorite shows they saw this year, expressing delight at the highlights and disappointment in the lowlights. Featuring lovely surprises, shows that were difficult to categorize, surprisingly few disappointments, fantastic Read more…

Episode 504. Our Edinburgh Plans

”At the end of the first week of our return to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the European premiere of William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged), we confer about how we’re going to spend our remaining time here and what shows we’re going to see. Featuring pro tips, viewing advice, exotic Read more…

Episode 402. The Pleasance Courtyard

”LIVE! (ish) from the Pleasance Courtyard, the throbbing hub of theatrical activity here at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, comes this collection of pitches from people selling some of the more than three thousand shows being performed this year. Featuring our reduced tribute to Robin Williams, rules for doing sh*t-faced Shakespeare, denizens Read more…

Episode 401. Yisrael’s Three Conversions

”Yisrael Campbell is just your run-of-the-mill Irish, Italian, Catholic, American, Reform, Conservative, and now Orthodox Jew, and he tells the story of his fascinating journey in “Circumcise Me”, his funny and poignant one-man show currently playing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Featuring journeys both spiritual and theatrical, stereotypes both confounded and embodied, Read more…

Episode 400. Edinburgh Fringe Festival

”LIVE! From the Pleasance Courtyard in Edinburgh, Scotland comes this celebration of our 400th continuous week of podcasting and our return (after nine years) to the place that launched it all, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Join us as we adopt some foreign pronunciations (while strongly rejecting others), attempt to separate Read more…

Episode 38. Memories of Edinburgh

”The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is in full swing, and we’re not there! If you’re not either, listen to our tales of Edinburgh discoveries, inventive sleeping arrangements, freak show skills, false alarms, and confused protesters. Featuring excerpts from The Complete Millennium Musical (abridged) and The Reduced Shakespeare Radio Show, and a special Read more…