Alex Slater is Producer at Nothing to Declare Productions which presented Narcissist in the Mirror at the Edinburgh Fringe this year. In this guest article, Alex tells us how the risks of Edinburgh can open up endless opportunities.
Narcissist in the Mirror can be seen at The Pleasance London, as part of the Caledonian Express Season 2nd – 7th November 2018.
Edinburgh is a hell of a beast, stressful, tiring and relentless. With its limited scope for financial reward, the ever-present pressure of infinite competition and all-consuming nature of involvement within it, it’s easy to see how new or emerging companies could be apprehensive about taking the leap and accepting the risk synonymous with The Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
It can be however, and was for us, a key factor in taking that next step as a company, and a chance to learn a huge amount in a short space of time.
For the myriad of anxiety inducing potential pitfalls that submission to the Festival can hold, there is an equally vast ocean of opportunity for those who are willing to put in the effort. Before performing with the Pleasance at this year’s fringe, our show had been performed 7 times in and around Manchester. We had a couple of dates booked in for the tour and that was the extent of our known plans.
During our sold-out run we connected with bookers, producers, representatives from publishing houses, were offered transfers. Our tour now has a number of dates booked in at venues up and down the country including reputed venues in London.
Securing these London dates along with the buzz from our run has allowed us to arrange a press night where many more people of influence will be attending.
Ultimately the energy, effort and risk that that is required is an investment in opportunity, and for those willing to commit their attention to the task fully it can be an incredibly fruitful endeavour.
