Edinburgh Festivals Diary: Fringe show for Joyce and rain stops play

Sending the audience into fits of laughter over her description of our sponsor Queen Margaret University’s practical courses - “you know, subjects that involve getting up and doing something” - to her phone ringing mid awards, Joyce was on form.

I was about to whisper to our editor that we needed to get her on stage next year, when winner Salty Brines beat me to it.

“Thank you for this, it is such an honour to be part of Joyce’s Fringe show,” he announced, taking his award to a loud cheer - for him, or for Joyce, I’m not sure.

This week’s winners were a fantastic bunch, ranging from Salty’s show inspired by the diary of Anne Frank and his own teenage writings, to Briony Martha’s play Parasocial Activity, about a chance meeting she had in a Glasgow branch of Costa with actor James McAvoy.

Ben Norris, who competed in cross country for Team GB, spends a chunk of his show, The Distance, on a treadmill, revealed he had had to replace his already ”geriatric” treadmill after arriving in Edinburgh.

“We actually had to buy a new one on Gumtree when the original one retired itself during tech,” he explained. “But I’ll never know how far I go inthe whole festival, because it doesn’t remember how far it’s run every time you switch it off.”

Who said theatre wasn’t glamorous?

Rain stops play

Rain has continued to stop play for some performers, with three shows cancelled at the Pleasance - and others at Just the Tonic’s Subway venue in the Cowgate.

Anthony Alderson, director of The Pleasance, says: “It’s Edinburgh, it’s August, it rains. There was torrential rain in the city and Scotland gave us four seasons in one day. This began in the last 10 mins of MAN!FEST: The Drag Boyband Musical which plays at The Green in Pleasance Courtyard.

“It was thunderous outside, which sadly meant it could be heard very loudly in the venue - the performers were amazing and continued to the end. The intense downpour caused some leaks in The Green and the decision was made to cancel the remaining three shows of the day to ensure everyone’s safety. The venue is [now] open as normal.”

He’s probably just glad it wasn’t as bad as last year, when Storm Floris saw the Pleasance Courtyard shut for the first time in its 41 year history.

No sliding for Tony

Speaking at a reception for the Made in Scotland showcase at Fringe Central on Thursday, culture secretary Mairi MacAllan reminisced on her own school days in Lanarkshire.

“I had a lovely tour of the building this morning,” she said of the new Fringe Society HQ, formerly a Victorian school building on Edinburgh’s Infirmary Street and opened just a few weeks ago. “It reminds me very much of the primary school I went to in Lanarkshire, right from the things that stopped you sliding down the bannisters.”

She turned to Fringe Society boss Tony Lankester.

“So, there’ll be no sliding down the bannisters at Fringe Central.”

Consider yourself told, Tony, the minister has spoken.