The Fringe performers hit by mould and floods who believe show must go on - in four times bigger venue
The venue was flooded in the heavy rain
They have been forced to don air filter masks on stage and subsequently abandon their venue after a major flood.
Now, the performers of Tom Waits War Songs have found a new home for their sell-out show, which is more than four times the size of the original one.
The show was left homeless after flooding in their Cowgate Subway venue due to heavy rainfall meant they were unable to perform - and risked their £10,000 of musical equipment.
The band had already had to wear air filter masks on stage when performing in Cowgate because of mould in the basement venue which was making them cough.
Now, they are to open in a new venue - Atomic at Just The Tonic Nucleus, which has a capacity of 370, compared to their usual 80-seat venue.
Michelle McGregor said the band heard about the floods in a message from another performer.
“They told us that there was a flood in The Subway and that Just the Tonic are cancelling all evening shows.,” she said. “The story was that the flood [from heavy rain] overwhelmed the drainage system and a sewage pipe underneath the floor burst.
“I was midway through hair and makeup when I just felt like I needed to get over there asap.
“We arrived at The Subway to find the doors open and two Scottish Water employees shovelling water out the door. We were not allowed in. It was a sewage issue and not safe to go in. And obviously all shows were cancelled without further notice.”
The group realised they needed a new venue.
“We walked the streets of Edinburgh for five hours straight, up and down every staircase needed if it led to a possible new venue,” said McGregor. "We went everywhere. Met amazing people and saw some amazing spots.“
Eventually, Just The Tonic, which operated their Subway venue, offered them a slot in Atomic.
“It's an unbelievably gorgeous venue, and so perfect for our show,” she said. “Now we just need to figure out how we are going to switch from marketing a 80 seat capacity to a 370 seat capacity.”
She added: “This is actually the second time we've had to discuss the possibility of a venue switch. The first time it was because of concerns over the air quality - there is a lot of mould coming out of those walls and our show is extremely physically intensive so within a few days we were developing bad coughs. But we came to the solution of wearing hardcore air filter masks, like gas masks, on stage. Our show is about war, we could make it work.”
Darrell Martin, founder of Just The Tonic, said the venue change was a “definite upgrade”.
He said: “The show was gaining popularity and was selling out, then the Subway venue suffered from flooding and we had to cancel one and a half days worth of shows while we got the space back together.
“In that time we had a look at alternative options and decide we might as well let them do our largest venue, Atomic in Nucleus. It is a great space for the show. Large stage, really good PA system and it is really suited to this really good production.”
He added: “It also mean more people are able to see this show. It has been getting great reviews and audience responses. There are a few people that have return to watch again. So, out of a disaster we have a positive outcome.”
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