Saturday 26th The final count down.

Great snow at Whistlebinkies love it to bits. On the last Saturday it possible to feel the energy draining away but my acts were on fire. Dylan Dodds was superb and its such a shame his phone was broken and he couldn't film it. I'm testament to the fact it was great.
I've also enjoyed Michael Hughs and his oneliners/flip chart act. Doing Fringe gigs with under ten gigs experience is brave but he's got big laughs. Notethat I did my 2nd and 3rd ever gigs atthe Fringe and enjoy passing onthe opportunity when deserved. His is as was Lucia's earlier in the run.
Together we were light and fluffy and fun and just the show I aim to put on.

Quillarious went well with a very close finish. Jo who'd been so creative throughout was great then Carol get up and works the mic like a pro act. Go Glasgow girls!

No shows tonight as I need the energy for tomorrow. Helen cooked an amazing lasagne and the wine flowed. We were even joined by her Airbnbers from Germany.

Good times

Friday 25th

Now Fliss is here its harder to keep up with the blog. A price well worth paying :-)

Whistlebinkies went well but I can't remember any specifics! If only I'd kept a blog about it!

One of of the best Quillarious ever.
It came together so well. This show leaves me feeling light and fluffy and full of hope that I'm really onto something.
Youtube : #Quillarious 2017-08-25

Evening shows were disappointing.

First we saw Christian Reilly who we see every year. It fun cleaver musical comedy. I even heard a Radio Four documentary about his fringe experience,  but sadly in my opinion he's drifted to a blunter, coarser less clever set for this Fringe. Donald Trumps a C$#t over and over. Got it the first time! About six walked out during the show.
I'm never comfortable criticising a comedian but I have to as honest to the blog as I would  e if I was face to face with you. If it were to get back the Christian then it's  nothing I wouldn't say to his face. I'll see him again next year and hope he's back on form.

Next was Damien Kingsley's one man show Can't Dance Won't Dance.
I've known Damien since my early open mic days. He delivers solid punchlines in a passive aggressive manner. I found the show didn't quiet offer the twists and turns of narrative I'd expected. Some nice audience interactions and interactions with a videoed character worked well, but the big let down of the show was the room. When the access to the only ladies toilet of the pub is through the room the shows in! It's amazing the show takes place at all. Queue hand dryer and either noisy drunk girls or embarrassed sober ones. Not an ideal venue.

I'd received a message from Steve McLean that he'd hurt his ankle and could I mc his late show Anarchy Cabaret. Nay probs pal. About 30 in with one act down. We did a great start and the first 40 mins went very well but I couldn't quite get behind their masks. It’s  as if they're volume control is stuck at 3 and I felt the show slipping away. Most were young and tired and I didn't have the right material to connect. It wont be the worst show they've seen and it wont be their best. That's  both annoying and inspiringly challenging. Thinking cap on!

knackered!

Thursday 24th What a Day

Surprise at Whistlebinkies as Nigel and Zac Day join Fliss so I've got my home team in da house.
A really nice show. I know I've been saying that a lot but considering the numbers are down the shows have been better, more fun and very satisfying from my mc'ing development.

Apparently  it was beer o'clock so a very pleasant chat with Nigel, Zac and Fliss. Zac has transitioned from the student I met at my Mambalsa show two years ago, to a man who's a pleasure to blether with.

Quillarious was fun with Nigel performing his first stand up!
#Quillarious 2017-08-24

In the evening Fliss and I went to see Sarah Pasco who was seamless and funny and fluffy and everything you'd expect from a top act. It’s great seeing the roll in roll out operation at the Pleasance. Queue for drinks, queue for seat, queue to exit, queue for toilet, and when alls done you can just hang around in a queue just for fun. They do have to keep a close eye as it's  very likely that a queue can loop around upon itself forming an infinite queue. Once stuck in this there's no way out!

I was due to to perform at Drunken Heckle a late night show where the audience heckle but no audience so no show :-(

Wednesday 23rd Felicitations

Whistlebinkies slowly recovering numbers, with the consensus being this has been a quieter fringe. My guess is incomes have been frozen for longer than a Game Of Throwns plot line, which turns a four day break to a weekend break. Apps are ubiquitous so people are phonbie-ing around (yes phonbie i.e. phone zombie is in the OED) This means a schedule and a less chance of taking a chance. I have to take responsibility for my lack of flyering. Having wasted £200 on flyering the first week, I've allowed myself to avoid it. Bad me, slap wrist and time f

or a wee chat with myself!

Fliss arrived at lunchtime and came to Quillarious. Not a bad show, small but excellent content from Ali aka Alistair, which I've put in to confuse everyone who spells my name wrong!

Lovely dinner with Helen and Fliss yummy chicken and parmesan risotto. Several bottles of nice wine.
nite nite

#Quillarious

Tuesday 22nd flat lined

Not quiet as quiet at Whistlebinkies but it's the traditional low before the final few days.
Looking forward to Fliss coming up tomorrow.

Quillarious was challenging. Mainly student who didn't know each other. On a scale of 1-5 they didn't allow themselves to go beyond 1. Energy, enthusiasm.  They participated but just. Except at the end when a took a photo. Suddenly generation selfie jumped into a  "were having the time of our lives" pose.
Now that sounds like I'm blaming the audience but it's my job to get into the heads of the crowd regardless and I failed. Maybe it was never going to happen but thinking cap on.

#Quillarious 2017-08-22: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPASQFD9QqlX2oicKi8DdYCaCkppCpyap

Mon 21th Where did everyone go?

Super quiet day. Its as if everyone got burnt out at the weekend and are sleeping it off today. Whistlebinkies very quiet but the acts were so professional it blue me away. Team Fringe does it again.

Quillarious would have had no one but Zara who was on earlier did the show so I can say it's worked with one person :-) We had a very useful brain  storming session after that generated some good ideas.

The quiet days aren't having the same demoralising effect they did two years ago. They are just sign posts to improvements. It may also be because the shows are good. Which means its marketing  or weather.

So tired but stopped off at a potential salsa venue which turned out to be nice.
TV and sleep :-)

Sunday 20th

Busy at Whistlebinkies again :-)
Lovely to see Katie Lane up at the Fringe.
I was a little under parr 8/10 for me. It's as if I had a really late boozy night last night?
I did get up early and go to Lidle as I'm cooking dinner for Helen tonight.
No pressure there!

Blether blether blether which is Scottish for natter natter natter.

favourite cafe for paninie goats cheese, ham, jalapeno and tomato. Yummy.

Quillarious went..... ok-ish! Six people in. Two ladies who are Airbnbing it at Helen's and Damon who was a Scottish lad who'd been on a bender since Friday. He'd got thrown out of a venue by the bouncers and smashed his forehead on the pavement.
It was wonderful to to give a point to him for completing his first sentence of the show.
Sadly I pressed pause instead of play and have no video of the day :-(

In early and cooked for Helen. Helen's an amazing cook and i felt more nervous than any show I've done.
FYI baked marrow filled with aubergine, coriander and lime,  topped with toasted almonds and caramelised onions, served with a potato yogurt and goats cheese salad.
It wasn't bad but the young rioja was pants!
Blethered until 1am so no early night fir me!

Saturday 19th Super Saturday

Whistlebinkies very full :-)
My pre-start worked very well which is when I do a fake mic. test chatting to the audience up close. Then I ask which start they would like,  high or slow energy?  They always want high! Then clipboard comedy plus theme tune dance....  boom!

Very lovely show and matching bucket i.e. lots of tips.

Lunch and comedy blether with Wes Dalton

Busiest Quillarious ever! 30 in. Steered away from dark themes and allowed the rounds to fold back the chatter into the show.
Twice when the room was divided on a decision we had dance offs which worked very well.
It all went very well with happy people and good bucket.
Another good blether about comedy writing with our Quillarari winner Lorna who presents for ITV Wales. Press your big blue button now or catch it on our podcast.

Youtube link  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPASQFD9QqlVag-LiIjRPsQ5E2nQrfFgf
Saw a nice and curvey one man show at Black Market but can't remember who. He's Welsh and looks like Jesus. By curvy i mean it had a lovely flowing narrative curve. Taking us though good solid funnies down into storytelling, then some audience interaction  to lift us up to wards the fake end, bucket speech ..... and by the way boooooom! Arrrrrrrrr.

I was then asked to mc a show also at BM. It was a small audience and challenging fun to connect with them and fluff them up. I was please with my mcing but over ran by 5mins. A big no no so I slap my wrist. Time to get that watch with a timer?

I stayed on to watch Drunken Heckle which is always fun and got back by 1.30am

Fri 18th

I was so tired last night, and I had essential admin to do which half got done before I crashed.  Woke up much refreshed :-)
Spent t he early part of the morning re covering the white board with film. Very tricky sticky stuff. So then I'd recovered from the recovering.

Back to the weather. It lightly rained from 10.30 driving the crowd into the show before mine, then it cleared 20 mins before mine, driving the crowds onto the streets away from my show.
Can't change it so move on!
The show was good with three no shows (my good morning text didn't happen) so I was able to grab Stone Wall Todo and Anige Gallagher from the previous show.
Daniel a teenage audience member was wearing a fringe lanyard and turned out to be a young magician  who did card tricks on me to the delight of the small but very nice crowd.
I did more material than ever and had a fun time.

Quillarious was busy with 15 in :-)
Surprisingly it was the first time a whole team didn't want to do the stand up challenge but an excellent performance by David.
Nice to see Bryn back #repeat-customer
Heres the vids

#Quillarious 2017-08-18: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPASQFD9QqlVCqExWBW_723FoEGsviS6k

After Quillarious I thought I'd see a show but it ended up as three very good show that reflect the diversity of the free shows at the Fringe.
First was Lucy ??? Women of Power. Wonderful but hard to explain other than an experience.
Performed in the round with a theromin and esoteric themes and interaction.

Then a full on production of Julius Caesar but with pirate costumes! Still no idea why. I would have gone step further and changed a line or two:
Arrrrrrrr et to Bruti me hearty!
Release the seagulls of war!
Then improve loosely based on history. I've a love hate thing with improv. It so formulated but when it works it's funny.
All very good shows.

Thursday 16th Too Much Sun

SUN streaming through my window, the worst thing ever for a daytime Fringe show.
I remember back to my days as a garden centre manager, if the temperature hit 20 degrees by 10am the sales would double. Here it's the opposite. Sun sun go away!

My show was very quiet c.15 but still fun.

Quillarious has two but once again the format works with two. To be honest I was almost hoping for one as there's a cardboard cut out of Billy Connerly as the Waverley bar is where he made the transition from folk singer the stand up. It could have been audience vs Billy.

https://youtu.be/SXLqIo72qvA

Wed 15th

Last night was my first guest spot. It was a tough gig. A bunch of students who'd looked like death and some family groups. I'm sure a more experienced act could get something out of them but all I got seemed like two titters and a couple of groans. Dead at the Apollo. I still think I should do a late evening show called Death at the Apollo.
Before the gig on the street I bumped into Astrid and Sander, they enjoyed the tale of their public engagement, phew!

Whistlebinkies went well with reasonable numbers and I was OK. The story of my engagement went down well and is evolving into something quite nice.
While Dave Hemming was on, a man at the back with a dog called Molly heckled a clear paragraph about Tarentino. We were all stunned. Dave did a sweet put down (the man not Molly) and things moved on. The last act was a manic clown who got nothing but I did a good inappropriate reference which got my best laugh of the day.

Here's the link to the story in the Edinburgh Evening News
http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/video-couple-get-engaged-at-the-edinburgh-fringe-1-4532218

Here's the link to the Sun story
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/living/1421967/wes-dalton-edinburgh-fringe-proposal-whistlebinkies/

Tue 14th Sorry dear

Whistlebinkies was good and as expected several acts didn't show so as Steve Mclean walked in to watch the show I said you're on. Lucia did her first fringe gig and it reminded me of my 2nd gig at Kate Smurthwaite’s show several years ago.
Good show decent crowd all good.

Get the the Waverly bar and the manager Ronan has a copy of the Edinburgh Evening News open to my story of the engagement.
I shoot off to bye a couple of copies. When I read it they've made a few mistakes. Well one mainly I that it says I've come to Edinburgh with Astrid and I've got engaged! I think they've muddled Sadler with Sander.
After 24 years of marriage to Fliss that's quite a surprise. Not as surprised as Fliss was when I called her. Somethings are best not discovered on facebook.
So if I'm the guy in the picture I've got plenty of hair and a beard So there's always a silver lining.

Monday what day is it?

No press reaction to press release about the coupkes engagement :-(
I expscted Lunchtime Showcase to drop back to early week quietness but it was nearly full! It felt like a Saturday which threw off my timings for the rest of the day.
Could it be that some miserable weather is my best publicity? Today it's supposed to rain at 12. Perfect for cat hearding the public. Fingers crossed :-)

Quillarious sadly no  one came :-(
Two years ago when that happened I was deeply upset but now it's just one of those things that happen at the fringe. I'm going to be pissed off if it happens more than three times but the show isn't a straight forward format.
I'm switching tacticks re flyering to exit flyer shows nearby that finish at least half an hour before. Time for them to regroup and then come. Worth a try.

I had a stand up spot to do later that evening so went off to the park by Waverley Station to write and rehearse. There I saw a robot lawn mower 'on trial' just taking its time zig zagging across the lawn. Not exactly Terminator, unless you work as a manual laborer. How many jobs will be lost to machines like these. Watch out road sweapers!

OK I got the day wrong for my spot, it's tomorrow, so I saw a one man show about William Wallase called the Tanners Tale and then David Tsonos's Drunken Heckle which I did as by then I was suitable qualified.

Walked home in the pouring rain at 1am thanking my heavy bag full of mavs and hats and jumper :-)
A good day.

Streetbeat Comedy's Free Lunchtime Showcase 12.15 Whistlebinkies top of Niddry st and Southbridge.

#Quillarious A New Comedy Format Free 15.45 Waverley Bar St. Marys St. next to The World's End on High St. (Royal Mile)
Every day of the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival
The show where the audience write the stand up. Its game show meets comedy writing workshop.

Youtube Channel  #Quillarious https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdLGESm8uJy4PGSCmyaMGSg

Sunday Romance at the Fringe

Romance was in the air at Whistlebinkies this morning as a couple got engaged on stage.

Now a stand up comedy show isn't the first place I'd think of for romance, but today at Streetbeat Comedy's Free Lunchtime Showcase at Whistlebinkies on Niddry st Sander asked Astrid to marry him, and she said ... yes!

 I and the audience watched amazed as comedian Wes Dalton played with the couple. “Why haven't you ask her then?” and Sander said “Ok I will” and he did.

A ring was borrowed from another audience member, space made on the stage, and on one knee he asked in Dutch as they were. I got most of it on video.

https://youtu.be/WIM-bPaXnPg and an evening doing press releases.

Quillarious was awesome, two fantastic teams and superb presentations, worth a watch.

#Quillarious 2017-08-13: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPASQFD9QqlU62gUSiG327QFu3N9yQL6L

Saturday 12th Best day yet

Woke up refreshed and superglued Helen's vase. Not a brilliant repair but a gesture of 'sorry'.
after some wandering I went to the tiny cafe next to the Waverly bar for builders tea and a haggis roll (When in Rome)
I had to many acts booked so as soon as I got the first message ...'I'm running late' I bumped them of the bill.
I think getting professional starts with getting up.

The show went very well with 75% full.
I crowd worked up to the high energy clipboard start. Wes Dalton was first on as he's a brilliant high energy crowd worker who makes everything look spontaneous but writes down any new quips he discovers so he can review and remember them.
To day I felt up there with him and my transitions from MC to material seemed seamless and effortless. Happy me.
We had quite a high proportion of older audience in and it was great to see Maxine's and Sian's set landing  well.

Coffee/ lunch with Pauline Eire for a proper comedy blether then Quillarious.
Eighteen in including Chris O'Neill who's Full Irish show that's on before me at Whistlebinkies is full every day.

A great show where our stand up winner Joe was so natural it was spooky.
No need to explain the plot he does it much better:

A pleasant beer with Chris for some feedback on the show which was very useful and a nice chat with Bumper and Maria from Firth on the next table. A quick cabaret show threaded together by audience Russian Roulette. It was busy but didn't work for me.  Then back for craft gin and tonic, a young rioja and Venison sausages upon beetroot and pearl barley risotto. Yummy

Streetbeat Comedy's Free Lunchtime Showcase 12.15 Whistlebinkies top of Niddry st and Southbridge.

#Quillarious A New Comedy Format Free 15.45 Waverley Bar St. Marys St. next to The World's End on High St. (Royal Mile)

Every day of the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival

The show where the audience write the stand up. Its game show meets comedy writing workshop. 

Youtube Channel  #Quillarious https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdLGESm8uJy4PGSCmyaMGSgYoutube Channel  #Quillarious https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdLGESm8uJy4PGSCmyaMGSg

Friday 11th

A slight sleep in but not too bad.
Stopped off at the local diy shop for tools sealant and super glue. More on that later.
Bacon roll at Scoobies v.good then a nice chat with Struan and Mel who were flyering on the street corner, as you do.
Show quiet but many latecomers so in total busier. I felt very please with my crowd work which was reflected in the bucket, thank you.
A hint of rain so off for a small breakfast on Nicholson st.
Sun out so coffee on a sunny wall now blog time.

Qillarious went ok, but I didn't explain the standup challenge througherly enough so they avoided the story which made things way to tough for them. We all had a good time though.

After the show I went off to to see some of my favorite shows. Quiz in my Pants, which was a big part in the inspiration for this show. Also Joke Theives, where four act perform their sets then perform each others sets which is challenging and awesome.

Streetbeat Comedy's Free Lunchtime Showcase 12.15 Whistlebinkies top of Niddry st and Southbridge.
#Quillarious A New Comedy Format Free 15.45 Waverley Bar St. Marys St. next to The World's End on High St. (Royal Mile)
Every day of the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival
The show where the audience write the stand up. Its game show meets comedy writing workshop.
Youtube Channel #Quillarious https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdLGESm8uJy4PGSCmyaMGSg

Thursday 10th

Wow I'm a day ate and already it seems like a year ago.
Smashing start to the day when I tried to close a casement window and it swung open knocking off one of a matching pair of vases. The other one was OK but had already been repaired so a bit of superglue and they'll be totally matching. Sorry Helen.

Streetbeat Comedy's Free Lunchtime Showcase 12.15 Whistlebinkies top of Niddry st and South Bridge.
A tad busier with 18 in so things are creeping up. Three act bailed or were no shows so I got plenty of stage time. The audience riffing is going very well so its time to up my game re my material. Guest spots coming up next week.

#Quillarious A New Comedy Format Free 15.45 Waverley Bar St. Marys St. next to The World's End on High St. (Royal Mile)
Every day of the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival
The show where the audience write the stand up. Its game show meets comedy writing workshop.
Once again only two in but what a two. Both Americans from Austin Texas. One was even a salseros. They were so creative and natural with the mic. Totally comfortable following they imagination. Supper cool and thank you ladies.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPASQFD9QqlVRS12J5N4WMjl4ZEJuBNeV

My evening was suburb I saw two of my favourite shows Quiz in my Pants and Joke Thieves. The it was time for karaoke with Gary, Lucy and the gang. I smash it with an old favourite Great Balls Of Fire then lost it in a duet with Pam Ford. She had the key, I had a bunch. Home by 12 but the party went of until 3am!

Wed 9th

After an early night, feel refreshed and ready to roll.

Streetbeat Comedy's Free Lunchtime Showcase 12.15 Whistlebinkies top of Niddry st and South Bridge.
Quiet but busier than yesterday so phew.
Acts good and a really nice atmosphere.
The big App hasn't gone live but I've had to slash the flyering as it's not been working.
So far it's good shows poor marketing!

#Quillarious A New Comedy Format Free 15.45 Waverley Bar St. Marys St. next to The World's End on High St. (Royal Mile)
Every day of the 2017 Edingburgh Fringe Festival
The show where the audience write the standup. It’s game show meets comedy writing workshop.

Six in. A family of four from Paisley, Colin from near Newcastle and Gary from Edinburgh. Once we'd got over the language barrier things got rolling along very well. While working the word nose, dad turns to c.13yr old daughter and says 'Don't say fuck knows!' extra point for pun.
I've never considered the show as a children's show but it wouldn't take much to make it work for teens.
See the results

youtube channel

Tuesday 8th Bump Shakala

Bump Shakala, as opposed to boom shakala. The 1st Tuesday bump.
I check my database and I've  double booked four acts.
I text several with more than one show with me, fess up bump them and imagine their glare.

There's still a day before the big Fringe app kicks in the worst start to the day possible. Its warm and sunny. Why?
Everyone gets up and hurries out by nine am. Then by 11am they're ready for a sit down which is perfect time for the show before mine, and the kiss of death for mine. The full Irish was full, mine ......ten :-(

Streetbeat Comedy's Free Lunchtime Showcase 12.15 Whistlebinkies top of Niddry st and South Bridge.
The  best show so far. Very good acts and a lovely friendly room. A good blether with Struan Logan and here I am lunching on a park bench in the sun.

#Quillarious A New Comedy Format Free 15.45 Waverley Bar St. Mary's St. next to The World's End on High St. (Royal Mile)
Every day of the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival
The show where the audience write the stand up. Its game show meets comedy writing workshop.

I was so convinced no one would come that I didn't fully set up and got myself a pint. But they did. Four lovely people. A man from Finsbury park who'd been to Whistlebinkies that morning, and three Edinburgers. Game on.

Title: Wand Sunny Day In Leith

It ended up as Harry Potter battling Lord Voltamort in the pole vault event at the Edinburgh Olympics held in Leith. Bizarre enough for you!

Our winner was a natural, but what was really nice is that it felt like a bunch of mates having fun with zero awkwardness.

youtube #Quillarious 2017-08-08:

And finally. ...
I forwarded my one liner to the Guardian which is doing a top 10 jokes from the fringe story.
I was going to do one about eyeballs but I'm waiting for something cornea.
Boom!... Shakala !!

Day 4 Settle Down Monday

Today I was guest Editor for We Are Funny Project so I've added to what I wrote:

Ok day three of the fringe and I'm well aware that I'm setting a low benchmark as guest editor. Fact is day three is the most tiring day of the fringe. The initial energy is waning and there's still glitches to fix as things settle down.

Today has been quite good from an admin (catch up with real world ),  marketing ( audience numbers) and performance (did they laugh)

I thought I'd crashed at showcase at Whistlebinkies  (12.15 ven158)  but people came from that to #Quillarious 15.45 Waverley Bar next to World's End on High St. 

So massive plug over its time to reflect on what I've learnt today:

Late arrivals to compilation shows get cancelled for no other reason that i spent more time sorting running order  than chatting to audience. It's about them! (allegedly)

My second show #Quillarious  went well and I learnt that if the teams are imbalanced, change the teams. How many series of the Apprentice do I need to see! Numbers bounced up to 8 mainly from  the wee blue book i.e.  the pbh brochure.
Impressive performance from Matt, including a topper!
btw you can catch our Quillarious standup by googling #Quillarious

I'm soooo tired that it's time to sign off and wish you all the best.
Ive been Alastair Sadler there's a bucket in the corner, fold some change and drop it in!

#Quillarious 07-08-17: 

Day two

The first three days of the fringe are the most tiring. A new routine plus lots of little extra tasks that barge that their way in.
Strap in and slog through it'll soon bed down.

Streetbeat Comedy's Free Lunchtime Showcase 12.15 Whistlebinkies top of Niddry st and South Bridge.
Quieter but a gr e at bunch of acts so a thoroughly enjoyable show.

#Quillarious A New Comedy Format Free 15.45 Waverley Bar St. Marys St. next to The World's End on High St. (Royal Mile)
Every day of the 2017 Edingburgh Fringe Festival
The show where the audience write the standup. Its game show meets comedy writing workshop.
Only two in but what a two.
He's Polish and she's French so out first ever Euro Quillarious
They were fab, she's a natural and he danced!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdLGESm8uJy4PGSCmyaMGSg

I've engaged a flyering crew to get the numbers up :-) 

Day one of Edinburgh Fringe 2017

Day One
Woke up early surprise  surprise. Here we go!!

Streetbeat Comedy's Free Lunchtime Showcase 12.15 Whistlebinkies top of Niddry st and South Bridge.
When well but a little quiet in terms of audience. This could be down to not being in the #edfring app which cost £300 but most people think it pays for itself. Ill have a think about it. It could  also be the change of name from Camden Comedy  to Streetbeat Comedy. People know Camden,  but its too late to change so nay bother pal.

#Quillarious A New Comedy Format Free 15.45 Waverley Bar St. Marys St. next to The World's End on High St. (Royal Mile)
Every day of the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Twenty two in Essex vs Scotland and Essex won.
First Quillarious with 100% non acts. Went really well, very creative and very funny.
note  the way our winner defuses the stress by getting her mate up as well and turning it into a conversation.

winner

The runner up

Awarding the Quillari 

Ill take the high road Ed Fringe Day -2

I'm at Kings Cross waiting to board the train to Edinburgh for #Quillarious at #edfringe
I've managed to get things into three small bags!
I'll reveal the reason way later.
Felt wobbly about it all yesterday but OK this morning.
What's packed is packed and what's prepared is prepared.

Just boarded and it's the luggage juggling game. Table seat with an empty seat next to me but two  (opinion pending) children opposite. Time will tell.

Whoever invented stickers deserves a medal! Beautifully behaved kids all the way. well done mums :-)

Arrived in a beautiful sunny Edinburgh :-)

If I only had one of those constantly recording cameras I could have captured the expression of the blond lady working in the hairdressers when I when to pick up the flat keys. Her brain froze as she tried to compute why a bald man was entering a hair salon. 

Hairismn is rife up here!

By the time I lugged my bags up six flights my back was deciding to go on holiday somewhere else. Stretch and move.

Its strange being in someone flat when they're not around or more accurately haven't given a formal handover. I decide that tv is a waste of my life and go dancing in Leith at Salsaholics Cuban salsa night. 

Very helpful bus driver lift me to the right stop for free (so not London) And I find the bar by the waters edge. Upstairs is a box of room and a typical suburban small club when everyone knows everyone. I was amazed that two people knew me. Julie/a came to my Edinburgh show 'Mambalsa One Man's  Quest To Create A New Partner Dance' two years ago. Aubrey an it/finance professional used to come to my i2i before moving to Edinburgh. To my great delight he had read my article post on the site. www.streetbeat.co.uk/blog 

Back in by 12 and time to watch CSI Somewhere on a big screen.
Lovely evening.

Add caption

gig report no.9 17-07-2017

Another lovely evening with for me the added pressure that I've only three gigs before Quillarious goes up to the Edinburgh Fringe. Every day the show will run 15.45-16-45 upstairs at: The Waverley Bar' St Mary's St. (next to the World's End on Royal Mile)

It's free! so please spread the word and come and play Quillarious.

Lots of acts doing and saying amazing things, I thank you all and to our amazing audience. Man from Middle of Nowhere, Man with wrapping paper shirt and Debbie Harry lookalike and beardy man with earring who won the Quillarie to name but a few.

Quillarious:

I was much happier this week as we got to the round where people performed the story. In Edinburgh this will be real audience performing at the mic for perhaps their very first time. I’ll video it and post to Youtube unless they pay  ££££.

It wasn’t a great punch or story but the show’s format  is starting to solidify and I’m generating improvements that will make a big difference.

It now my rule that no poor taste material. Every time we go there we get sucked into a drain.

Minus points are my weapon of choice and a clear anti entendre speech. “I don't care if you’ve a big one on the tip of your tongue, zip it! Even if it makes the eyes water.”

I’m also starting to get a bigger picture of how the audience interacts with the show in terms of social media. A video clip here an image there.

The badges arrived today! I know, social media gone mad!

Quillarious:

Keywords Yoga, Snake, foreskin, anti gravity, Robocop, Essex

Punch: Attacked by four skins!

Senario: 

RoboCop while on his

way up to an anti gravity yoga retreat  in Essex to present a newly created yoga position to honor the county - “Downward Facing Dogging”

He stopped off for a pee in a hedge when he was bitten on the willy by an adder. “Oh My foreskin” he cried which was ironic as he was then attacked by four skins.

Acts: Kathryn Mather, Paul Ennis, Daniel Rubinstein AKA Stylophobia, Erin Barry, Rosie Martin, Declan Kennedy, Tom Keenan, Michael Hughs, Eleanor Bennet, Donald Hamilton and Bentley Browning.

Gig report Quillarious no7&8 02&09/07/17

Wow and double wow!! It’s been a crazy couple of weeks for Quillarious.

Mon 2nd July, what a lovely night. The biggest Quillarious yet in terms of number of acts and audience.

A special thanks to Bentley Browning who brought a bunch of new acts from his course for their second ever gig. We also had a clutch of seasoned acts and a Swedish internet TV star who was doing his first ever stand up gig. I can’t remember his name but his surname was Finish for upstairs!

The big room :

I thought the atmosphere was as fluffed up as a duvet show room. Rapport, banter and connection all good. A couple of acts crashed and burned but hey that’s life. Some of their recoveries were brilliant.

Swedish guy was very personable and added a dynamic to the event.

In short the best ever Quillarious in spite of the fact that the Quillarious section wasn’t the most dynamic but it does seem to connect and fluff the room even more.

Thanks to: Yasser Kayani; Kuan-wen Huang; Fatima Abbas; Paul Grover; Paul scahill; Jodie Frances; James Harold; Bella Humphries; Michael Hughs and Bentley Browning (sorry if I’ve got the names wrong I lost my notes!)

Edinburgh!

Then Tuesday after salsa I was offered a venue in Edinburgh but It clashed with my existing compilation show :-(

But on Wednesday I was offered a perfect venue and a perfect time.

Quillarious show number 554
Waverley Bar Upstairs (Venue 438) start at 15:45 -16:45 dates 5-27 August 2017

Quillarious is actually going to Edinburgh!!!!!

Art work, flyers, publicity a to do list of to do lists.....

Just a moment to answer many of my critics including myself regarding art work.

Yes I do my own and I’m not a graphic designer.

Firstly the artwork is part of a greater creative process. Hard to explain but for me is about visualising the show. It’s the first stage of publicly expressing the dream as a reality. Often it’s during the artwork stage that titles change and the layout readjusts my priorities.

Then there is the timescale. The artwork deadline for images for the Fringe brochures was less than 24 hours away. Commission graphics in that time? No way Jose.

Finally cost. Part of the reason I can afford comedy is that it’s a low cost hobby. The costs for the year including the Fringe is less than the annual membership of a half decent golf club, and I don’t have to wear silly costume, every gig.

Mon 11th July

The small room but a great evening. A lovely bunch of acts including Jo Fletcher-Cross from Muswell Hill and Verity Day from Kent and Mel Byron from Glasgow.  Ali AKA Alistair Woods who made me the second funniest Alastair in the room.

Michael Hughs was on top form with the news and thanks also to Peter Hose and Andre.

Stars of the show were the ‘family’ From Chalfont St.Giles, dad, son, son’s hot Romanian girlfriend and step mum all out for drinkies. Lets just say they joined us some way into the drinkies and were totally awesome. Step mum got up and danced. Son heckled politely as Dad charmed the girlfriend.

Quillarious:

So lets play Quillarious. Herding cats along the learning curve that just keeps on giving way past the envelope. (It’s a metaphor cocktail)

Notes:

Divide and conquer, I did it and it partially worked.

Introducing the rounds was better than before with the word association tennis also working well to give more voice to participants.

It was a weak punchline, in fact I was unfamiliar with the quote about dancing!

I also need to steer things away from the sexual and darker side.

I don’t want Quillarious to be a knob joke generator.I was very pleased with the bishop ordain-ary pun.

It was a bizarre evening at the swingers night.

first there was a A bishop who was  basically an ordain-ary kind of guy.

Robert Murray Helpmann

Later Michael Flattery arrived stark naked with smoke coming from his feet.

“Feet of fire?” asked the bishop.

“No inflamed toenails.” said M.

The strange thing was that while the music played M.  would shag everything and everyone.

He mitre of even shagged the bishop, but M. stopped dead when the bishop turned off the sound system. Because as Robert Murray Helpmann almost famously said....

“The trouble with nude dancing is that Knob Everything stops when the music stops.”

Gig report Quillarious no6 26/06/17

Gig report Quillarious no6 26/06/17

Not hot n sticky this week phew!

I thought there would be hardly any acts due to the fact that most acts book a month in advance and I only got the Google forms set up two weeks ago. I steel myself to get set up and prepare for awkwardness.

The Edinburgh Fringe has taught me how to handle a small room. When three people turn up to your show, you know that there's no way to spin this into a buzzing gig, and your brain shouts “Why am I here?” The classic mistake I've seen is where the MC gets angry with the few that turned up “Why didn’t you bring your friends?” Don't do it! It never works out well.

Quickly you learn two essential tricks of the trade:

‘Reference and move on’. Don’t get stuck with the elephant in the room, shout “Oh look there’s an elephant! Budge up everyone and give the elephant some room. There's lots of elephants out there so I herd."

The other trick is to give more of your energy. The room isn’t going to buzz with laughter carrying everyone along, so you have to give it pace and energy. The more you go for it, the more respect, smiles and laughter will come back. So give it a little extra va va voom.

My third tip, and I know I said there were two but re read the last sentence and....

Make it personal. Deliver punchlines to a specific person as if they are the only one in the room, then focus on someone else. Conversations work on a one to one basis so make it chatty.

And finally get to know awkwardness. Awkwardness comes just after the moment you went all observational i.e. you pictured yourself failing, which made you hesitate and fail some more. When that happens, take a breath, then go back to tip number one. “Wow! That one worked well, not!”

Quillarious!

An interesting one where we got into it without getting very funny. My bad! I’m going to list my critiques so I can reread them for next week:

I put too much pressure on digging for the result and didn’t give it enough light and fluff.

Again there wasn’t enough separation between Punch and Backstory rounds.

I need to clearly explain the rounds rather than rush into them.

I didn’t get the room into ‘flow’ with the word association.

But we got to the point where Sergi and Joseph performed the story and we got some funnies:

The story so far......
"Eddie Lizzard head honcho of the Lizard elite had recognised the crisis in the ongoing war against the Fat Cats led by Chairman Meow.

The chameleons positions had stiffened, yes it was a cold war. All except one who had a reptile dysfunction.

Both sides had agreed to secret talks.

They met in that famous strip club Karma Cameleon run but the infamous Fidel Cat-stro and his side kick Chat Chivara. Where the pussies could be stroked  and the chameleons could simply blend in.

As they sat down they knew the stakes were high, both side desperate to avoid...

Neut-clea war!"

            To be continued.....

Thanks to:
Eleanor Conway, David McIver, Michael Hughes, Lee Hurrell, Lisanne Fridsma, Joseph Murphy, Harris and Sergi plus the audience lady Joseph chatted up in the bar.