First Edinburgh Fringe performance

Due to busy-ness and lack of time to write and post as and when things happen I'm posting here when I can. So I will date my posts according to when what I'm writing about happened.

Edinburgh 3rd of August 2012
First Edinburgh Fringe performance.

I wasn't as nervous as I'd expected to be. I'm not sure why that was. Maybe because I'd been flyering on the street all day in full costume and make up and that in itself felt like I was performing already.  Maybe it was the anti anxiety homeopathic remedy I'd been taking or the Yoga I did an hour before. I don't know... I was quite nervous but not as much as I thought I'd be, not to the point of shaking hands which often happens in the first few minutes of the show, apparently not just to me,( funny how you always think that you're the only one).
It was a small and quiet crowd. Small audience is usually quiet and harder to perform to. There isn't as much energy in the room. You know, it does make a difference. More people means more energy, and the energy circulates from audience to performer back to audience, and when the energy is high it's a wonderful experience.
Tonight there were only 10 people in the 80 seat theatre. 4 of them were men, which isn't bad considering that in the past I performed for an audience of 60 with only 3 of them being men, so 4 out of 10 was a nice balance.
There were 2 ladies I know sitting in the front row. Next to them (when I say 'next' I mean with the traditional one chair gap that people take when sitting in the same row with people they don't know) sat a man, long hair tied back in a pony tail, well groomed moustache (I know this is a line from my other show, but he really did have a well groomed moustache!). I don't remember exactly at what point it happened but it was during my opening number. The man in the front row, settled more comfortably into his chair and let his knees part in the usual man like relaxed sitting manner, only this man was wearing a kilt... and nothing underneath it!
One often hears jokes and stories about what is - or more like isn't - underneath a Scottsman kilts, but one does not expect to be shown during one's opening number on the opening night one's Edinburgh Fringe show. As if one wasn't nervous enough! But did 'one' flinch or bat an eye lid?! Oh no, one didn't!!
I was considering saying something to him out loud, like to 'put it away' or something like that but then I thought to myself, I'm not going to make this show about him! This show is about ME and that's the way it's going to stay, me me me!! I am Miss Bellylicious Belly dance diva extraordinary, certainly not thrown by some man and his.. 'Willie' , and I call it that, because it was pretty unimpressive I'm disappointed to say. I was thinking if you're gonna show your crown jewels to a Diva at least have something worth showing, this certainly wasn't. I was also quit offended to find that it remained quite.... mmmm... what's a good word to use here... limp. It didn't grow, it didn't move, definitely didn't appear to stand to attention! It was only after the front of house guys told me this man  was very drunk that I didn't take it personally.
The rest of the audience obviously didn't have a clue what was going on. I was quite pleased with myself for carrying on as if nothing happened and really after the initial surprise (yes, not even 'shock' just surprise) I blanked it and just did my thing.

The show had a good flow, I felt on good form and people, though quite, seemed to enjoy themselves. No one walked out :)
After the show I rushed to catch a one man show called 'Believe' by Shane Dundas who is one of the Umbilical Brothers. I was interested in this because it was advertised as comedy /physical theatre show. It was much better promoted than mine and appeared to have good marketing with massive posters advertising it and the venue was very central and one of the main Fringe venues. It was a good show, not as much physical theatre as I though there would be but still good.
There were only about 15 people in the audience and that made me feel a bit relieved about the turnout to my show. I was thinking, if this guy who's obviously more widely known than me only gets 15 on his 2nd night (it was his 2nd night) then I'm doing OK.

It was home for me after that. I was so tired, it was late and tomorrow was another early start. I came 'home' to my room at the university halls (nice place, great breakfast!) took off my make up and went to bed. Glitter still in hair (hey, I'll need it tomorrow). Man in 'boxerless kilt' now only a hazy memory of some anecdote which I will probably use in a future show. Thank God for quirky experiences.


(BTW it is 8am on the 6th of August right now - I don't know how to set the time to be right for this on this blog - if you do can you please tell me)