Adam Riches talks Edinburgh.
Adam Riches
As a big comedy fan who has also briefly dipped his toe into the world of performing stand-up, I’m ashamed to say I’ve never been to the Edinburgh Fringe. I’ve wanted to, you understand, but time, money and a series of soul-crushing day jobs have always put paid to such desires.
So when a message popped up in my Twitter feed about a free talk being given at the Soho Theatre, in which hints, tips and advice would be dispensed about taking a show to the Fringe, my interest was piqued. And when I realised that the talk was being given by last year’s Foster Comedy Award winner Adam Riches, I snapped up a ticket on the spot.
The kind of advice Riches dispenses ranges from the pros and cons of hiring a promoter/PR team to run your show – as opposed to doing it yourself (Riches has done both with the seven shows he’s taken to Edinburgh) – to the best method of handing out flyers to a disinterested public.
According to Riches, flyering an hour before the show – rather than hours beforehand – is your best bet, delivered with a personal touch. So jumping in front of punters with a dinosaur outfit on is a no-no. On quite a few levels.
Throughout the talk, Riches offered helpful tips on getting the right venue, time slot, ticket price, etc. for your show. But as a rule, the show’s content dictates play here…
He also offered advice on the best time to give away free tickets to generate publicity (in the first three days, apparently) and the worst way to advertise your show in an over-crowded marketplace (posters in shop windows).
The audience of about thirty people, largely made-up of writer-performers and a few producers, hung on Riches’ every word, and even contributed to a lively Q&A after the talk. The hottest topic in this section concerned the Free Fringe shows that have cropped up at Edinburgh in recent years, and encouraged some interesting debate before the hour was up.
All in all, Riches came across as well-informed and interesting, and seemed happy to share the benefit of his experience. It also made a good companion piece to his eagerly awaited five week-long run at the same theatre next month.
