Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Fringe 2024 Packdown
Working At Fringe
Fringe is a unique experience. Pleasance boasts over 20 venues across two sites, with capacities ranging from 30 in the bunkers to 700 in the Grand! All the venues must be constructed from the ground up (excluding one P1) in about two weeks and dismantled in two days, leaving no trace behind.
As the assistant head of lighting here, I’ve had to combine my knowledge of Theatre with the speed and unpredictability of Live events! With only 2 days to tech some of the craziest shows Fringe can throw at you.
It’s an incredible experience that I'm proud to be a part of, and I’d encourage anyone interested in applying to work at a fringe, not only Pleasance, but any of the fantastic companies involved.
Challenges and Testing
The unique challenges of fringe come by the dozen. Managing this can be a stressful job, as it involves juggling people, companies, and equipment across several venues. It's essential to ensure our crew is aware of the up-to-date plans. Ensuring the safety of the equipment through PAT testing and BS7909 compliance testing that I conduct is vital for a safe and smooth festival.
Halfway through the festival, we had to install an additional 120 dimming circuits for a show that relied solely on generics in its design. We completely redesigned the rig, working three nightshifts to prepare the venue for the show (Image Below)