People travel from all over the world to get involved in Edinburgh Festival. Whether they are theatre co’s, actors, directors or the audience, Edinburgh is an international festival on all levels. The scenario is no different when it comes to the production and technical element of producing a show here.
New Zealanders, Australians, Greeks, French and Spanish along with many other nationalities travel to the UK to work alongside English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish. Between them they deliver everything from the PR, marketing, technical and venue management to hitting the go buttons, pushing up faders and building stages all over the city. For one or two months a year Edinburgh becomes a delightful, heaving, dynamic melting pot of ideas, art, cultures and people.
To many Edinburgh Festival is the premier Theatre and performance art Festival in the world. It’s most certainly the largest with over 2000 shows in up to 300 venues – mostly found spaces. Because of this it presents a truly unique way for young aspiring arts professionals to gain access to, and experience of, a diverse range of theatre processes.
On the tech and production side of things the wages may not furnish you with the means to pay for expensive holidays and fast cars. The hours are long and accommodation not always the most salubrious. However to many the opportunities and advantages far outweigh this.
For techs and production staff the benefits are indeed multifarious and regularly include large helpings of on the job training with the latest technologies in lighting, sound and video – even in some of the smallest venues.
For example, at the request of two companies performing at the Assembly Rooms Music Hall – not a small venue by the way – they’re using the GrandMA 2 console with GrandMA version 1 software.
As you can’t be here in person, MA Lighting’s Callum Howie gives us a whistle – stop tour of the grandMA2 . . .
At first it may seem a bit potty to put a brand new piece of hardware into one of the busiest schedules of the theatre calender. Especially given that both venue programmers had never actually laid hands on any MA console before! Nevertheless, as I discovered, whilst it certainly presents some challenges, it’s also hugely rewarding.
MA’s Callum Howie and Steven Sanders – Programmer and operator for the venue explain . . .
Head of lighting for all five venues in the Assembly Rooms is Paul Lim. Again another international bright young thing. Most of the year he can be found in Melbourne Australia, working as a production manager! He discusses what he perceives to be the Fringe Benefits of Edinburgh and what keeps him coming back year after year.
There is no doubt that whatever stage you’re in your career if you haven’t worked at least one season at the Edinburgh Festival you’ve probably missed out. Although in the main it’s manned by those in the earlier stage of their careers, there are also plenty of professional, experienced production folk all too pleased to share their wisdom, knowledge and partying abilities with the younger and less experienced.
