Doctor Faustus, Best Actress in...

Doctor Faustus
Zigzag Creations
The Monkey House @ The Zoo
http://www.edfringe.com/ticketing/detail.php?id=15267
Stunning costumes and fabulous make up make this a show with the draw the High street needs.

This show in three days has already caught me by the throat and is strangling the life out of me.

This is just the street promotion and I'm impressed. If their theatrical ability is this powerful then five stars I'm sure they'll get in The Scotsman, The List And Three Weeks.

On street credibility alone five stars. On costume and make up five stars.
On the sheer dynamic presence of it's cast on the street five stars.
On the sheer dynamic presence five stars. Thats a Fringe First this year!

And a Olivier Award to ...

A Guide To good Street Credibility

Actors and actresses take to the street in Edinburgh. Promotion is the key to selling your show.
But some of the more inexperienced in what theatre is forget that the street is a theatre venue for some.

Everyone has a show in some form or another. Mine is my blog, my party. Others the alcoves and the High Street pitches.

But when groups turn up and blast out music and roar over young violinists busking. You'd think they'd respect the street. But alas no.

My blogs places to find photos of all that happens on the street; with one exception. One rule.
Show respect to the street as a theatre venue for all and you may find your photos here. Disrespect the street, "No photos here."

I add this piece almost every year. Maybe I should write up the guide to good street promotion at the Edinburgh Fringe.
So Today I'm taking flyers only from shows you won't find on my blogs.

Rain People Inventing The Sky

For years I've been a fan of dace and physical theatre on the High Street.

My first experience of shooting street dance previews came in my early years covering the Fringe back in 1999/ 2000. With a dance show "Freefall."

At the end of their run I was invited in to the theatre to shoot their show, which was a great privilage as the director of the show was quite protective of her work.

On the street this year comes Rain People - inventing the sky. With an emotive and breath taking display of grace, skill, beauty and passion the young troupe take over their space with the power of a dance company of the precision and prowess of the Bolshoi and the Rambert Dance Company.

These young Russian dancers play their space to perfection. I do hope my busy schedule will allow me the chance to make it to their show; as I've missed every show this year I must see. So this has to be the one show I do want to see.

For on street presence, chemistry and beautiful dancing five stars in my eyes.

Their show is on at 22.30 at Zoo Southside, 117 Nicolson Street. Running until the 31st of August.

Rain People Inventing The Sky, Five Stars *****

I'm no critic when it comes to Fringe time. I pick my theatre upon what happens on the street. (And in the last few years) what time the play is on.

Rain People - Inventing the Sky, a powerful group of young Russian dancers from St. Petersburg have taken over the High Street by storm. So drawn by the chance of something special I decided as a last week treat to take in their show.

Wow was I in for the surprise of my life!

Lives of four characters shaped by chance; perhaps by fate. Played out in silence all but for a cry of one of the cast.

The piece played to perfection, beautifully crafted, yet mesmerising simple.

I can only call it perfection. It's your favourite film on DVD watched over and over again.

I want to buy the DVD right now. It's the show everyone should regret they missed. Lets hope they bring it back next year.

Photographic Paintball

There are days when there seems to be little to photograph. So to amuse myself I came up with a game I introduced to a friend of mine on facebook.
Photographic paintball.

Using the same technique I employ to shoot shows it keeps me sharp, focused and on the ball. It's that "Andrew" photo that some of you out there know and some love.

It's taking the shot you can see without worrying about distractions like people in the foreground or seeing the whole performer.

It's back again to my ethos of Haiku photography, where the part of the bigger picture can sometimes tell you more than the bigger picture itself.

A club, a ball, a hand. To tell the story of how I see the world around me.

T.V.G.

Tea drinkers in Scotland take heed there's a theatre company out there with bite.

T.V.G. Make a statement about there world around us and you just have to laugh; even though you may think you shouldn't.

Bringing their art to the street; where in there first year they were thrown out of the Fringe and almost promptly arrested.

Telling the jokes we laugh at on the inside and think hard to walk on straight faced.

Satire that is the medium of the extreme. Where the truth in comedy is the freedom of expression for all.

Where a mornings headline is money in their hat and as always they have the council and police at there heels.

The PC world of today needs comedians to take risks. These risks are the stuff of the dreams of freedom for the oppressed and the abused. These dreams earn them the respect of many and the disdain of a few.

Cutting edge comedy, of course. The truth, of course. It's the freedom to express and most of all it's the freedom to laugh, even though you know you shouldn't.

T.V.G. Are here to make the world take notice. And that they do well.

One should always take note of the Jester in the court of Kings past, he was as powerful a figure as almost the King himself.

Models Galore!

The Fringe in Edinburgh is where you meet the most beautiful women from around the world. It's where stars of the future are made.

It is where my passion for photographing beautiful women was born. I always say if I had a show to promote I'd get the best looking women to promote on my behalf.

My recollections always go back to my second or third year and the girls I spotted on the High street that deserved to be photographed. I was right a job with Select Model agency awaited one of them.

Flyerers, performers and the staff who walk the High Street all get my attention.

A young beautiful lady back again to flyer caught my attention; but still always hiding one day I'll see her potential flower.

New casts and new stars caught my eye.

Russian Dancers to die for.

New friends made over drinks at the City Cafe.

Beautiful casts and stars there of will always take pride of place in my blogs. With the one proviso, that you respect the street, but more on that subject later.

Providing portfolio pictures is something I've tried my hand at for years.

Need a professional, hire one.

I regret all the shots I never got the chance to take. The chance to play in sunshine or showers.

In my final week on the street I had the pleasure of meeting a professional model Marina.

A day or so later a text came in; I got permission to play. In under an hour and a good few hundred shots under our belt we headed to The City Cafe to look over our afternoons work.

Work with her again I hope so. Charming, yes. Beautiful, yes. But truly intelligent

An Internaional Following

As a busking photographer I've made my name amongst the international street entertainment community. From Auckland to Adelaide. From Tokyo to Toronto.

Pedro Tochas I always laugh with saying that he makes me the most famous photographer in Portugal.

And this year I had an early influx of Japanese visitors to my blog thanks to Shut Up Play.
I'd briefly shot them last year and they were generous in there applause in seeing me on the High street once again. I reciprocate in trying to get shots of them when I could.

My first international Fringe theatre group came from America, in the form of Firefly Productions. Good friends still to this day I sadly miss on the High Street, desperately awaiting their return.

The International flavour spiced up by the cast; OK, I admit it a very beautiful member of Porn The Musical from Malta.

And finally my new best friends from St. Petersburgh, Russia. Masha and Masha (Or Masha 1 and Masha 2) as I got to know them. As well as the rest of their wonderful cast and crew.

Rain People made my last week spectacular. Special more so for the invite to St. Petersburgh, a man who hates travelling might one day ask if I can take them up on.

How To Promote on The High Street (Part1)

I'd like to try and set down here rules for casts and crews to abide by when promoting on the High Street.

But first a note. It's hard to photograph everyone. But there are some casts I just avoid even though I'd like to shoot.

Good looking casts, great costume, but a loud and disrespectful disdain to everything that's happening around about them. Whether a young child playing the violin through to a large circle show, who'll see more audience members in one show than some of you may see in your entire run. The theatre for these people to perform in is the Street. One day they might just visit your venue.