Eleanor Morton on the best and worst of the Fringe

Eleanor Morton is at the Edinburgh Fringe performing her show Haunted House at Monkey Barrel at 12.05pm.  Here she shares what she can't get enough of at the festival, her most embarrassing Edinburgh experience and the worst thing about the Fringe…

Edinburgh Binge

I love anything that gives me or other acts a chance to experiment. That usually means any show John Luke Roberts is running, like his Terrible Wonderful Adaptations (I’ve adapted Ulysses, Francis Fukuyama’s The End of History and the jokes on the back of a Penguin bar wrapper.) 

For the past two years, he’s done Cabaret Impedimenta, where comics interrupt performers with a series of silly activities. I’m hoping he’ll let me play a Victorian ghost this year, it would be very on brand for my show. 

So I would like more one-off, silly shows like this, where acts can push themselves, try out something brand new, and give the audience something they’ll probably never see again. This year John Luke is doing all ten of his previous shows. As a punter, I’m excited. As a friend, I’m deeply concerned. 

(Can’t believe I just gave so much free advertising to JLR, come and see MY show)

Edinburgh Cringe

Honestly, I think the most cringeworthy thing I (or any comic) can do is flyering. 

It’s vital to our shows but it's absolutely soul-destroying, walking up to a stranger, handing them a piece of paper and saying ‘please come and validate me, please’. And then when they say ‘No thank you’ you have to be all ‘oh, OK, cool’, like your entire self-esteem wasn’t riding on them taking your silly little leaflet. Absolutely devastating. 

I’ve done flyering work as a day job, but trying to punt your own show (and, basically, entire personhood) for no money to the general public is a low that can’t be beaten. 

Edinburgh Whinge

 I know the cost is an overdone whinge, but I’d like to offer my perspective as a local AND a performer.  I get the worst of both worlds.

I hate that fellow acts can barely afford to be here. I hate that residents are kicked out of their flats by greedy landlords looking to exploit artists in August. I hate the number of short lets that eat up housing badly needed by the local population, and I hate that visiting performers are expected to sleep five to a room, Dickensian style, in a flat with no hot water. 

There is absolutely scope to make the Fringe fairer for everyone, so most importantly: don’t blame each other! We’re all the victims here, blame the people making big bucks out of us. 

Published: 14 Aug 2024