Saturday 16 February 2013

Entertainment

With street performers such as Arizona Jones, Conrad and JP arriving early this year there was an air of excitment on the High Street before the festival began.
As more faces arrived both new and old the buzz was amazing.

Then something started to happen; maybe the weather played a factor, to many new faces on the High street amongst the Fringe staff. Or a completly new set of rules governing how street performers are "managed" on the High Street.

People come to the High street and go to the Mound because there is entertainment. True family friendly entertainment. Circus skills of every variety. Something watchable and afordable for everyone. It's street theatre and even with a credit crunch a few £'s is not bad for a 45 minute show.

If the street theatre wasn't at the Mound or on the High Street, would the people handing out flyers have something to do. The answer is of course no. The High street would be dead.
I have good friend from the Fringe theatre and music world but none have the ability to hold an audience of two to three hundred or more around a Fringe stage for 45 minutes.

Edinburgh has the ability to draw the Worlds best street entertainment, but Edinburgh is doing it's best to get rid of it all. Maybe the Fringe, the council and those residents and shopkeepers who complain need to take three weeks off in August and get off the High Street.

Leaving the street to those of us who see the beauty in what happens there. Where good and great entertainers manage themselves.

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