Waiting in line for a big Edinburgh Fringe break

FRINGE performers, publicists and producers queued for hours to get the chance to deliver quick-fire pitches on shows.

Fringe meets the media: The Book of Love by Lyndsay Jenner. Picture: Toby Williams

More than 1,100 of them came through the doors of the Fringe Central headquarters on George Square to try to grab the attention of dozens of writers, reviewers and bloggers.

First in the queue at 6:30am were the team behind Bayou Blues, a one-woman hip hop and spoken word show about a young woman’s experiences of growing up in New Orleans.

Brian Carbine, director of Bayou Blues, said: “We heard the event was a bit crazy, so we wanted to get here early, but everyone has been super-friendly. The most exciting thing so far in Edinburgh has been meeting other artists and seeing their work”

Megan Lewicki, of the California Institute of the Arts Festival Theatre Company, is directing a tribute to celebrated American photographer Francesca Woodman, who killed herself at the age of 22.

She said: “The Fringe is a perfect opportunity showcase our work to an international community. It gives us a real run for our money.”

Actor Liam O’Kane is performing with Melbourne theatre company Attic Erratic in Tripped, the story of a confrontation between two soldiers in the aftermath of a helicopter crash in the desert.

“It’s a dark comedy about prejudice, open-mindedness and healing. They all bleed into each other. We were a bit worried about the show being too Australian when we were invited here, but were told not to change a thing.”