Arts Centre Programming Manager Clarry Bean had the arduous job of checking out acts at the Edinburgh Festival this August! Well, someone had to do it, and as Clarry books acts for the Arts Centre the job fell to him. Here's his report...

Edinburgh Fringe Festival August 2007

Wednesday 8 August

Arrive in bright sunshine, and locate the flat that I am to share with a number of promoters etc. from Cornwall. It’s in the southern part of the City (I have always previously stayed north of Princes Street) and is about a 25-30 minute walk from the central venues – so I’ll be getting fit this week. First problem is car parking: having been advised by the letting agent that there is on street parking, I find that it’s actually metered parking which needs topping up every 4 hours during weekdays – really inconvenient!

I hurry to collect my promoters pass from the Fringe Office. The pass entitles me to request a complimentary ticket to performances, and the Fringe staff broker this as best they can – but the promised tickets sometimes don’t materialise, which can be really frustrating and annoying!

I have a quick stop for food (haggis, neeps & tatties – well, I am in Scotland) and then I’m ready for my cultural fix.

I catch three performances tonight – a one-man play about a shooting in America, which is disappointingly poor, an Australian comedienne, who delivers an amusing recreation of the time she was abducted in her teens(!), and a cabaret piece which is by turns corny, bizarre and saucy.

Find myself in a venue right next door to where The Magnets (an excellent a capella boyband who’ve played the Arts Centre twice) are performing – rather distractingly loudly. In retrospect, perhaps I should have gone and seen them instead…

Spotted tonight in my travels: actor/presenter Matthew Kelly, comediennes Lucy Porter and Jo Caulfield (watching the same show as me), and Ben Elton.

Get back to the hotel at around 12.40am – ready for bed.

Thursday 9 August

Out at 9.30am to feed the parking meter. Over breakfast I meet some of the people I’m sharing with and exchange a few notes on what’s hot and what’s not. There’s a wall of post-it notes for us all to leave our comments on – including reviews of local restaurants/cafes - which is useful.

The sun is shining again which is a bonus. I am surprised that the place is not as busy as I’ve known it to be but that’s probably due to the fact that I’m usually here later in August when the Festival momentum has gathered a bit more.

I manage to fit in seven shows today, which is going some. One of the plays has a talented young actress called Emily Lawrence in the cast – none other than the daughter of Swindon Borough Council’s Chief Executive Gavin Jones. The play she’s in is a comedy written in Shakespearean style and features an all-female cast. It’s a funny, clever and popular piece and I hope it does well.

Also manage to see a couple of one-woman shows that I’d love to book for the Arts Centre, one of which is a play called Rolling With Laughter. It’s written and performed by Natasha Wood and is by turns funny, moving and painful. I manage to meet with her in the bar afterwards and she relates how the play came together and her plans for post-Edinburgh. We swap numbers and I hope we’ll manage to work out how to bring the show to Swindon next year. I also persuade her to have a photo taken with me!

I see a young American company who improvise a musical – quite brilliantly – in an hour and they receive a well-deserved standing ovation. I end the day on a downer though as I sit through a rather hysterical and dreary piece and am unfortunately next to a group of drunken young lads who insist on belching and passing comments all through the show. Ah, the joys of a late-night crowd!

Friday 10 August

One of the people sharing the flat tells me he worked in Swindon for a couple of years in the ‘80’s and remembers the Link Arts Studios (where I worked before the Arts Centre). It really is a small world.

I rush off to the other side of the City to see a play called Forgotten Voices, which is compiled from the Imperial War Museum archives, relating the memories of people who lived through the Great War. It’s a remarkable play, which puts across the humanity, humour and horrors encountered in combat.

Spend the rest of the afternoon moving into another bedroom (now that some of the flat-sharers have left, I get to have a larger room!) and attempt to source tickets for the remainder of today and tomorrow. Now that the weekend is nearly here many of the shows are selling out so that’s proving a little difficult. Also, because there are so many venues spread out over the City, planning a schedule can be a bit of a nightmare as you have to ensure you allow sufficient time to get from one venue to the next in time – not always easy when the crowds are packing the streets.

This afternoon I get a call from my colleague Stuart Webb who has arrived on a lightning visit to the City, and we manage to meet up for a drink and a chat, which is really nice – and affords another photo opportunity.

Rush to grab something to eat (only time for fast food unfortunately) and then see an up and coming comedienne who is quite whimsical and fun. Definitely one for the future.

Straight after that I meet up with ex-Swindonian librarian Jenny Hayes, who used to be one of our top Arts Centre volunteers until she moved up to Edinburgh last year. We catch up on our news and go and see a hugely popular and fun show which is a spoof of the Eurovision Song Contest! It’s great fun and really well done, and the audience really get into it. Too big a show for us though, which is a shame!

Finish the day with a single malt and the long walk back to the flat at around 1am.

Saturday 11 August

Up early to catch a couple of family shows, one of which is awful and one brilliant. Hopefully I’ll manage to book the latter for 2008.

Also view three exhibitions today, one of which is an Andy Warhol retrospective and well worth visiting. It’s raining today so the galleries are packed.

Having only had a light breakfast, I find time for two good meals today.

Tonight is comedy night for me and I see three stand-ups in a range of venues – approximately 40 seats, 80 seats, and 300 seats – all of which are sold out. All good stuff and again I see possibilities for next year’s programme. The largest venue I visit tonight is the E4 Udderbelly – which is basically a huge inflatable upside down cow! Bizarre…

Thankfully the rain has abated as I spot Les Dennis queuing up for the Eurovision show which I saw last night. One of the nice things about the Fringe is that you often see performers in the audience of other shows.

As I sit and write up my notes of the day, I can hear the midnight fireworks going off at the Castle at the climax of tonight’s military tattoo (can’t see them though as my room faces south). Edinburgh really is a great place to be at this time of year!

Sunday 12 August

Had a lie-in this morning (well it is Sunday!). Bacon and eggs as a treat, and then it’s off out into the sunshine. Today is Fringe Sunday, with several marquees out on The Meadows (only 10 minutes away), featuring acts from the Fringe giving previews of their shows – all for free. There are theatre companies, comedians, street entertainers, musicians, food stalls – and hundreds of people. Luckily it’s not too busy when I arrive and I manage to bag a spot in the comedy tent to watch a few acts – most of which are really good.

After an hour or so it’s time to move on to a play – an excellent piece about the child-killer Mary Bell. Gripping stuff. While in the queue waiting to go in I spot actor Adrian Lukis (Mr Wickham from the 1995 BBC Pride & Prejudice) having an afternoon pint in the Pleasance courtyard. I am struck by the thought that if they ever make a film about singer Bryan Ferry, he’d be ideal for the part, as he bears a strong resemblance and has that confident air about him.

After the play, it’s out into the Edinburgh rain (again!) and time for lunch (superb vegetable curry and rice) before catching an hour of sketch comedy, which is a bit hit and miss but entertaining nonetheless.

Outside in the courtyard I see an enormous black dog being evicted (along with it’s disgruntled female owner) for, frankly, intimidating people. The animal is so big and scary that grown men are taking photos of it on their phones. Unfortunately I have an embarrassingly ancient phone and my camera is buried in my bag so I miss out on the opportunity to shame the beast on this website. Over to you to use your imagination.

Luckily I manage to catch the last ten minutes of the football in the bar (Man Utd v Reading), which ends disappointingly goalless, before going in search of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society Members Rooms in Queen Street. I settle down in pleasant surroundings to haggis (again) and a wee dram as recommended by the barman. It affords me a chance to catch up on the latest Fringe press reviews in the Sunday papers.

On my final evening in Edinburgh I go to see Stephen K Amos (who is already booked to play the Arts Centre on Saturday October 20) and he plays a storming gig to a sell-out crowd. Book your tickets now people!

By coincidence, outside in the courtyard I hear a voice I know well from countless phone conversations, and I introduce myself to Stephen’s agent, Nigel, a man with whom I have been doing business for years, but have never actually met. It’s always great to finally put a face to a voice. Nigel tells me he’s promoting sixteen shows this year at the Pleasance so no doubt he’ll be on the phone to me again in September!

So, after five glorious days in this fabulous city, I prepare for the long, solo drive back home tomorrow. I’ll be following all the reviews and news with interest to see whether any of my favourites receive critical acclaim and/or awards over the next few weeks. And of course I’ll be doing my best to bring some of these shows to Swindon in the future. I’m already looking forward to next year’s Fringe!