A personal reflection on bringing “Takin’ It Easy, 1916” to the Edinburgh Fringe written by Thomas McGrath:

- As it was my first time as a producer bringing a show to the Fringe, I learned an immense amount of valuable knowledge. Firstly, learning as you go whilst being adaptable was aspects I had to quickly come to terms with. I understood that a producer’s job description can be drastically different depending on the project and “Takin’ It Easy, 1916” was unlike any other project I produced at Warwick. This was mainly because it was the first time I was in charge of a project with a large budget which required a high level of professionalism and attention to details. This project helped me grow a lot as a producer as I had to be efficient at solving problems and making sure we were able to complete the objectives we had set out for the production. I also learned that being prepared and gathering as much knowledge and information before and during the project is vital. I was very lucky to be able to contact numerous people who had already been to the Fringe previously who shared advice with me to help make our own show a success. It was incredibly helpful to have a sense of direction and an idea of what would be achievable or not with taking a show to the Fringe.

I vastly improved on my communication skills with venue representatives, reviewers, and sponsors. I also improved on my team management skills, taking a lot more initiative than I had done previously. These skills will be very useful in the future for the jobs I would like to pursue in my career.

After a year’s work, I got to see the show being performed at the fringe and having been heavily involved in its staging and directing as well as producing, it was fascinating to see how it stood up with audiences that didn’t know the writer personally before watching it.

I learned what it would take to produce with more success. With what I’ve experienced, I would plan on contacting reviewers earlier, make sure I do not miss any of the networking events at the Fringe and bring a production to the festival for the whole month to gather momentum. Having seen the reception to the script I would enjoy building on it: the sense of humour of the play was acclaimed but I’m sure audiences would appreciate characters and storylines with more depth in future projects.

The project gave me a reinforced passion for working on comedy plays and new writing. We all really enjoyed working together as Smirk Theatre and we would be more than willing to do it again with another production with the addition of our newly gathered experience.

Finally, I learned how important it is to be passionate about a project. Our team never let go of the idea that this production was worthy of going to the fringe. This mentality led us to fulfilling this objective and I am extremely proud of that.

 

A personal reflection on directing “Takin’ It Easy, 1916” written by Guy Jack:

 When I began directing this show in its first iteration, nearly ten months ago, I was still new to the role – but I had a strong team behind me. Now, as I look back on the experience I can once again say it was the trust in my cast and crew that has held me steady.

Taking a show to the Edinburgh Fringe is easy in theory but stressful in practice; for one, funding must be acquired for venue hire, accommodation and insurance, to name just a few expenses – and truly, this is not an endeavour I could have taken on without a hardworking cast and dedicated crew.

At this point, it may sound like I’m not too sold on the experience but, the truth is, nothing that’s easy is worth doing and, as any creative knows, stress comes with the territory; the key is ensuring it’s the right kind: the stress that comes from pouring care and love into a project, from hoping you’ve done enough and, above all, from wanting to ensure that your team is happy, healthy, and proud of the journey on which they have embarked.

For my part, I am thrilled by the challenges we have faced, the victories we can now savour, and the inspiration we have drawn from the wealth of creative talent that went through the same stresses and strains as us – I was drawn to the fringe by the prospect of a new challenge and, and tackled it head first with a “come what may” attitude. We were all in it together, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.