Traveling to Fringe

We had a long day of traveling on Tuesday. Glenn and I left for the airport at 11:20 a.m. We flew to Chicago (five hour layover), landed at Heathrow (another three hour layover) and got here in Scotland on Wednesday about 4:00 p.m. To say that I'm shaky and tired is an understatement. I have the feeling that the room (whichever room I'm in) is still moving. And, I'm seriously sleep deprived, since I didn't sleep a wink on the plane. I did watch a bunch of movies, and the new Olympic Ab Fab episode. Jennifer Saunders cracks me up. There's lots of evidence of Olympic mania everywhere, but on our journey, almost no one knew what the Edinburgh Fringe Festival was (and is). So, I'd have to give shop clerks, fellow travelers and assorted strangers the rundown of Fringe history and the significance of doing a show here. For many Americans theater is something that exists, but is pretty much ignored. As in "my cousin does community theater in Fargo" (or whatever). People don't mention a particular play they've seen, just that an acquaintance or shirt tail relative is involved in 'the arts' on some level.

At this point, I've spent quite a few decades performing in a medium that is often dismissed by the average person. This does not bother me a bit.

One of the things I adore about theater is the fact that it's so ephemeral. What I do is created in the moment. It exists for that moment of time, andfor that time, it's magic. When it's over, it's over. It can be spoken of fondly, but it can't be re-created exactly as it was. Video can't really capture the magic of being there and being a part of it. Of all the arts, it's the one where you HAD to be there to experience it. I am SO excited for this Fringe and all the wonderful things I'm going to see. I will be there. I will be a part of it -- both performing and in the audience.