The Edinburgh Fringe – the world’s largest and most talked-about arts festival – is firmly under way with more than 30,000 performers playing across 258 venues for the enjoyment of millions of punters from all corners of the world.
Somewhere amidst this mass of comedy, theatre and art can be found three performers from the shores of Jersey – all attempting to navigate the chaos and excitement of Scotland’s capital.
In the first part of a series of Edinburgh Fringe Q&As, Express spoke to Jersey-born actor, writer and producer Rosie Gicquel.
The former JCG student is performing in Clary, a two-woman comedy play written by co-star Tamsin Everitt.
The play focuses on flatmates Clary and Meg, two women in their early 20s navigating a quarter-life crisis.
How is the show going, and how many performances do you still have to go?
The show is going well so far and has been received really well by the audiences we’ve had!
We’ve done eight performances of Clary so far and have 19 left, so it has definitely been a test of our stamina, especially as we are flyering before every performance to try and bring in a bit more of an audience.
How have you found the Edinburgh Fringe, and how has it differed from your expectations?
It is my first experience of the Edinburgh Fringe, I hadn’t even been as an audience member before.
It felt a bit quieter than I expected for the first couple of days, however now it is so busy – it definitely is a competition to get your flyers out.
There is definitely a lot of walking involved too! We’ve been averaging 16,000 steps a day without really trying, and with Edinburgh hills it can be rather tiring…
Have many friends or family members from Jersey got to Edinburgh to support the show?
My mum is from Newcastle, and so we have luckily had a few family come to visit and watch, as the train isn’t too long.
My mum and dad did travel from Jersey to spend the weekend with me, which was lovely! They also helped do lots of flyering and were surprisingly good at it. They also saw Clary three times!
How has being from Jersey informed your approach to acting, performing and comedy?
I grew up dancing with the Jersey Academy of Dancing, and doing am-dram shows with the Green Room Club. This definitely made me want to perform in a professional capacity.
I think we are so lucky in Jersey that the arts are celebrated the way they are, and that there is so much going on in such a small Island.
There are so many performers from Jersey around the world now, which definitely made me feel that a career as a performer was a viable one.
Tickets for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival are available here.
