Scotsman centre spread & a defence of flyering

Grab a copy of The Scotsman today for big feature on Hoipolloi and an interview with our Artistic Director Shon. You can click here to read online but really, I'd advise you to buy a copy in order to fully admire the big photo adorning the centre spread. We enjoyed passing it round the breakfast table this morning.

Hugh Hughes in... 360 has had another four star review, this time from The List. I think a full review will be printed in the magazine tomorrow, but click here for a truncated version in the meantime.

Today Josie and Chris, our street team stalwarts, bid farewell to flyering and start enjoying the festival as punters. They worked incredibly hard for the first week of the festival and it paid off, with sell out shows for the last four nights!

As ever, a lot of people in Edinburgh are flyering and, equally inevitably, a lot of people are moaning about it. (Mainly prima donna actors who didn't realise this was part of the deal in Edinburgh!) But I'd like to offer a defence of flyering. Because although it's tiring work, I actually really enjoy it.

Marketing a UK tour from the Hoipolloi office is a slightly imprecise science. We do our best and we normally sell pretty well but it feels very remote from the real people who come and see our work. Plus, at the end of it all, you still don't really know why someone came to see a show or didn't, or if they enjoyed it.

Flyering is the opposite and refreshingly so. I still find it funny when people ask, "Have you seen the show you're telling us about?" (Lots of flyerers work for agencies and flyer for a different show every day.) Yes, I've seen the show and yes, I'm genuinely enthusiastic about it. And it's exciting to be out and about talking to people, and passing that enthusiasm on.

Often people tell us they've enjoyed other Hoipolloi shows and are delighted to discover that we're back at the festival. I spent about twenty minutes telling one couple all about Hugh's adventures in Australia and I've bumped into a few Edward Gorey fans who are already looking forward to The Doubtful Guest. It's fantastic when the audience come into Pleasance Two and you recognise people you've spoken to during the day. And even better when they bound up to you after the show to tell you how much they've enjoyed it!

Of course, there are some less friendly people (thought they're in the minority). Josie found a woman who sat at her table, completely and utterly ignoring anyone who tried to talk to her, refusing to even acknowledge their presence until they stopped talking and went away. And Josie saw this as something of a challenge. She decided to see how long she could go for before the woman gave up and just told her to go away. A war of attrition began and I'm sad to say that Josie was outdone. But she had been standing there rabbiting away for at least fifteen minutes, which is a good effort by any standards.

Other favourite moments have included, Marieke telling someone that if they bought tickets for the show she'd marry them... at which point the man produced two tickets which he'd already bought! And Chris flyering someone who seemed quite interested but then said, "Oh, the time doesn't quite work for me. I've got badminton at six."

Marieke and I will be back out this afternoon. Do come and say hello if you see us.

And click here to book tickets for Hugh's show tonight, Pleasance Two, 7.05pm.

Shift Happens 2.0

Ironically, this isn't another post about our recent earthquake here in Melbourne! I've been invited by Pilot Theatre to be one of the speakers at this year's Shift Happens conference in York (29 to 30 June).

Marcus, Pilot's Artistic Director, has asked me to provide people with an insight into the ways we're using social media tools here at Hoipolloi.

I've started creating some video diaries of my experiences, which I'll eventually edit together for the conference itself. I thought I'd share these here so that you can get a sense in 'real-time' how everything's fitting together. Although I have to admit that I'm a bit behind myself because I made this first one before I left for Australia and I've already made a second one, which I'll post early next week.

To book your place at the actual event, visit www.shift-happens.co.uk for more info. And thanks to Eurleif for the image.

Bye!

Posted by Sara Green (Marketing and Admin Assistant, Hoipolloi)

Well, as this is my last day with Hoipolloi it also means that this is my last blog entry. I know, how sad!



As my placement with Hoipolloi is coming to an end, (I have been doing a 10 month internship with the company as part of my gap year) I thought it would be a good idea to sum up my time here and try and think of a highlight of the year. The problem is that there are so many, so I have tried to be brief...

Before I started at Hoipolloi I had never worked in an office before, and that showed! I would ask stupid questions and generally embarrass myself, particularly in regard to my knowledge of photocopiers. But after a year(ish) I can honestly say that I have learnt so much not only about touring theatre but also office life, and now if I am given a job I don’t automatically go into panic mode. Well not often anyway.

So that is one thing that this year has been good for. Another thing that was amazing about this placement was the fact that I was able to see the development of a show from scratch. I remember the meeting back in September discussing a possible set design for The Doubtful Guest. Then in November I got to watch rehearsals for the show before witnessing it progress into a fantastic piece of theatre which opened in Watford Palace. I feel privileged to have been a part of this process and it made watching the show just that little bit more special.

When I try and think of one event that has made my year I would probably go for the time I had to dress up as the Doubtful Guest and wander the Barbican having my photograph taken. You know, as you do! As an aspiring actor that was a pretty special experience, which, although made me look rather stupid, was extremely fun and unique.

But I can’t stop there.

There are so many times that stick in my mind, for example the first time I met Hugh Hughes, seeing Story of a Rabbit for the first time and crying, the opening night of The Doubtful Guest, the end of tour in Newcastle and getting slightly inebriated with the cast, going to rehearsals and being stunned by the talent of the company, building a rehearsal room with Richard and being the only girl in a room of men who knew what they were doing, listening to Hugh run the show at 10 times the speed and laughing in hysterics, having a joke with Simon that I found funny and he didn’t, getting an electric shock every time I touched the filing cabinet, falling asleep in the company car on countless occasions, betting Steffi I could fit inside a box then proving my point, actually enjoying the filing day when everyone else was bored, stunning Steffi with my detailed knowledge of Fedex, doing yoga and stretching with Louise on the office floor, making masks from scratch, finding out about the aliens that Hugh thinks are in everyone’s brains, having my lack of geographical knowledge as a laughing point on a daily basis, missing a meeting in Liverpool because I got on the wrong train and ended up in Waterbeach....I could go on.

But I think one of the best times for me has been the last week in the Barbican, which not only was my childhood home but it is also one of my favourite venues and watching the show on Friday night was one of the most emotional yet uplifting experiences I’ve had in a long time. I felt so proud to have been part of Hoipolloi and had such a lovely night celebrating with them that I actually don’t want to leave!

So I am now off to drama school to try and learn how to do that ‘acting’ thing and experience theatre from a more creative side, however I owe so much to Hoipolloi for giving me a complete all round experience of life in this industry and I feel so much more equipped with this year behind me.
So thank you for reading my ramblings over the year and I leave you in the very capable hands of David who will be taking over my job and no doubt the blog.

Just before I go however, I will do one last bit of marketing and urge you all to keep seeing Hoipolloi’s work; it just keeps getting better and better!

Goodbye!