Learning lots. So, so much. And answering a great number of the questions that I hoped doing my first solo show would help me answer.
But I’m wondering, still wondering, which section of the fringe I should be registering myself in. When I first registered, I spent a lot of time tossing up whether or not to put myself in comedy or theatre. I steered away from theatre in the end, because I’m not an actor and I don’t have a director. But then, in festivals at least, ‘comedy’ feels so closely aligned to the gag-punch style of comedy that I’m not sure I really fit in there either. Obviously, I want there to be laughs, but I don’t necessarily want it to be stand-up, and I’m not sketch or character comedy mostly because again with the ‘not an actor’.
For the Adelaide Fringe, I was thinking maybe I could put myself in the ‘writing’ category, but does that imply something more literary? Poetry slams and spoken word and so on.
And not that I think I’m some sort of genre-defying genius. Flicking through the Fringe guide here, I see plenty of other shows and performers that are more theatre than they are comedy, more music than they are theatre and so on.
Maybe the guide needs sub-categories. Which leads me to wonder: do other people worry over this stuff or is it just because I’m a librarian?
Well obviously the guide needs to searchable by tags, but that’s just a little tricky in the printed format.
I was gonna through in some other database jokes (they could add parties! ha!) that would be just between you and me (all that collection management training is good for something) but I think I should skip straight ahead to Keepin’ It Real: the other people who are registering haven’t even written their show yet, they are just making it all up as they go along.
Also, the guide is not a professionally crafted database, it’s marketing: classify yourself according to who you think will be most likely to come and what you think they will be looking for. If you think the other librarians will be looking for comedy, go there.
“through” obviously should read “throw”. Der.
It’s because you’re a librarian. It’s a very useful and marketable gift to be able to make people laugh, so put it under comedy. And the very good news hidden in your posting is that you will be bringing your show to the Adelaide Fringe – hooray!
oh, yes, that made it sound a bit more definite than it really is…still, yes, coming home in March whether I’m performing or not
I think it’s because you are a librarian too, but it seems like a productive way to use up random pods of anxiety and worry.
My preference would be for comedy, because I am personally quite daunted by theatre, even though I love monologues.
Do you mean daunted by seeing theatre or producing theatre? And see, and I think I might be moving towards monologues, and are monologues theatre?
Oh it may be because you’re a librarian, but then I need to come up with by own excuse… That’s why I love gmail. I was hopeless at putting by email into just one folder. Multiple tags works so much better for me.
Anyway, maybe you are a genre defying genius. Don’t just dismiss the possibility… 🙂
yeah, pretty sure I’m not a genius
maybe you just don’t like to be defined. Maybe you just like to follow your thoughts wherever they take you. Those seem like qualities worth celebration, not worry.
Daunted by seeing it. Daunted enough that the thought of producing it made me laugh with horror and envy. If monologue is a choice, pick that. Then you can be funny or serious, whatever you wish, theatrical or faux-realist or even include acrobatics if you felt like learning yet another new skill.
You might be a genre defying and/or defining genius. Someone has to be, she says in a reasonable tone.
Monologue sounds good!
Can you do slashes? No I don’t mean Slash! I mean as in “monologue/comedy”.
You ARE coming to the Mebourne Comedy festival, aren’t you ???
*looks severe*
AREN’t you ???!!!
Well, I’ve seen it and it was funny. That probably doesn’t help much.
It’s a good incentive to finally make it to Adelaide, whatever the genre.
I’d say it’s not because you are a librarian, but simply because category definition is Very Important.
I went to a Greg Fleet show at the Adelaide Fringe a few years ago, sitting in the front row after about six maybe seven beers with a mate, expecting a laugh riot.
We got laughs and impressions, but mostly we were taken through a serious exploration of his relationship with his father. We needed a few more beers afterwards, just to think about it all, but it was very enjoyable and, obviously, memorable.
Stick it under comedy.
I’m weighing in very definitely despite never having seen this show. Put comedy. Comedy is a big umbrella, don’t forget. You can sub-categorise to your heart’s content from there. Comic theatre, musical comedy, improvisation, stand-up etc. You may even have come up with your own new sub-genre, librarian comedy.
I was just going to say, perhaps you could start a librarian category.
(Did I ever tell you that a friend and I came across a book titled ‘Loose Librarian’ in a porn shop when we were, er, in our youth I think.
Hey, I found your blog while searching on Google your post looks very interesting for me. I will add a backlink and bookmark your site. Keep up the good work!
I’m Out! 🙂
Hello every one, I just got done making my forum account and I really wanted to say hello! I’ve been a lurker here for quite a while and finally took the step to join.
I’m a comedian in my heart, but my day job involves selling homes. But I am also creating a home business big teddy bear and that is very exciting :], to me, at least!
So that’s a tiny bit about me. I want to chat with you all and become an active participant in your website. Bless you!