By Charles Pamment BBC News Online

A church hall is transformed into a theatre at the Fringe

Every August this idyllic city becomes host to nearly a million people from all over the globe, exercising their passion for theatre, comedy, opera, film, music, literature, dance and visual art.

Comics Frank Skinner, David Baddiel, Phill Jupitus and Mark Lamarr are just some of the famous names to have emerged from Edinburgh over the years.

But, away from the limelight, TV coverage and sponsored theatres, a very different festival can be found.

Imagine a dusty old church hall, more used to jumble sales and scout meetings, dramatically transformed for the month-long festival into a theatre.

False walls, scaffolding and a cafe transform it into Venue 45, which is staffed by a handful of students and friends working 16-hour days.

Add dozens of performers (some good, some bad), who pay for the privilege of performing, and Venue 45 is ready for another month on the Fringe.

As co-manager of Venue 45 for the past 10 years I have to pace myself. It's a punishing schedule - eight different performances per day also mean eight different audiences and set changes.

Frank Skinner is just one of the many famous comics to have performed at the Fringe

It's a recipe for heightened emotions, financial ruin, luvvie tantrums, staff walkouts, shattered dreams and friendships won and lost.

My stint at the Fringe begins at midnight on the last Saturday in July in Hammersmith, west London.

My car will be crammed with everything I need, from cameras to a microwave and sleeping bag.

Several hours later I'll pull up outside the dingy-looking church tucked away by the Royal Mile, Edinburgh's famous cobbled street that leads up its historic hill to the castle.

With a bit of luck the small production team will be clearing away a year's worth of dust.

Within 48 hours the transformation should be complete, and once the all-important safety inspections are done, it will be showtime.

Stamina

Applications to perform at Venue 45 started arriving in January from theatre, comedy and cabaret hopefuls. The programme is full.

This year's performers are a diverse lot, including students from Michigan University who often bring their own therapist to calm their nerves.

Venue 45 attracts a diverse group of performers

Convent Productions - a postman, nurse and accountant - will perform their show Cigarettes and Chocolate, while Rada-trained David Keller plans to do Hamlet single-handedly.

Their schedule involves being on stage 21 nights in a row, so it is not for the faint-hearted.

In the true spirit of the festival, hopes and dreams of the ordinary can rise and fall, all within the confines of an old church hall.

It's a month that could change some lives forever. I just hope we will be ready.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival runs from 8 to 30 August

For the past decade I've been managing one of the largest companies to visit the Fringe - there will be 70 of us heading north next weekend for this year's show (the musical, Into the Woods). It's a huge operation - just accommodating and feeding everyone for a fortnight - never mind getting the show on the stage. For the teenagers involved (we're a school company), it's a once in a lifetime experience; for the staff, it's becoming a regular feature of our summer "holidays"!
Mike Clarkson, Shrewsbury, England

Every year at this time, my heart definitely belongs to 'Auld Reekie'! Sixteen years ago I was fortunate to have performed in the Fringe and have since, bored silly anyone, who will listen to the experiences I had, and my unashamed promotion of city. I was in two productions which ran consecutively. One of these was Liz Locheads' translation of Moliers' Tartuffe and although it was hard work (especially having to socialise after performances and catch up with other late night productions, which was part of it all) it proved an exhausting three week run, but definitely an experience all performers should have tried at least once in their lifetime. It was worth every exciting second and I so miss the fun, the panic and the frantic last minute near disasters ,which all added to the atmosphere. Either as a performer or as a punter, there is a uniqueness about the High street and The Pleasance which just seem rightly placed in this historic city for entertainment, not to mention all the other wee venues, where a stand up comic or a jazz sax player can play to one or twenty. There is no where like it in the whole world. I miss my home! Enjoy!
Anne, Houston Texas

Having performed at Edinburgh for several years now I can vouch for the sheer magic of the Festival, especially the Fringe. If you're a would-be actor, comedian, or director, or just a theatregoer, Edinburgh is the place to be. Every city has large theatres and concert halls, but only Edinburgh turns church halls, gardens, even showers! into stages for drama - thanks Charles for giving us an insight from the other perspective - those who organise this wonderful event, and well done on putting together one of the most original venues. Venue 45 is what Edinburgh is all about!
Dan Roan, Wandsworth, London

A quick plea to visitors (for what it's worth): please remember that us locals still have to work, many in and around the city centre. Most shows are in the evenings anyway, so why not spend the early mornings sleeping off the hangover, and get your dinner at 5-6pm ready for the night ahead. That way we can get in and out of work without having to fight our way through huge crowds just to wait ages for a bus that isn't already full. Enjoy yourselves!
Ian, Edinburgh

We have spent the best part of the past 6 months frantically running around trying to put our production of 'Lingering Voices' together. From starting our new production company, Chand Aur Sitara Productions, to ploughing through reams of paperwork, not to mention writing and rewriting the script, casting and rehearsing, hassling press and innumerable other tasks, and now, before we know it our premiere in Edinburgh is nail-bitingly close. We knew it would be hard work, but we never thought there was this much organisation involved even before we set foot in the city! We've lost a small fortune, not to mention hair, sanity and friends along the way, but from what I've heard its all going to be worth it! We're looking forward to seeing all our hard work pay off and meet people from all around the world, and especially to say that yes, we have done it! We'll see you all in Edinburgh!
Matt Sharpe, London

I performed in Edinburgh two years ago with my theatre company and it remains one of the peaks of my acting experience. In fact, not only my acting experience - I think anyone with a desire for life would get a huge kick out of the Fringe. It's a gorgeous city with nice people and the atmosphere for the month of August is impossible to top. I would happily murder a puppy to perform there again.
Alexander Smith, London, England

I've performed at the Fringe twice and both experiences were absolutely brilliant! It gives everyone, from amateurs to professionals, the chance to act and perform in front of the paying public which is an awesome feeling. Everybody works together and so everyone experiences all aspects of running a show from booking a venue to advertising on the Royal Mile. If you've never been, I implore you to go, it is always full of surprises! I've booked my tickets already...
Richard Campbell, London, England

I was General Manager of one of Edinburgh's largest Festival players in the late nineties, specialising in World Music, Jazz, Theatre and Cabaret. We were unusual in that we promoted almost all of our programme.... Don't do this, it's very expensive! However Edinburgh does provide an international stage to promote your art and if you can do it without losing too much money then there can be no better CV filler than "performed at The Edinburgh Fringe". It's hard work working 18 hours a day for 3 weeks but it is a hell of a lot of fun.
Graham Mannerings, Edinburgh

In desperate need of money, myself and a friend once went into the meadows with a few wooden boxes to make a stage and then performed heavily abridged and informal versions of Shakespeare's Hamlet, The Playboy Of The Western World by Synge and Our Town. We made about �60 each day we did it, and we only did each once. Americans gave us the most, often throwing in fivers. Its easy to make a lot more bagpiping in the city centre, �100 guaranteed per day during the festival - the tourists love it!
Andrew, Edinburgh, Scotland

its great to be able to perform at fringe. Word of advice though is get a venue which obviously accommodates your production, but also one that is easy for the public to get to. The venue we performed at was great, big space, technically perfect, but it wasn't that close to town, so anyone who came to the show really had to make an effort. We were perfuming at a high school somewhere in Leith. One night our audience consisted of the choreographer and her partner. Bottom line - if you want people to see your show, get a venue close to where your potential audience are. Get close to the 'mile'.
Jimmy Kerr, New York, USA

I produced four shows on the fringe through the 1990s including one minor hit and one cruelly neglected masterpiece. I lost between �2,000 and �3,000 per show but it's still the thing I'm most proud of doing and I met loads of amazingly talented people some of whom have remained friends so I'd advise anyone to go, just don't take out a second mortgage to do it...
Andrew Cowie, Birmingham, UK

I spent one summer co-managing an Edinburgh Fringe venue and another as a performer. Definitely a worthwhile experience if you can take the hours, lack of sleep, the debt, the luvvie tantrums and most importantly your beer...! Have fun everyone in Edinburgh this year.
Liz Edgington, Leeds, UK

Over the past couple of years, I have taken four shows up to the Fringe as Executive Producer (including one as Director). It's always hectic, especially for someone who's used to the relatively sedate University drama scene, with double the number of performance, and a budget roughly five times the norm. Money worries are always there, and we're very lucky to be in a good financial position compared to a number of other productions. This year I'm going up as a performer for the first time (in Richard III from Rattlesnake! Theatre Company - don't miss it!) and I'm kind of missing the power, but I definitely won't miss the marshalling of 20 18-22 year-olds! My charges last year gave me the "Headmaster Award" for taking charge of the children of Southampton... Is it worthwhile? Most definitely - it's a chance to catch more theatre in three weeks than one would normally see in five years, a chance to enjoy the wonderful city of Edinburgh and a chance to perform on one of the biggest stages of Edinburgh. Bring on this year's Fringe!
Christopher Hoult, Southampton, Hants

I have been involved in several shows during the festival and fringe and most have been a hoot! Granted, you don't tend to make a great deal of money (at least we didn't) but it was well worth it just for the fun and experience.
Neil, Edinburgh

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