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Your support makes all the difference.Edinburgh conjures up so many different memories for us. It was the starting point, the beginning of both our friendship and our comedy relationship, as we first met when we moved to the city to study film and photography.
Gravitating towards each other like two class dunces with a shared sense of the ridiculous, we started writing comedy together, and returned five years later with our first show.
When you first arrive at the Fringe, it's easy to get carried away with the excitement; making friends with lots of fellow performers all starting on a level playing field ready to start your four-week marathon. Then, in the second week, the reviews appear, springing up like weeds in your previously carefully mown playing field, and a natural separation occurs.
If your show is going well there will be a "buzz" building (you'll hear the word "buzz" a lot in Edinburgh – it's important that your show has a "buzz". If it has no "buzz" you could be in trouble; don't be afraid to lie and tell everyone your show has "buzz" – you'll be pleasantly surprised by how effective this can be), make sure you disassociate yourself from anyone who has a bad show and therefore no "buzz" – it can spread like a disease. Stay well away and avoid any eye contact.
Once you have "buzz", it's important to maintain it. If you feel it slipping away go and watch someone's show that does have genuine "buzz", sit in the back, absorb it and make out it's your own.
Cardinal Burns, Pleasance Dome (0131 556 6550) to 25 August
Cardinal Burns' Must-See Events
Shows with good levels of buzz: Dr Brown – Lots of buzz about the hairy American clown; Sheeps – Lovely buzz starting to swell with this very funny sketch-and-skit group; Nina Conti – Delightful buzz taking shape around Nina's show; Jarred Christmas – Some cheeky buzz building for the Kiwi.
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