Shows Made for One Audience Member at Edinburgh Fringe 2024

Some performers feel awkward in front of a crowd of 500 people and some for a crowd of 10, but when it is just one, keeping the fourth wall alive can be difficult. Fighting through the initial awkwardness and uncomfortability to create an intimate, unforgettable performance is what this is all about! Well, we have three shows at Edinburgh Fringe 2024 aiming to accomplish! One story is told through technology, and two are with an actor or dancer, but all three are made to engage a single person directly.

Temping

This show has been at the Fringe for a few years and is back for Edinburgh Fringe 2024. It tends to sell out so get tickets fast! It is an immersive technological piece that puts you in a cubicle, which is ironically what we go to the fringe to escape, and uses all the various office equipment on the desk to tell the story of Sarah Jane, the missing office worker. I haven't gone before but have a ticket for this year and am very excited!

From the description:

"In a basement office in Illinois, there's a job waiting for you. Sarah Jane is on vacation, and you've been hired to fill in. In this interactive show for one, you'll explore her cubicle, answer her phone, and receive her faxes as the story of Sarah Jane unfolds. Sit down, send an email, and experience a meditation on life and death between the cells of an Excel spreadsheet."

Aug 3-25

Assembly George Square Studios - The Cubicle at Buccleuch Place

Various Times (1 hr)

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You're Needy (sounds frustrating)

So this show is ALREADY completely sold out. I was lucky to snag a ticket. This show adjusts in each city they stage it in and was an absolute hit at Dublin Fringe where it won a few awards. They take the single person to the apartment of Carrie where you have to be the kind volunteer to reintroduce her into society. I don't know much past that, but I imagine the range of emotions of this show are going to be wild.

From the description:

"A site-specific piece for one audience member about a woman's retreat from everyday life in pursuit of peace, solitude and "wellness". Carrie's moved into her bathroom. She's living on slim noodles and chopped parsley baths. Every week she's visited by a volunteer hired to help her reintegrate into society. This week, it's your turn. Take an ocean breath and snort a line of rock salt. It's time to peel off those cucumbers and take a long hard look at yourself."

SOLD OUT

Aug 1-11, 13-18, 20-26

Buccleuch Terrace - Meet Outside Tills Bookshop Various Times (30 mins)

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Lewis Major: Lien

The shortest official show at the Fringe, Lien is Lewis Major's way of making dance incredibly authentic and raw by having a one-on-one performance. I imagine the first few minutes would be unbelievably awkward, but then would enter the stages of real human connections and walls breaking down.

From the description:

"A new, one-on-one performance that embodies the beauty of human connection and the power of shared moments. In the gentle embrace of solitude, Lien emerges as a testament to community and empathy, born as an antidote to the distancing and isolation that has shaped our recent history. In this intimate exchange, one audience member and one dancer come together on an otherwise empty stage for a singular ten-minute encounter that will never be repeated."

Aug 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 21-25

Assembly @ Dance Base - Dance Base 1

Various Times (10 mins)