Is there such a thing as an overabundance of street performance? Does having twenty buskers in a single city block destroy the excitement and authenticity of acts? What if they all share the same jokes?
The three-week Fringe Festival in Edinburgh attracts hundreds of artists from around the world. Buskers and street performers (the festival makes a distinction between the two, the former being shorter, controversially-called “walk-by” shows, the latter being 45-minute acts generating crowds in the hundreds) are alloted a pitch and a time slot in which to perform. The schedules are decided via a lottery system, the drawing of which happens at nine o’clock in the morning.Even on cold, rainy mornings, performers stand and wait for their names to be called, cradling cups of coffee and smoking cigarettes or huddling in corners under umbrellas, trying to stay dry.
Performers Waiting at Roll Call
Rain in Edinburgh on High Street During the Fringe Festival
It looks like exhausting work, but for a career driven performer, the Fringe is a chance to reach a large audience and continue to build a name for themselves internationally. But one thing the observant onlooker will notice at the festival is the number of jokes street performers share.
At first, it seems as if performers are ripping one another off. More than a few performers told audience members that the closer they stood to the pitch, the bigger the act would seem. “The more money you give me, the more money I’ll have.” was another common joke.
Dynamike Building a Crowd
Rubberband Boy Before Breaking Out of His Straight Jacket
There are a lot of jokes about national stereotypes – Americans being the dumbest and most gun-happy, Brits being slow (?), and Germans, big drinkers. “If you like the show, give me a tip. If you don’t like the show, give a tip anyway. Why should we both go home unhappy?” Several unicyclists invited volunteers to help them climb up to their seats on top of the cycle, and once half way up, started stroking the hair of one of the volunteers, pretending to get aroused by the texture of the his hair or the smell of his shampoo.
When asked about stock lines, an English performer who’d been performing for more than twenty years explained that since street performance comes from a long tradition of theatrical arts, jokes and stunts have been distilled throughout history to a crystallized cannon of what works.
No matter how many times you see the unicycle hair-stroking joke, the good performers will still have you chuckling about it. So, in answer to the question of whether or not too many performers in one place can lessen the appeal of public shows: only if the performers are not any good.
Great Dave Performing a Circle Show
Success is not all about innovation, per se, but about the masterful delivery of classic punch lines. Novelty is always refreshing, but originality actually becomes less important when a performer has talent, charisma, and an ability to connect with his or her crowd.
Billy Kid Performing a Magic Show on High Street
Sporty Suzie Leading Volunteers in a Balloon Bending Contest