Delusional or irresponsible? As Edinburgh closes for August due to the Covid-19 pandemic, being the last Festival standing is really not a good look - Liam Rudden

THE plan was to bring two one-man shows to the Fringe this year. Thief, my hard-hitting study of abuse inspired by the life and works of the French playwright Jean Genet was one, with actor Dan Ireland-Reeves making his debut as Sailor.

Dan Ireland-Reeves as Sailor in Thief, by Liam Rudden

Dan (pictured) was set to become the sixth actor to play the role, taking over from Lee Fanning, who was due to work with me on a new piece, Fallen Angel. I say new, but it has been in the pipeline for a year or three now and is fast becoming my cursed play - every time it looks like it’s a goer, along comes something to stymie it for another year.

Both plays were to be staged in a cellar, lit only by storm lamps and with an intimate audience of just 12 per performance, the site specific nature of the staging adding an extra dimension in which audiences could immerse themselves. Last week, after discussions with the actors and venue producer, we rescheduled both shows, knocking them back to 2021.

It seemed the responsible thing to do despite the fact the Capital’s festivals had yet to cancel. Sometimes you just have to let your head rule you heart and having read up on Covid-19 elsewhere, it was clear that even if the danger had passed by August, which is unlikely, the damage would have been done.

Would people really want to travel in the aftermath of what we are warned is to come? Would they want to sit in stuffy little box rooms, crammed in to make the space as financially viable as possible? Would a city already rebelling against the Disneyfication of Christmas in the Capital really welcome the millions of tourists the festivals attract, if indeed they deigned to turn up?

I can’t see it, and while I understand the disappointment of performers and producers and fans of the festivals, I fail to see how any could have realistically expected any other outcome. It’s the small scale companies my heart goes out to, the ones who invest everything they have in their annual trip to the city. Let’s hope the venues play fair by them.

The cancellation of the Fringe has led to numerous calls to make it a digital event, while this might work for some festivals, the Fringe is a very different beast. Live performances have to be experienced in person. They are not made for the screen. Nothing can match being there, in the moment with the actor. Those who suggest otherwise fail to grasp the point of the shared live experience that lies at the heart of the Fringe.

In amidst the shock as the reality of the cancellations hit home, one event remained defiant. Bizarrely, East Lothian’s Fringe By The Sea piggy-backed on the cancellations the to ‘send its condolences’ to their ‘festival neighbours’, while revealing that they ‘for now’ ‘are continuing to plan’ for the 10 day event.

It really isn’t a good look to be the last festival standing at a time when it is imperative we all get behind the campaign to stay home and protect our NHS.