“Happiness is Greatness”. I found myself beaming the next few days after attending the festival. It dispelled the loneliness that I had experienced the last few weeks and I found a renewed sense of purpose in my work.
True greatness is born in the face of rejection. I deeply admire those performers who trudge through an empty hall, a silent room packed with audience and critics’ harsh reviews, yet refuse to back down and continue to put themselves out there to deconstruct and reconstruct their craft.
To be able to perform at the Fringe festival is already an impressive feat as performers would have had to demonstrate their past ability to bring in the crowd. Nevertheless, it can still be a stressful event for the artistes, a reality check as an artiste’s greatest nightmare is to show up to an empty crowd while other performers have a sold-out event. Regardless of how popular one is (or was), deep down, there would be a lingering fear of rejection, constantly trying to creep up to hijack one’s conscious mind.
The well-known UK-based artistes like Nina Conti and Jordan Brookes tend to have a larger crowd as this is their home base. With fans not having to travel from miles away, their shows are often sold out.
我在 2022 年爱丁堡艺穗节的体验
“达成自我突破是快乐的来源”。参加艺穗节的几天后，我发现自己喜气洋洋，精神奕爽。这番体验驱散了我过去几周所经历的孤独感，在工作中也找到了新动力与灵感。
所谓失败乃成功之母。 我打从心里深深钦佩那些不屈不挠的表演者。 即使面对空荡荡的观众席，鸦雀无声的掌声以及苛刻的评论，这些表演者却不退缩，继续磨练才艺，达到最高峰。
能够在艺穗节演出已是一项壮举，因为表演者必须展示过去吸引观众的能力。尽管如此，对于艺人来说，在这舞台演出仍然倍感压力。在与其他艺人们切磋与竞争的情况下，艺人们的实力与观众缘在这舞台里会被验证。即使再受欢迎的艺人们，内心深处里，始终会存在失败的恐惧。要突破这个恐惧，才能得到观众的认可。
据我观察，英国本土的单口喜剧艺人们在这节日里往往比海外的艺人们有更大的号召力，因为粉丝不必长途跋涉来观看演出。
In order to improve their craft, these artistes are willing to put themselves out there, LIVE, to be judged. In a post-covid world, it’s ever so tempting for an artiste to remain behind the screen, shielded from the awkwardness of interacting with an unimpressed crowd.
Across the shows I had attended, a common consensus among the performers was that COVID-19 had hit them pretty hard as most had not performed live for 2 years. In their words, they had almost forgotten how to perform. Some even contemplated making a switch into baking or gardening. Thankfully, they had not and I was able to tap into their brains, wit, and humour during the Fringe festival.
I applaud all the artistes that were present to evoke the mammoth of sleeping emotions in our lives as they continue to inspire others with their relentless pursuit to hone their craft.
今年的艺穗节，许多表演者分享了冠状病毒疫情对他们的事业打击很大，因为大多数的艺人们这两年下来都没有现场表演了。据他们所说，他们几乎已忘了如何表演。有些艺人甚至考虑转行，投入烘焙或园艺领域。幸好，他们始终对舞台表演抱有执着感，让我与其他观众们能进入他们富有创意，颠倒，幽默的世界里。
在此，我要为所有的艺人们鼓掌。他们在我们的生活中唤起了沉睡中的巨大情感，因为他们继续以不懈的追求来磨练自己的技艺，从而激励他人。