By Grace Hatchell, Edinburgh Fringe Most Notable Postlady
There are certain questions that arrive in my satchel every year as the Edinburgh Fringe approaches. Scripts get polished, props get packed, and suddenly performers begin asking the same thing over and over again:
Should we preview our show before Edinburgh?
Now, the sensible theatre world will usually give you a sensible answer. Previews are useful. They help a show breathe in front of a real audience. They allow actors to test timing, discover where the laughs really land, and work out whether that emotional moment that felt so powerful in rehearsal still lands when strangers are sitting in the room.
But theatre is rarely that tidy. And if you ask ten Fringe veterans whether previews are essential, you will probably get ten different answers.
From where I sit, delivering theatre news around the country with my satchel over my shoulder, the truth is much simpler.
A preview is not about prestige. It is about discovery.
When a show steps onto a stage for the first time in front of an audience, something magical and slightly terrifying happens. Lines that looked brilliant on the page suddenly behave differently. A joke you thought would get a polite chuckle brings the house down. A scene that seemed perfect during rehearsals suddenly drags like a Monday morning.
That is the real purpose of a preview. It is the moment a show stops being a rehearsal and starts becoming a performance.
Many companies choose to preview because it helps them tighten the work before Edinburgh Fringe. One or two nights can reveal pacing issues, sharpen the comedy, and give the cast confidence before facing the whirlwind of the Fringe.
Others use preview nights to take production photographs, test their marketing blurb, or gather audience reactions that can help promote the show when August arrives.
But here is the other truth that doesn’t get talked about as much.
Plenty of Fringe shows arrive in Edinburgh without any previews at all. Sometimes it is a matter of budget. Sometimes it is timing. And sometimes creators simply want the first real audience to experience the show in Edinburgh itself, where the energy of the festival does half the work for you.
Both approaches work. Theatre has never been a one-size-fits-all business.
Another question that often appears in my satchel is whether reviewers should attend previews.
Traditionally, critics tend to wait for the official opening or the Edinburgh run itself. The reason is quite practical. A preview is still evolving. Scenes might change, jokes might move, and the ending might be trimmed by ten minutes after the first audience points out that the story has wandered off for a cup of tea.
Reviewers generally prefer to see the finished version of a show rather than the work-in-progress.
That said… rules in theatre have always been more like polite suggestions.
And this is where I should probably confess something.
While some critics are trained to wait patiently for opening night like well-behaved theatre spaniels, I have occasionally been known to break ranks.
The thing about carrying a satchel full of theatre gossip is that you develop a nose for promising shows. Sometimes you hear whispers. Sometimes a flyer catches your eye. Sometimes you simply get the feeling that something interesting is brewing in a small theatre somewhere.
And when that happens, I’m not above sticking my head into a preview.
After all, discovering a brilliant show before the rest of the theatre world notices is half the fun of the job.
Still, for most companies preparing for Edinburgh, the decision about previews comes down to a simple question: will it help the show?
If a preview allows you to sharpen the script, build confidence, and find your rhythm before August, it can be incredibly valuable. But if your rehearsal room already feels strong and the show has proven itself elsewhere, Edinburgh itself might be the perfect place for the first real bow.
The Fringe has a wonderful habit of discovering good shows, wherever they begin.
And if there is something special brewing out there, don’t worry.
There is always a chance I will sniff it out eventually.
After all, that is what the satchel is for.
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