Ines Wurth is a producer, presenter, actress, director and a writer who lives and works in Los Angeles. She started her acting career in London when she left Croatia as a teenager. As a member of Compass Theater in London, she performed numerous roles until she moved to Los Angeles to go to UCLA. Wurth received her BFA from UCLA, School of Theatre, Film & Television and was a company member of the award-winning Zoo District Theatre Company in Los Angeles for many years. She has been producing and presenting shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival since her success of her one woman show “I Miss Communism” in 2005. After the Edinburgh Fringe Festival of “I Miss Communism” she was on tour with her solo show for 5 years. During that time Wurth started producing and presenting other people’s work which became a huge passion for her. She has produced and presented almost 50 shows up to date, ranging from solo shows to stand up, to larger productions like Trainspotting, to circus, magic, cabaret and physical theater.
Edinburgh Fringe Festival: An Interview with Producer Ines Wurth
Over the years, many members of the Soaring Solo Community have taken their shows overseas to the mother of all fringe festivals, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. If you are unfamiliar with this epic theatrical experience, it is a three-week creative extravaganza during the month of August in the city of Edinburgh. Artists and audiences travel to this festival from all around the globe. The festival includes many genres of entertainment, such as theatre, comedy, dance, circus, cabaret, children’s shows, musicals, opera, music, spoken word, exhibitions and many other artistic expressions.
Because the festival is such an exciting and eclectic event, solo artists are always asking me questions about bringing their own solo shows to this amazing performance venue. So, in this month’s blog, I decided to catch up with producer Ines Wurth to pick her brain about taking a one-person play to this world-famous festival.
If you don’t know Ines yet, she is an actress and producer who lives and works in Los Angeles. Ines started producing shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2006 after the huge success of her own one-woman show “I Miss Communism” which was nominated for the Amnesty International Award as well as the Writer’s Guild Award in Edinburgh 2005. “I Miss Communism” played to sold-out houses and went on a five-year tour primarily in England, Wales, Ireland and the United States. After Ines’ success of her own solo show, she decided to help her fellow artists and started producing in 2006. To this day Ines has produced 40 shows, including solo and full productions. Ines has also helped many members of the Soaring Solo Community bring their shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with great success.
Let’s see what insights Ines has to share about this notorious festival…
JESSICA: Hi Ines! Thank you so much for generously lending your time and insights about the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to the NoHo Arts readers today. I know you have been a guide for many, many artists embarking on this international journey over the years. So, to get us started, can you begin by telling our readers a little bit about you and how you fell into producing shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival?
INES: I took my own solo show “I Miss Communism” in 2005 to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I knew a lot about the Edinburgh Fringe prior to going. I knew it was difficult, I knew it was big and I knew I needed to be prepared. And it was all that and much more. My show was extremely successful, it was nominated for awards and was booked on a five-year tour all over the UK and US as well. Some LA friends were working on their materials at the same time and asked me to help them with their shows going to the Edinburgh Fringe the following year. I did help them, and the rest is history. From 2006 I have been taking shows to the Edinburgh Fringe almost every year and it’s been an incredible experience for me and for the shows.
JESSICA: I love that you have been on the performing side of this experience so that you really understand how it feels to vulnerably take this creative leap of faith and do this larger-than-life festival. I love that you have used this background to step into producing. Since you’ve had both perspectives as a performer and a producer, what would you say is the most rewarding part of being involved in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival?
INES: The most rewarding part of the festival is to see the shows and the artists grow. No matter how prepared artists are in the beginning, after a full month of performing every single day, each show is on another level at the end. And the performers, as exhausted as they are, feel hugely accomplished, as they should be. It’s no small feat!
JESSICA: That totally makes sense! Personally, I know that having performed my first solo show “Oblivious To Everyone” many, many times for over 10 years, and then performed my second solo show “Ze” for over 3 years, I truly felt the growth as a solo artist. Having shared my story so many times, for so many audiences, I really strengthened my solo technique. In order to ensure that a solo artist who is considering participating in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival makes the most of this opportunity, I would love it if you would share what you think are the biggest mistakes you see solo artists or other types of performers make when they are preparing for or performing in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival?
INES: The biggest mistakes of artists are not coming fully prepared and not hiring a producer.
As far as not coming fully prepared, I have had some shows that don’t come fully rehearsed, don’t know their materials inside-out, their stamina goes down and the show suffers. It’s a bad mistake, because a reviewer can be in the audience your preview night and unless your show is 100% the review will not be good. The reviews are very important because they can make or break the show.
Just like any athlete preparing for a game or a run, performers need to do the same, prepare physically, emotionally and mentally, so they can endure the Edinburgh Fringe tempo for the whole run of the Festival.
Also, I always tell people, PLEASE, you don’t have to hire me, but hire a producer that has done the Edinburgh Fringe before. No matter how much you think you know how to produce, the Edinburgh Fringe is a beast and it will swallow you if you don’t have appropriate support.
JESSICA: Absolutely! Creative team building and practicing delegation is key to being a successful solo artist. Wearing too many hats can be massively detrimental and cause burnout and a less successful solo show trajectory altogether. So, aside from finding a producer to support their Edinburgh Fringe Festival goals, what advice do you have for solo artists who are interested in bringing their shows to Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the future?
INES: I think every solo artist should do the Edinburgh Fringe after they have prepared well and they feel ready. It’s an incredible experience to do the Edinburgh Fringe for any performer. They will never forget it for the rest of their lives and they will have numerous memories to talk to their friends and families for years.
But I always tell performers, it’s like the Olympics. You can’t get better than the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It’s the largest festival in the world. Last year there were over 3500 shows every single day for almost a month. The scope is unimaginable but a magical experience for everyone.
JESSICA: Makes complete sense. It is such a massive festival and being prepared and professional can make such a big difference in terms of what the outcome will be for each solo artist. I am curious how you are about to determine which performers will be this caliber of artist while you create your client roster. What is your process and criteria for finding solo artists to work within the Edinburgh Fringe Festival?
INES: I usually start looking for shows in January and start spreading the word out. The process pretty much starts in January or February and it goes all the way till the beginning of August when we all gather in Edinburgh and start the ride for almost the whole month of August. A lot of shows are recommended to me. But I’m also very open to look for other shows and see them either in person or online. Sometimes going in person is difficult because I’ve produced shows from Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, Italy, Croatia and the US. If they’re in Los Angeles I will try my hardest to see them in person.
JESSICA: Yes, seeing performances from start to finish is such a crucial part of deciphering who you feel inclined to work with. I am also on screening panels for various festivals, awards, etc. and nothing teaches me more about a solo artist, then seeing how they tell their stories from stage. So, if solo artists prepare properly, have a great show, and are able to hire a producer, it sounds like they are set up to really achieve success at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. That said, what are some of the success stories coming out of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for your past clients?
INES: I’ve had a lot of success stories. Some of my shows received amazing reviews that took them on tour, some were nominated for awards, but I would say every single one of them had huge personal and creative growth. It was palpable to watch from the first day they arrived to the last days as the Edinburgh Festival was winding down. I can firmly say that I’m always very proud of every one of them giving this gift to themselves to experience the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
JESSICA: That is so impressive. Wow! Well that is all the time we have today. Thank you so much, Ines. Your insights are greatly appreciated!
As for you, solo artists, I hope today’s blog gifts you with more information about this notorious festival so that you can determine if it is the right fit for you and your solo show goals. If you want to reach out to Ines or learn more about her, visit www.ineswurth.com.
Please continue to persist along on your solo journey. It may not be easy, but it is so worth it!
- An Age Of Angels
- Change-The Upcoming War With Iran
- The British Ambassador’s Bellydancer
- Bully
- Shoppers Without Borders
- Tied Up In Knotts
- Viva
- The Contest
- Maria Tecce: Strapless
- Mrs. Bang – A Series of Seductions in 55 min
- Mary & William
- 2-Men No Show
- Now That She’s Gone
- Silken Veils
- Dr. Apple’s Last Lecture
- Simple Matters
- Who’s Your Daddy
- Reverse Psycomedy
- Who wants to Kill Yulia Tymoshenko
- The Inventor and the Escort
- Angry Young Women in Low Rise Jeans with High Class Issues
- The Warriors: A Love Story
- Years to the Day
- The Interview
- Sex Rated G
- Bonita and Billie Holiday
- I, Who Have Hands More Innocent
- Out of Our Father’s House
- A Remarkable Person
- Kevin Flynn: Fear Of Heights
- Fata Morgana
- The Elephant In The Room
- Redeem Her
- Temporarily Yours
- Hollywoodn’t
- Asexuality!
- Breakup Addict
- Wiesenthal
- Buffy Revamped
- Reels Of Regret
- Trainspotting
Acting TV credits:
Winnetou, The Agency; Seven Days; MD’s; a movie of the week for NBC, War Stories etc, a pilot for Warner Bros, Sullivan Street; and a miniseries for BBC, The Cask of Amontillado.
Acting Film credits: Minority Report; Delivering Milo; Delicate Instruments, Happy Endings
Directing credits: An Age Of Angels
Ines Wurth Presents 