Information for writers, bloggers, tweeters, and twitterers about the number one children's show at the Fringe
Press
Information for writers, bloggers, reviewers, editors, etc. etc. etc.
This section is for members of the fourth estate. Here you will find images, information, backstories, quotes from the show, and all manner of useful information to help you help us. We invite you to come to the show as our guests or if you would prefer we are happy to send you a DVD of the show at no cost to you.
Essentials
Who: Paul Nathan - John Anaya
What: The I Hate Children Children's Show
When: 12:15 Daily - Show time 60 minutes (the best hour you will spend since the hour you spent spawning the little monsters)
60 Pleasance
Edinburgh
EH8 9TJ
Paul can be reached at:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
What writers need to know about this show
First, The show is funny. Not funny for kids; it's funny. You will laugh. You will have a good time. You won't be bored and you won't want to tear your hair out while some idiot prattles on about rainbows in the kind of sing song voice reserved for children, animals, and adults who ride short busses. Paul is one of the best magicians in the world - not in the UK or in the USA (which is bigger and therefore better than the UK) but in the world, and John is an amazing guitarist whose talents are mostly wasted on tots. We welcome adults and particularly reporters. If you come you will have fun, you will not be accosted or interrupted and you will not regret the experience.
The second thing you need to know is that unlike other shows, we reward folks for nice reviews - I'm talking money, power, romance, we will even tell you how the tricks are done - Think of the name of the show - We obviously have no moral compass so just name your price.
We are here for the money and to meet hot moms who are a little bit bored. In that order.
About the show:
The I Hate Children Children's Show was born of a gambling debt. Paul Nathan (one of the foremost magicians working in the world today) lost a bet last year and the payoff was creating a kids show for the Edinburgh Festival. The show was so successful that Paul came back this year to milk that kiddy Kash Kow.
Everyone is a star at the I Hate Children Children's Show
Every show includes comedy, magic, and live music. Every child gets a chance to be on stage and every child gets to have their picture posted on the I Hate Children Website. "I created the show that I never got to see when I was a kid" say's Edinburgh Festival magician, Paul Nathan "I spent a long time thinking about what I would like and what I would hate if I was a child coming to my first show. Of course what I think doesn't really matter but judging by the reviews and online comments we nailed it.
Questions and Answers:
Q: Why do you hate children?
Paul: They carry disease, make noise, and pay concession price. JK, we don't hate children, we hate bad children and the parents who spawn them.
John: We don't really hate children. I am a father and Paul is probably a father.
Q: What's different this year?
Paul: New magic, live music, more tears (from me - backstage).
John: This year there are more changes, both on stage and off then ever before. The obvious change is the move to The Pleasance. We loved working with the Zoo but The Pleasance has a children's program and that is very exciting for us. The other exciting news is that we produced a children's album this year called The I Hate Children Children's Album. Best news of all... Paul does not sing on the album.
Paul: Yes. The album is big news. John has pulled together a bunch of scruffy misfits and somehow sobered them up long enough to drop a few earworms on the kiddy music market. My favorite song is one that John wrote after watching Jamie Oliver and a documentary about garden pests. John wanted to help Jamie Oliver to get kids to eat healthier and realized that they are missing out on an obvious source of protein which is, coincidentally, ravaging gardens. The resulting song, Slugs are Yummy promises to be a big hit with the under twelve crowd.
John: We have a lot going on backstage as well. Kamee Abrahamian joins us this year as associate producer. She is smoking hot and doing an amazing job of reaching out to other troupes to do marketing together. We also got a new staff writer named Thomas Truman John (TJ). He has written a bunch of new stuff and gotten Paul excited about writing.
Q: You are mainly an adult performers, how did you come up with the idea for a children's show?
Paul: I lost a bet.
Q: Last year a fist fight broke out between parents who wanted tickets to your sold out show, do you expect that to happen again?
Paul: Obviously we frown on that sort of thing (at least publicly) but I have to admit that I was a little bit proud. To think that a couple of dads loved their children so much that they did not want to deny them a chance to see the best children's show in the festival was sort of heartening in a dark and not good parenting sort of way. We are in a bigger theater this year. Also, I have asked the staff not to sell beer to folks in line before the show. That should keep things civil.
Q: What are you most proud of in this show?
Paul: Three things. First I am proud of the magic in the show. It's top drawer. Second, I think I created the show that I wish I would have seen when I was younger. Third, I'm really proud of the fact that every child gets to be a star in the show (if only briefly).
Q: How did you come up with the idea to put the children's pictures on the website?
Paul: It happened organically. We needed photos for the website so we shot the first show. Parents and children were excited to have the photos online where they could see them and show them to friends. So we decided to do it for every show.
Q: What about the controversy surrounding the images of the children being posted online?
Paul: I think giving the kids a place where they can see and show the pictures of them starring in a show is wonderful. Of course everyone is told what is going on. No parents have ever asked us not to take pictures with the kids (we ask) and no one has asked us to take any of the pictures down. So it seems that the kids like it, the parents like it. If one or two of the reviewers thinks it is "questionable" then they have a responsibility to say so. Ultimately even the reviewers who called us out on the policy really loved the show. I think they put it in as a caution to parents who are trepidatious about photos of their kids online. We want parents to know what is happening. We don't want them to be surprised or uncomfortable, so utltimately they did us a favor by pointing it out. If parents know what is happening in advance then they can talk to us after the show and we will delete the photos or email the pictures to them directly and not put them online. Everyone wins.
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Naturally we have not finished the press page yet because we are lazy don't want to succeed. But rest assured that we will have more up here in the next couple of days. In the mean time feel free to send us an email or call the box office at:
0131 556 6550
