EdFringe Talk: Suggestions of the Unexpected: An Improvised Horror Anthology

Posted in *EdFestivals 2024, *Written Interviews by

“I have seen this city change and wither, regrow and remain the same. It is timeless, it is aged, it has new life and the long dead.”

WHO: Lewis Dunn

WHAT: “Out of the darkest corners of your mind comes an improvised comedy nightmare. Join us as we take you on a journey through the intangible, via the unknowable and into the unexpected. This darkly hilarious spectacle is brought to you via the Twilight Zone, spied in a Black Mirror and guaranteed to give you Goosebumps. From the creators of Any Suggestions, Doctor? The Improvised Doctor Who Parody – ***** (ScottishField.co.uk); ***** (One4Review.co.uk); ***** (MumbleComedy.net); **** (ThreeWeeks); **** (EdFestMag.com). Nominated for Best Improv Show, Leicester Comedy Festival 2023.”

WHERE: theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall – Theatre 1 (Venue 53) 

WHEN: 21:35 (50 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I have been in Edinburgh many, many times. To be honest with you, too many times. I have been coming to this festival since 2005, performing since 2012 and have only missed 3 years (due to global and local health crises). I know this city better than my home town these days. I can walk down every street and remember a story of what I did there over a decade ago. I have seen this city change and wither, regrow and remain the same. It is timeless, it is aged, it has new life and the long dead. I cannot seem to pull myself away, no matter how much it costs me in both finances and time. I feel bound to this city, to this festival. It makes me feel young, and forces my age upon me.

So no, it is not my first time.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I learned that I can’t stretch myself so thinly. Last year I was performing in 3 shows almost every day; at my busiest I performed 5 times in the same day. It was one of those wonderful but also crushing experiences. I’ve been coming to the Fringe for half of my life, so the realisation that I’ve changed dealt a bit of an unexpected blow. In the moment, on a stage, I felt alive and joyous, but when you’re flitting about between shows without proper sleep you’re basically borrowing happiness. Our show deals with some of these lessons- we’re really interested in the everyday horrors and how they might manifest, whether it’s realising that you’re late to a show or that you’re only halfway up the stairs from Waverley Station to Cockburn Street and no longer have the energy of your nineteen-year-old self.

So I’m just doing one show this year, and it’s this creepy one at 21:35 so I can eat a proper dinner and be home before 23:00 to get a good night’s sleep.

Tell us about your show.

The joy of improv is that we’re going on with a show that’s unwritten. All our shows are. We arrive with our skillset, our ability to adapt, and our joy of milking an audience to get a show that matches what they want to see. There is a form of preparation, but it is more like a ritual than a script.

We previously dabbled in space and time travel with our former show “Any Suggestions, Doctor? The Improvised Doctor Who Parody” but now we’re exploring realms less familiar to us; realms of spirit, and darkness. As a troupe we’ve been performing together for 8 years, so it’s good to try something new together.

Suggestions of the Unexpected had a limited run at the Fringe last year, but we’re back and spookier than ever. We’ve found the line between unsettling and funny and we’re excited to welcome people into that realm.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

Some friends of ours teched our show years back and now their stars are both on the rise (I really need to tech our show), so I’d really recommend Ali Woods: At the Moment and Kate Butch: Wuthering Shites. Both are absolute talents who keep churning out fantastic material. Another friend of the troupe Caitlin Powell is in this year’s Chortle Award final and we’re pumped on Caitlin’s behalf!

I’m also looking forward to seeing Joz Norris, Tom Lawrinson, Sara Barron and Lauren Stone.

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