“My first experience of Fringe was that it was a absolutely magical. I remember going to see an all-night comedy marathon hosted by Ed Byrne off the telly, then stumbling out of there into the morning sunshine, desperately hungry and wondering what had just happened.”
WHO: Suchandrika Chakrabarti
WHAT: “In her second solo show, Suchandrika (Writer for BBC One’s Have I Got News For You and Radio 4; Funny Women ‘One To Watch’) tries to explain our chronically-online era to her niece (5), and speculates about the future (because no one can say she’s wrong). Sold out at VAULT Festival. Praise for previous work: ‘An utter joy’ (Guardian), ‘Leaves you with a smile on your face’ **** (Theatre and Other Things LDN), ‘Comes across as warm and wholesome, contrasting with some of her sneakily dark and political humour’ (BingeFringe.com). As seen on NextUp Comedy.”
WHERE: Hoots @ Potterrow – Big Yurt (Venue 243)
WHEN: 15:00 (60 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
This is my second time at Edinburgh Fringe with a solo show. I debuted in 2022 with ‘I Miss Amy Winehouse’, but I’ve been coming up to the Fringe as a punter since 2003. Back then, my school friends at Edinburgh Uni could stay in their houses on Marchmont Terrace all summer, so they very kindly invited me up.
My first experience of Fringe was that it was a absolutely magical. I remember going to see an all-night comedy marathon hosted by Ed Byrne off the telly, then stumbling out of there into the morning sunshine, desperately hungry and wondering what had just happened.
The beauty of Ed Fringe as a punter is that you never know what you’re going to find. As a performer, the question is more about who’s coming to see you and how to get them in, etc. My show was a very personal one about grief, and it was amazing to read the audience feedback connecting with the themes and my performance. After 20 days straight of performing my show, I was a better comedian and performer
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
I wasn’t at the Fringe in 2023, I took the year off and gave myself two years to work on the show and to save up some money. That means I’m hugely over-excited about returning this year!
My lessons from 2022 are to relax more, get out of the festival and into nature a bit more often, and to save karaoke until the very end of my run…
Tell us about your show.
Doomscrolling is the act of spending an excessive amount of time reading large quantities of negative news online. It can be linked to a decline in mental and physical health.
I take a deep dive into what doomscrolling is actually doing to us, if I’m really in recovery from working inside the news machine and what the future might look like.
At the heart of this narrative is my relationship with my 5-year-old niece. What useful advice can I give her, from m experienc of living through our chronically-online times – or will doomscrolling be a relic of the past when my niece is grown up?
I wrote it and will be performing it, and the show is premiering at Edinburgh. I’ve got a London date booked in for after the festival, but I can’t talk about that yet.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
I love this bit, so many good shows!
– Posey Mehta with Mitzi Fitz and her Glitzy Bitz late-night cabaret
– Kate Cheka with A Messiah Comes (12:25pm at the Wee Yurt, Hootenannies @ Potterrow, no link as yet). In fact, take a punt on the Hootenannies yurts at Potterrow Underpass at any time of day, there’s a great line-up that I can’t wait to see, and not just because I’m part of it. Non-yurt acts I’ll allow include Mike Kunze’s Infinity Mirror, Nerine Skinner’s The Exorcism of Liz Truss, Will Sebag-Montefiore’s Will of The People and Ben Goldsmith’s CrimeLandTown.
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