“For most of my life I have tried to control my perceptions of the past, the future, myself, other people – blindly believing that my anxiety about these things could somehow influence the outcome.”
WHO: Tony Nagy
WHAT: “A tragicomedy revealing grape culture, starring comedian and internet sensation Toni Nagy and performance artist Sarah Buckner. The show will undress the consciousness of domination without consent while stripping back the predatory and pervasive programming that is choking us all. The thrusting energy of the show is comedy – penetrated by dance, film, storytelling, clowning, stand up and skits. We can’t think our way out of trauma, we must feel our way through it. Toni and Sarah will pervert the pretty by unmasking the ugly truth that grape culture isn’t part of our culture, it is our culture.”
WHERE: theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall – Grand Theatre (Venue 53)
WHEN: 12:00 (60 min)
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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
This is my very first Edinburgh fringe and I feel as excited and nervous as a virgin on prom night! I am anticipating the depth and meaning of the art this year, for so much of us have been spiraling down a toilet of despair. I have full faith that all these artists have worked tirelessly to alchemize the suffering of the world into healing, creative, imaginative, and absurd art. It is when we feel most desperate that we free ourselves from the bondage of the status quo. I am so interested in the transformation of vibration that will take place this august as the collective consciousness swirls into a creamy kaleidoscope of chaos.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
Surrender. I think for most of my life I have tried to control my perceptions of the past, the future, myself, other people – blindly believing that my anxiety about these things could somehow influence the outcome. I operated under a false ethos that the tighter I held on, the more I could influence the utter wild nature of the cosmos. This year I’ve learned to let go of my death grip on life and trust. I am slowly cultivating faith in divine timing and the greatest good of all.
Tell us about your show.
I have been a stand up comic for a many years, and have always wanted to do a show exploring grape culture, but didn’t think stand up was the medium. I wanted to really dive into the minutia of the subject, but in a way that was palatable and dare I say, funny? It wasn’t until I met Sarah Buckner and she told me about her thesis work where she had documented herself processing her sexual assaults in real time that I knew I had the right partner to explore this work. Sarah’s videos of her past self, including a clip where she confronts her boss that sexually assaulted her and quits her job, inspired me deeply. I knew Sarah’s past work was crucial for the context of the show. Making comedy about trauma is something that we have done for thousands of years, and I think if we are going to heal the culture of grape, we must learn to talk about it openly and in a variety of contexts, not just hushed voices behind closed doors. Sarah and I wrote the show together and got the privilege of performing it at the Hollywood Fringe this June. It is produced by Fringe Management and myself, and we hope to perform it for years to come in not only theater settings, but also Universities to help facilitate conversations around consent.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
I love anything Natalie Palamides does, and I am sure her new show is going to be genius. I also just had the pleasure of seeing “My Mother Doesn’t Know I am Kinky,” at the Hollywood fringe and loved it!
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