“For me the Fringe really lies in the atmosphere on the streets, and I’ve been in and amongst that every August since I can remember. “
WHO: Rhiannon Lucy Bird
WHAT: “Logic, you say? Thank you. But, no thank you. Introducing Situations and Confr/plications. A 60-minute sketch comedy, made up of standalone scenes that cross between all decades and have no relation to each other whatsoever. Apart, of course, from the unfortunate fact that they go slightly – awry. 12 actors, 12 scenes. A rapid fire of short, dynamic, bold and outrageously unusual sketches – leaving the audience with a healthy sense of joy, fulfilment, provocation and sense of relief. Not physical though, we urge you (literally). May the Audacity be with you.”
WHERE: Gilded Balloon Patter House – Big Yin (Venue 24)
WHEN: 14:00 (60 min)
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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
Nope! I’m actually from Edinburgh, so I’ve been lucky enough to attend every Fringe since I was born in ‘98. Well, I probably only started attending shows when I was about 4 or 5, but for me the Fringe really lies in the atmosphere on the streets, and I’ve been in and amongst that every August since I can remember. The city just comes alive, and now that I’m a bit older it’s the most amazing excuse to come home and meet up with old friends and family. We’re scattered all over the world now, but most of us find a way to flock back and gather for the festival every year!
It’s a myth that locals hate the Fringe. It can definitely be overwhelming when the population triples basically overnight and suddenly you’re confronted with hundreds of flyers and street performers on your way to work, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Performing in it is something else entirely. I first put a show on here in 2018, and it never gets any less exciting. I’ve seen a lot of theatre in my life, and all of the best, most innovative, creative and bizarre shows I’ve ever seen have been in the Fringe festival. I can’t wait to come again this year, especially as most of my cast are about to experience the madness for the first time!
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
I’m fresh out of drama school, so really committing to the freelance professional actor lifestyle has been a monumental learning curve for me! I think one of the hardest lessons has been learning to say no to some things, and prioritise rest. Just because you don’t have a typical 9-to-5 schedule, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take a weekend off, or that you need to be thinking about work 24/7. When you work in the arts it can get confusing I think, because your job is often also your passion and something that you started out doing for fun. But it’s important sometimes to treat it as if it were a 9-to-5, have breaks, have evenings off and holidays. Otherwise you risk coming home from your bill-paying jobs and spending all your down time pursuing the acting, which, it turns out, is a recipe for burnout! This is something I’m definitely still working on but I am getting better, little by little, and I will attempt to keep it up even during festival season!
Tell us about your show.
Situations and Confr/plications is an absurd sketch show, with 12 actors, 12 scenes, and zero logic. It’s written and directed by Gwen Ann, a multi-talented Dutch current acting student at a London drama school. The cast is entirely made up of people from her course, and a couple of recent graduates from the same acting school (myself included)! I don’t know if she’d agree, but I think the show is pretty reminiscent of a lot of old-school comedy shows. Monty Python, The Muppet Show (if the muppets were just… humans on a stage), Big Train, that sort of thing. But it’s also fresh, experimental, surprising. The characters are outrageous, the sketches take us through time, from the Greeks to the Middle ages, to Junior Dance Finals ‘24, and beyond. We are doing two previews in London before we take it up to Auld Reekie. After the festival most of the cast will be starting their third and final year of their course, so it will probably be put on the back-burner for a while, but who knows what might happen after that!
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
Hot Girl Summer is a brand-new show by my gorgeously talented friend Isla Fairfield, she’s so funny and the show is outrageously relatable, a must-see for all, but single women in their 20s especially! I always recommend Police Cops to people who haven’t seen it before, they’re doing Police Cops in Space again this year which is the funniest show I’ve seen in the Fringe, I think. My pal Steph is also doing a dark physical theatre show called Birthday Fish, and she’s a beautiful mover so I highly recommend checking that out!
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