EdFringe Talk: Aditya Mayya Pretends to Be Sad

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“In a way, the fact that so much of one’s responsibilities at a Fringe involve both producing and performing means that they’re constantly being exposed to people of all kinds, which is ultimately the best experience.”

WHO: Aditya Mayya

WHAT: “When he found out his younger brother had just committed suicide, Aditya had the same first thought we all do: how do I write a joke about this? Recounting his story in both hilarious and heart-wrenching detail, Aditya Mayya Pretends to Be Sad is an hour-long exploration of being earnest from someone allergic to sincerity. A tragicomic solo show for people who’ve seen a thousand tragicomic solo shows, this is an hour that both celebrates and satirizes the Fringe staple that we all know and love.”

WHERE: The Worker Room at Just The Tonic at The Hive (Venue 94) 

WHEN: 16:30 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes! This is my first time in Edinburgh and one of the first Fringe experiences I’ve had (prior to this I’ve attended the Fresno Rogue Festival with the same show). As a stand-up, my experience with comedy festivals are distinct from Fringes as they are traditionally pre-booked and organized spots where your performances are all produced by those running the festival, whereas the nature of a Fringe is inherently more scrappy and DIY.

EdFringe is of course the largest and most thrilling Fringe out there and as much as it feels like I’m jumping headfirst into the deep end, this show is something I care deeply about and want to showcase in front of the widest and most varied audience possible. A good festival to me is one that provides ample opportunity to connect with performers and audience members of all types and I see no better place for that than the Edinburgh Fringe. In a way, the fact that so much of one’s responsibilities at a Fringe involve both producing and performing means that they’re constantly being exposed to people of all kinds, which is ultimately the best experience.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2025 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

There is always more work to do. From tinkering the show, to worrying about ticket sales, to submitting for press recognition, there is no such thing as being “done” when you’re bringing a show to this or any arts Festival. Initially, it was difficult to fully accept this as my disposition is naturally slug-like and in an ideal world, I would get up everyday in the late afternoon and ooze around for hours before I had to complete the 10 minutes of work I needed to. But, I’ve grown to love the constant barrage of tasks that need completion; a lot of life can feel overwhelming and that’s largely because of a lack of direction or perhaps an inability to know how to attack something even if there is a general direction. There is an immediacy and a clarity to putting a show on that can become comforting. I don’t have to decide what to think about; if I’m concerned with anything other than how good the show can be, I’m not doing my job.

Tell us about your show.

This show is called “Aditya Mayya Pretends to Be Sad” and it is written, performed, and produced by myself, Aditya Mayya and directed by Tessa Bagby and Avery Rose Pedell.

The show is a 50-minute long solo storytelling/comedy piece about life after the loss of a sibling to suicide – and how everyone is deeply uncomfortable when you start writing jokes about it. It’s both a proud example and a loving parody of the classic confessional show that has come to define the world of solo comedic performances that dominate the Fringe.

The show its origins in “Feeling Feelings”, an episode of the popular RISK! podcast that I did and was first featured at the Fresno Rogue Festival in 2026 before making its way to the world-renowned YALL Comedy Fest in New York City in the same year. It is subsequently doing pop-up shows in New York prior to this year’s full-length run at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.

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

There is a bevy of great New York comedians that are taking their shows to the Fringe this year, so to highlight just a few of them:

Meka Mo – New York Stories
Jamie Wolf – Psycho
Ben Miller – My Weird Body

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