EdFringe Talk: American Assholes: Escape to Edinburgh

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“A great festival happens when you get to grow as comics in your writing, performance, and the business side of this industry.”

WHO: Dannielle Slaughter

WHAT: “A Queer, African and Indigenous American trio (HBO, Don’t Tell, Amazon Prime, New York Times – Critic’s Pick, Time Out), unite for a cross-cultural comedy hour dissecting identity, politics, and why Americans might, in fact, be the worst. Smart, sharp, and occasionally unhinged, these comics deliver a Venn diagram of perspectives, overlapping in their desperate pursuit of something better: possibly love, definitely a visa. Featuring modern social satire and a marriage raffle of dubious legality. Free. Irreverent. Potentially inadmissible in court.”

WHERE: Just The Bottle Room at Just The Tonic at The Mash House (Venue 288) 

WHEN: 22:10 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes and no. Lauren LoGiudice did Edinburgh Fringe in 2024. This is the first time for myself (Dannielle Slaughter) and Wayne Charles II at Edfringe.

We have done multiple festivals, but this is the first EdFringe for us as a trio – The American Assholes.

A great festival happens when you get to grow as comics in your writing, performance, and the business side of this industry. Being able to see what so many other comedians are working on, network – but also the panels and meeting with reviewers, managers, agents, club bookers, etc. There are so many aspects to being successful as a standup comic, so growing in each area and utilizing this time to jump into our next steps is great. That’s what we hope to get out of this. We’d love to take the American Assholes show to additional places and cultures.

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

The biggest thing we have learned as a group is trust. Standup comics typically work solo on stage and in their writing. So being able to grow as a group has come out of learning to trust each other. We value each other’s individual skills, contributions and voice. A typical club comedy show is a 3 man show, this is also a 3-man show but all with equal time and a trio-collaboration on stage.

Tell us about your show.

American Assholes: Escape to Edinburgh is a trio of stand-up comedians dissecting identity, politics, and why Americans might in fact, be the worst. Our material creates a volatile Venn Diagram of perspectives that somehow lands in a deeply human place. Beneath the surface is a collective search for relief, belonging, and maybe even redemption…maybe.

We just did a preview of our show ahead of our Fringe run, at the Caveat Theater in New York’s Lower East Side. Audiences who attended the show have called it: “Unapologetic” “Really funny – so mean but so funny” “Dark funny, sick funny, wholesome funny, sweet funny, random funny, character funny.” “A blast” “Understanding how you relate to the world” “The most likeable Assholes I’ve ever met” “Gives me the laughter I need to help process the times we’re living in.”

Our trio met on the New York comedy circuit, and quickly recognized a shared obsession in our work; unpacking identity, contradiction, and what it means to exist in modern America – we dissected our own work and found this common thread.

After Edfringe: we are in talks with some producers and clubs in Australia, Japan, and other spots in Europe who want to bring the American Assholes to their stage, so we look forward to announcing 2027 tour dates soon.

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

We would highly recommend seeing Meka Mo who also has a show at Just the Tonic, she’s so funny, so you will definitely want to check her out. Also, Shane Torres is running his hour with Assembly that you wouldn’t want to miss. August 19th, Sammy Obeid will be performing in Edinburgh and always has a great crowd because his standup is smart, hilarious, and so current. Also- check out the showcase shows, we are excited about some of the offerings from RGB Monster this year!

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