Author Archives: Dan Lentell

EdFringe Talk: Guy Masterson talks EdFringe26

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“I’ve directed 4 of them. I’ve dramaturged 1 of them. I’m presenting ALL of them.”

WHO: Guy Masterson, the acclaimed actor-manager, sits down to talk EdFringe26.

The Tao of Lloyd:
Drawing Room at Assembly Rooms (12:25) (Venue 20) (60 min)

Ludwig: Unfinished Business:
Front Room at Assembly Rooms (12:35) (Venue 20) (90 min)

11½ Angry Men:
Pentland Theatre at Pleasance at EICC (14:30) (Venue 150b) (80 min)

Call Me Elizabeth: from Lassie to Cleopatra:
Studio Two at Assembly George Square Studios (15:30) (Venue 17) (960 min)

Call Me Elizabeth part II: from Burton to Humanitarian:
Studio Two at Assembly George Square Studios (15:30) (Venue 17) (60 min)

Scaramouche Jones:
Bijou at Assembly Rooms (16:10) (Venue 20) (90 min)

MORE: Click Here!

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EdFringe Talk: Spooky Dookie: Cool New Planet!!

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“We just love festivals and Edinburgh Fringe isn’t just a festival, it’s THE festival.”

WHO: Maureen Monahan

WHAT: “When? The dawn of time. Who? Two upstart planet designers pitching their idea for a brand new planet called Earth. Weaving together sketches, songs and improv, this show provides the audience a sneak peek at the exciting features of their proposed planet: rocks, cracks, pain, religion, microplastics, brand momentum and more. As sketch duo Spooky Dookie, Claire McFadden and Maureen Monahan have written and performed sketch shows all over America. Their combined credits include SNL, Jackbox Games, The Second City Mainstage, JFL Shorts, the Onion, Showtime, Comedy Central, Dropout and Good Mythical Morning.”

WHERE: Blether at Gilded Balloon Patter House (Venue 24) 

WHEN: 19:40 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Claire has been to Edinburgh Fringe before for a short run of improv shows, but has never performed the entire month. I have never been to Fringe and this will also be my first time in Scotland! I am Maureen, by the way. We’re a duo and I’m doing the typing while Claire stands over my shoulder feeding me answers and nodding encouragingly. We’ve been a sketch duo since 2016, and in that time we’ve performed in our fair share of comedy festivals big and small around the U.S. in Boston, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Texas, but Edinburgh Fringe has always loomed large on our comedy bucket list. We love the festival lifestyle: seeing crazy, weird, unforgettable shows (cut to us having our minds blown by Natalie Palamides’s ‘Nate’ at SF SketchFest in 2019); meeting other performers; attempting to decipher an unfamiliar public transit system while lugging a bag of props. We just love festivals and Edinburgh Fringe isn’t just a festival, it’s THE festival. It has more of everything we love about festivals than any other festival. Plus, we both love looking at really old buildings, so Edinburgh is a dream.

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

Speaking for both of us (Claire nodding encouragingly), we have learned a lot about how to navigate a long-distance comedy partnership. In September 2025, we put up our first full version of our show at Upright Citizens Brigade Los Angeles. The very next day, Claire learned she’d been hired to write for SNL and had to move to New York in less than a week! So after we were done celebrating and saying “Oh my god” to each other, we started to figure out how to embark on Edinburgh Fringe while remaining a “long distance” duo with a three hour time difference. We did a lot of FaceTime meetings to fine-tune the show and stretched our schedules so that we could fly back and forth to each other to perform it in New York and Los Angeles. The lesson? We are unstoppable. Resistance is futile. But also, It required a lot of patience and flexibility and in the process, we’ve built a show that we have so much fun doing, which is a big win for us, because we love fun.

Speaking for myself, (Maureen), I learned to play the ukulele. It’s not really a “big thing” as it’s a famously simple instrument and, if anything, more of a small guitar–but I did learn it. In our show we have a song that was once played on piano, but ukuleles are a lot easier to take to another country. So, I learned the song on ukulele and now I have calluses on the tips of my fingers, but my luggage will be a lot lighter.

Tell us about your show.

Like I mentioned, Claire and I have been writing and performing together as a sketch duo since 2016. We met in Chicago in the cast of a different, doomed ensemble sketch show and clung to each other in the wreckage. When we made our debut as a duo at a variety show at The Annoyance in Chicago, the host asked us what our name was and we answered “Spooky Dookie” in a panic. The name stuck because it’s kind of fun to have a stupid name. It’s a nice reminder that comedy is not serious.

Since then, we’ve written and performed six hour-long original sketch reviews, and Spooky Dookie: Cool New Planet!! is our seventh. We’ve also performed at many comedy festivals across the U.S., released an American History-themed comedy album we wrote during the pandemic (O, Petticoats! wherever you get music), and dressed up like drunk reindeer for a holiday concierge convention. All the while we cut our teeth in our separate paths in the comedy world, which would fling us into different cities for stretches of time. When we both were finally living in the same city (Los Angeles) again in 2025, we started writing the show that would become Cool New Planet!!. We concieved of the idea while out on a walk. We were making each other laugh with the way people talk when a friend is crashing out creatively and they’re trying to console them. Like your friend saying they accidentally created the concept of war and they feel horrible and having to tell them, “Oh my god, you’re catastrophizing. It’s so not a big deal.” We kept making each other laugh so much that a show grew out of it. We learned a lot of choreography on Claire’s back patio. We’ve put up the show at Upright Citizens’ Brigade and the Lyric Hyperion in Los Angeles, and at Union Hall in New York City, and we’re so excited to make our UK debut at Edinburgh Fringe.

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

We love our friends’ Drew Reilly and Ashley Leisten’s duo Megasquirt and are very excited to be astonished and disgusted by their show Megasquirt: Fully Loaded at Underbelly Cowgate. We are also very excited to see Alice Stanley’s play The Second Best School Shooting.

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EdFringe Talk: Well-Balanced Dads

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“An interactive script HAS to keep developing through performances, and we know our Edinburgh run will continue to shape it as we gain more and varied experiences.”

WHO: Richie Schiraldi and Britt Anderson

WHAT: “Grab your finger-guns, comb your ‘stache and brace yourselves for the Well-Balanced Dads! Dick and Dale are taking the audience on a camping trip full of dad jokes, dance moves, acrobatics, movie references and unthreatening audience participation. This hilarious duo balances levity with deeper themes like finding your inner child, hypermasculinity and navigating life after the kids have flown the nest. ‘6 stars from this dad, 5 from the rest of the family!’ (Good Dad). ‘My face hurt from smiling’ (Good Kid). A show for anyone who is a dad, has a dad or wants a dad.”

WHERE: Alba Theatre at Braw Venues @ Hill Street (Venue 41) 

WHEN: 16:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be our third Fringe in a row, fourth total. We love the magic of being in a city with thousands of other performing artists. All of our work relies on audience connection and play, and there is no other opportunity that offers such playful, eclectic audiences 23+ shows in a row! Due to travel and cost-efficiency, we often bring multiple shows each year — one that’s new, and at least one that’s a little more established. This year we’re bringing three: Well-Balanced Dads (new) and The Mothman Cometh and Arachne / Athena, both of which had great runs at Edinburgh and other fringe festivals last year.

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

As we’ve been developing the latest iteration of Well-Balanced Dads over the last year, we’ve learned how to set different audience members up for success during audience participation moments, from 4 year olds to 40 year olds. An interactive script HAS to keep developing through performances, and we know our Edinburgh run will continue to shape it as we gain more and varied experiences. Also, we’ve learned the show plays to a much wider age range than we initially anticipated. We have a multigenerational show to offer, which is very exciting.

On the admin side, we’ve learned a lot about managing our capacity and how valuable it is to bring on another team member for specific tasks. This year we hired Rosaline Hodgetts for Marketing and PR and it has been amazing. We’ve been able to focus more of our energy on the creative aspects of the show.

Tell us about your show.

Well-Balanced Dads is a high-energy, family-friendly physical comedy about Dick and Dale, two acrobatic dads and best friends, navigating life after the kids have left the nest. To cope with their newfound freedom, they take the audience on a camping trip full of dad jokes, dance moves, acrobatics, movie references and unthreatening audience participation. This hilarious duo balances levity with deeper themes like finding your inner child, hypermasculinity and navigating a changing parent/kid relationship. This show began as a 3-minute bit for Broken Planet Show in 2023 that was concocted at midnight the night before. The act grew into 10 minutes, then two acts, then an hourlong show through a residency at Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble and premiered at Made in Chicago at Chicago’s international Physical Theater Festival.

We are Whisper Theatre Collective, a Chicago-based group of artists that cultivates physical, experimental and original theatre that would otherwise be self-produced. We (Britt Anderson and Richie Schiraldi) are the co-Artistic Directors. We formed the company coming out of grad school with three other artists, and we made our first appearance at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe, where we produced two 30-minute works in a double billed slot. Since then, we’ve written 8 shows that have been performed in the US, UK, and Europe, and we currently have 3 active shows. For Well-Balanced Dads, the two of us are the writers, directors, designers, and performers. Edinburgh Fringe is the climactic midway point in our 2026 summer tour. We’ll be going to Cannonball Festival at Philly Fringe and Rochester Fringe this fall, and we’ve already had stops at Almanac’s Wild Horizons Festival, Green Bay Fringe, and Borderlight Fringe, where we won the Comedy Award!

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

Audiences should see Broken Planet Show, led by Callum Grant. It’s not only the original container for the Dads, but it’s a fun, wild, musical, interactive show in its own right.

Come see our other, darker adult-centric shows: Arachne / Athena and The Mothman Cometh!

For circus, go see The Pieces by Aloft Circus Arts!

For excellent clowning, go see Always, Sometimes Maybe by Michele Stine and The Letterman by Bryce Flint-Somerville!

For belly laughs and flirts, go see Lt Love Dr’s Boot Camp for Lonely People Like You by Chloe Matonis!

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EdFringe Talk: (No) Refunds

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“I always describe our first year at Edfringe as if we had made a goal to swim in the ocean without having ever seen an ocean before. WE DID IT. We swam in the ocean! We didn’t drown.”

WHO: Katy Murphy

WHAT: “(No) Refunds is an interactive game show play hosted by Tiffany Gold, an old-school American host and model presenter all-in-one who quite literally depends on your entertainment. One premium ticket holder, dubbed the Star Player for the evening, will compete in three games designed to amuse the audience and showcase their talents. Only those best-suited to handle the demands of stardom will walk away with a full refund. Do you have what it takes?”

WHERE: The Penny at Gilded Balloon Patter House (Venue 24) 

WHEN: 21:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our SECOND time at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. That said, I can’t say I remember much of the first feverish 5-day run we had last year?

I always describe our first year at Edfringe as if we had made a goal to swim in the ocean without having ever seen an ocean before. WE DID IT. We swam in the ocean! We didn’t drown. However, we had NEVER SEEN an ocean before! We didn’t know how helpful a liferaft, water and food preserves, and sunscreen could be and we didn’t pack ‘em! We may not have drowned, but my goodness, we barely stayed afloat.

Why do I love Edfringe? Because the community surrounding it is there to hand you a life preserver when you’re drowning. The abundance of opportunity mindset is beautiful and healing. It is a cauldron that celebrates weird art, and even though it’s a GAUNTLET, it teaches you how capable you are. Making it through last year launched three successful runs back in NYC that have allowed us to sharpen this show up into the best it’s ever been.

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

How much money I could be charging for my artistic labor. I have not absorbed this lesson. I am still underpaid. Is it worth it though? That’s the question (No) Refunds asks every night.

Tell us about your show.

This show was first drafted as a remote experience during the pandemic as a manic response to losing three jobs in one day. It has since shapeshifted into the live gameshow that debuted at Edfringe with Just the Toni last year after NYC WIP presentations at Brooklyn Comedy Collective and Theaterlab. Most recently, we debuted three brand-new games at the Tank for their Edfringe NYC previews.

On the horizon, we’re on the lookout for domestic touring opportunities (especially in Chicago, our team is chock full of Northwestern Wildcats). We plan to run it wherever they’ll have us until the wheels come off.

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

Well, depending on what you like the most about (No) Refunds, here’s some recommendations:

If you like a clown character with a heart of gold: Lizzy Sunshine (also at Patter House!), I’ve seen Liz perform this show three times now (last year’s Fringe preview, at the Fringe, and this year at SoHo Playhouse in NYC), and she’s one of the best to do it. A must-see.

If you like a show that’s different every night: Mistakes Were Made: Shiver Me Timbers, an improvised show influenced by dice rolls featuring a local cast that sold out last year. This year the cast includes Lucette Panush, an ex-pat who I saw perform in the States before she moved to Edinburgh and she always delights.

If you like queer campy plays: 1518: The Dancing Plague, as a former accidental European History Minor (turns out if you take enough classes for fun they give you a certification???) This show touches on all my special interests. BASED ON ACTUAL HISTORY! Straight off of an LA run that looks like a blast.

If you like the dark side of typecasts: Hater, a play about obsession, their social media team has been KILLING IT (maybe foreshadowing some murderous vibes in the play itself?) and I’ve been stalking what they’re up to online.

If you like theatre from the NYC downtown scene: Like a Good Neighbor is a solo show that feels like a warm hug by Jake Alexander, who I had the pleasure of sharing a cohort with at Theaterlab earlier this year for their Meltingplot Festival. Irene Woo’s Golden Child just had a run at the Tank for Edinburgh Fringe Previews with us and chronicles her path from “successful Google Engineer” to (her words) “unemployed clown.” Finally, Noted, also going up at the Tank before Fringe hailed as a “live-action cartoon” seems like a whole lot of fun.

If you like shows everyone likes: Stamptown was the first Fringe show I saw in real life, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. A great tasting menu of all the Fringe has to offer.

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EdFringe Talk: No Hard Felix

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“I’m excited to get swallowed up whole by the festival. I hope her teeth aren’t sharp and she spits me out in one piece.”

WHO: Mark Ryder

WHAT: “Toxic masculinity finally meets his match: erectile dysfunction. Felix is a finance bro with a big watch, a big ego and a little problem downstairs. His chaotic quest to “fix” himself spirals into an accidental journey into vulnerability and the scared parts of himself he’s spent a lifetime avoiding. Felix needs to heal(ix). ‘A great night out – witty, fast-paced and absurdly funny’ **** (TheSpyInTheStalls.com). ‘Not just gags and giggles… moments that drew gasps’ **** (LondonTheatre1.com).”

WHERE: Just Out Of The Box at Just The Tonic at The Caves (Venue 88) 

WHEN: 13:20 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’ve experienced a few chilly Hogmanays in Edinburgh but this is my first time performing. And first time performing at any fringe theatre festival so I am a giant newbie. I’m excited to get swallowed up whole by the festival. I hope her teeth aren’t sharp and she spits me out in one piece.

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

The director, Rute Costa, told me that the show will develop and change. And I thought, ‘No chance, this is a masterpiece. ’Tis perfect and shall remain untouched.” And here we are with a show that has changed A LOT. When it is your words that you’ve written, you want to hold on so tightly to it. But now loosening that grip has led to all the fun. The show is never fully finished. There’s always little things to experiment with and discover night to night.

Little bonus life lesson! Is try to see the stars as much as possible (not Hollywood stars, actual star stars). When you live in cities with all the pollution you forget them. And it does something to you to look up at the universe.

Tell us about your show.

It’s a one-man show about toxic masculinity. About a ridiculous finance bro who can’t get it up. It’s big, playful, silly and heartfelt. I wrote it and am performing, but this is a piece dealing with straight white men in the world, and as one of those myself, the show needed a completely different eye. And so, the wonderful Rute Costa has come in to direct and has completely elevated it.

We did a few shows last year in London to see how the show was landing. The reviews were good so now we are taking the next step with the Fringe! The instagram page from the point of view of this character @nohardfelix EXPLODED earlier this year, so it feels like people are responding to this character. The topic of toxic men has been looked at from a serious angle from Adolescene and Louis Theroux’s manosphere documentary, but there’s definitely room to come at it from the comedy side too.

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

Go see Keeley Hazell: Everyone’s Seen My Tits, Bunker Two at Pleasance Courtyard 5-29 August. It’s based off her book which was mega. She was an ex-page 3 model and such a staple of early 00’s lad culture. Goes hand in hand with the No Hard Felix content but going to be amazing to hear it from her perspective.

My other recc is The Pitch, Baby Grand at Pleasance Courtyard 5-31 August. It’s about Gaelic football in Northern Ireland. This one is just gonna hit all the right notes. Laugh and cry.

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EdFringe Talk: Always, Sometimes, Maybe

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“Last year was my first and I’m hooked.”

WHO: Michele Stine

WHAT: “‘…class act in mime and clowning’ ***** (BingeFringe.com). ‘…you feel a collective goosebumps’ ***** (Fringesider.com). ‘Exceptionally entertaining clowning’ **** (BroadwayBaby.com). Always, Sometimes, Maybe is a solo clown show about a janitor so lonely she makes her friends out of trash. Using physical comedy and puppetry, this show is a funny and wild journey into what it means to be alone, and how we find our way back to each other. Lou unexpectedly finds herself with an audience; with nothing but her rubbish and lot of imagination, she tries to find connection.”

WHERE: Playground 3 at ZOO Playground (Venue 186) 

WHEN: 18:25 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my second time coming to the Edinburgh Fringe.  Last year was my first and I’m hooked.  The first year was daunting and a little frightening because so much is unknown. And, honestly, I still feel those things but now there’s a level of excitement and joy that I’m feeling because I know what to expect. There’s this exhilarating experience of getting to perform your show everyday for a month, of getting to meet amazing artists from around the world, and seeing shows that you’d otherwise never get to witness.

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

Take things a day at a time. If you can do it now, do it. Be gentle with yourself.

Feels a bit like a self-help guide, but that doesn’t make any of it less true. I’ve been wading through the rip tides of grief, having lost loved ones over the last 12 months and trying to find joy or respite while also allowing for the space to fall apart have all been critical for me. Am I able to do those things, always? Absolutely not. Will I look back on this past year and think it bananas to be taking this show, this year, to the fringe? Possibly.

Tell us about your show.

Always, Sometimes, Maybe is a solo puppet-clown show about a janitor so lonely she’s made her friends out of trash. Lou unexpectedly finds herself with an audience; with nothing but her rubbish and a lot of imagination, she tries to find connection. Using physical comedy and puppetry, this show is a funny and wild journey into what it means to be alone, and how we find our way back to each other. It’s written by myself, Michele Stine, and directed by Raquel Torre with puppets designed and built by me, as well.

My show is returning to the fringe after a critically acclaimed run at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, however it has undergone some major developments and changes. Previously it was a show for all ages; it was a hopeful, sweet show with a wide-eyed character looking to belong. Now, it’s a more honest, dark, and ridiculous show about the lengths one goes to to feel less alone in the world.

After this year’s run at Fringe, the show will have a six week run in Chicago (details to come soon).

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

After seeing Always, Sometimes, Maybe folks should immediately purchase a ticket to see The Pieces by Aloft. 6 acrobats and 8 ladders that move, collide, connect, and build into unbelievable structures, cranes, and bridges. “What keeps us standing in an unsteady world? In a divided time, it is a celebration of falling, coming together and choosing to rise as one.”

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EdFringe Talk: The Mothman Cometh

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“Mothman is a big vocal show for me, and last year I learned about things I need to avoid eating in order to sustain vocal health: no ice cream, cheese, coffee within 4 hours of the show… it was difficult”

WHO: Richie Schiraldi

WHAT: “Darkness.. It’s where demons and monsters hide. We’re told to fear it. Mothman says otherwise. Come. Join Mothman. Dance. Sing. Play. Scream into the void. Sink into the Abyss. Embrace the darkness together. This show is performed mostly in the dark, lit by Mothman’s glowing red eyes. ‘One of the finest, oddest experiences… Seek out the Mothman.’ ***** (StarburstMagazine.com). Best Comedy: Edinburgh Spookies. Audience Choice: Green Bay Fringe”

WHERE: Just The Fancy Room at Just The Tonic at The Caves (Venue 88) 

WHEN: 22:10 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my 4th time, my 3rd year in a row, and my 2nd year self-producing while performing my original work! It’s such a magical beast of a festival, and I can’t think of a better place to get your reps in, test your material, and grow as an artist.

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

Pacing yourself and making sure you’re taking care of your body and voice during the festival; this is a marathon, not a sprint, and at the end of the day, you need to make sure you can show up and do your show tomorrow.

Warm-up. Warm-up beyond what the show asks that way the show is easy, and doesn’t take a compounding toll on your body.

Mothman is a big vocal show for me, and last year I learned about things I need to avoid eating in order to sustain vocal health: no ice cream, cheese, coffee within 4 hours of the show… it was difficult, especially avoiding gelato, but it was necessary – it made for a good binge day on my day off!

Tell us about your show.

The Mothman Cometh is about an endearing yet powerful cryptic creature who is recruiting minions of darkness. Mothman guides the audience through a variety of games, rituals, and happenings while trying to navigate the void to build community and embrace the darkness together.

I am a one-man operation for the show – i am the writer, producer, designer, and performer!

Mothman premiered in Chicago, and is in its second year of touring. Last year it made stops at the Green Bay, Philly and Edinburgh Fringes, had a special performance in Berlin, and had shows in the spring and fall in Chicago. This year, Mothman has already been to the Asheville, Prague, and Green Bay fringes, and will be making his way to Edinburgh and Rochester, with hopes of stopping in the Hudson Valley area for a few hometown shows.

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

Definitely go see Well-Balanced Dads for some Dad antics and summer-camp fun

Arachne/Athena for some beautiful solo Greek Myth storytelling

Broken Planet Show for an absurdly silly time!

Lt. Love Dr’s Boot Camp for Lonely People Like You for some IRL flirting drills to save us from a lonely, digital future!

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EdFringe Talk: Time Travel Postman

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“Last year at the festival we got a little over ambitious and expected to have a smooth, polished run, but it was anything but that. We got our egos in check, and figured out what really mattered with the show — having fun.”

WHO: Sevrin Willinder

WHAT: “A clown (Sevrin Willinder) needs the audience’s help to deliver letters across time and space. Through joyful participation, you are invited to embrace the unexpected, explore the beauty of human connection, and make sure the postman completes his galaxy-spanning paper route. A new show from Devon Loves ME! Productions (Melissa Ingle and Sevrin Willinder).”

WHERE: Snug at Gilded Balloon Patter House (Venue 24) 

WHEN: 20:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our 3rd time at the Festival! My collaborator Melissa and I both love the festival a lot. It’s a place we have started to love to go every year to share our work with a wild, wider audience, and to get inspired by work from all around the world and of all sorts of different genres. We love making new friends at the festival, and are incredibly excited to see some returning ones that we have deeply missed having directly in our lives these last 12 months!!

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

Over the last 12 months we have really been focusing on having fun. Last year at the festival we got a little over ambitious and expected to have a smooth, polished run, but it was anything but that. We got our egos in check, and figured out what really mattered with the show — having fun. Since then, we have fully polished the show out of WIP form, and really made an effort to enjoy every moment of the work. Our runs in NYC since then have been the most fun we’ve ever had with the show. I think we’ve thoroughly absorbed that sense of fun, and I hope that we maintain it!

Tell us about your show.

Our show is Time Travel Postman, it’s about a time traveling postman who needs the audience’s help to deliver all the mail on his route. It’s a silly time, and full of fun games with the audience. We focus on enjoying the moment with the people around us. Melissa and I co-devised it, and then performed it 30+ times in WIP form until we now have a fully realized polished final product. We met originally back in 2019 doing political radio plays in the East Village of NYC, and have been best friends ever since. Eventually I approached Melissa with the desire to make a solo show inspired by the friends I made while living and traveling abroad, and it became Time Travel Postman. We have done several runs of the show in New York City (where we are based), a WIP run at the fringe last year (under the working title “It Was Really Good to Know You”), and another couple runs in NYC after that. We are in talks with taking it to Dublin post-fringe, and our dream is to bring it to a country that doesn’t speak English (we made the show non-verbal in order to reach as many people as possible).

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

The Passion of Mr. Cardboard — Miles is amazing, and a true genius of clowning.

Channel — it’s a great, chill sound bath experience, and very needed with all the hecticness of fringe.

Blizzard — Piotr inspired me to make a non-verbal show with his last one. He might be the sweetest, most sensitive clown of all time.

Peregrinations — I’ve never seen such creativity in a show! Also, never have I seen a show done entirely with larval masks!

Dog Funeral — Zoe truly does put the “fun” in “funeral.”

Double Take — this is classic miming at its finest and most poignant.

The Movement — Ethan & Gigi are such a joy at all times. I’m a real sucker for best friends making shows together.

Noted — it’s like watching a cartoon in real life!

Danger Plan! — I can’t say enough good things about Sophia as a storyteller or a singer.

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EdFringe Talk: Andy Macleod’s Soho Days and Camden Nights

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“It’s like being back at university meets Glastonbury in the most beautiful city in the world.”

WHO: Andy Macleod

WHAT: “A failed rockstar stumbles into band management to live the dream vicariously. From 90s London to the present day, through changing music scenes and a new digital landscape, this funny, bittersweet tale explores ambition, identity and knowing when to stop… or not. Adapted from his new book Soho Days, Camden Nights, Andy Macleod returns to the Fringe with this one-man show – a follow-up to his critically acclaimed 2022 show Anoint My Head, described by The Scotsman as ‘charmingly ramshackle catnip.'”

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

WHEN: 14:25 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It is my second time as a performer. This year with a one man show adaptation of my new book Soho Days Camden NIghts. My debut run was in 2022 with a one man show adapted from my first book Anoint My Head.  I’m a Londoner of Scottish parents who grew up in Edinburgh so our summer holidays every year were spent at The Fringe so I have been a punter since childhood in the seventies and eighties and watched it grow.  I love everything about fringe, the shows, the surroundings, the endeavour of it all.  I always wanted to perform so it was a thrill to make it happen in my fifties and feel young again. It’s like being back at university meets Glastonbury in the most beautiful city in the world.

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

It’s a huge learning curve. You improve with every show you do, whether it goes well or not. And every show is different and unique to that performance and interaction with the audience, which itself is different each time. Whatever you think the show is, until you perform it you don’t really know but eventually the show will reveal itself via different audiences over successive nights. It’s not easy and a bit like trying to staple jelly but when it clicks it’s a truly wonderful feeling and dangerously addictive.

Tell us about your show.

It is a one man show adapted from my new book Soho Days Camden Nights which is published this summer. The show has been written and performed by me and directed by BAFTA award winning actor Jason Watkins and is being premiered at Edinburgh. It is primarily about chasing your dream and what happens when reality gets in the way. First as a rockstar and then as band manager and third as something else but I won’t tell you what that is otherwise a spolier.

It’s also a trip back to the 90s and an ode to the heyday of Camden music scene where I try to make it by night while working various day jobs in Soho.

And it might deal with lofty ideas about identity and ambition and if I am really clever I might even reveal the secret to success.

But underneath all of that its about giving yourself permission to follow your passion.

After Edinburgh I will be performing in London and then hopefully touring it.

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

If Natalie Palamides is playing she will be top of my list after being blown away by Weer.  Also Police Cops, David O Docherty, Ahir Shah, Ray O Leary…and The InCureables – a tribute to The Cure!

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EdFringe Talk: Guy Branum: Be Fruitful

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“I’m still trying to get the American TV industry I love back on its feet.”

WHO: Guy Branum

WHAT: “Emmy and Golden-Globe winning comedian Guy Branum goes on a joke-dense slide show journey through religion and science arguing that he, as a clinically obese gay man, does not serve any practical purpose. Guy recruits his audience to look at the origins of homophobia and anti-fat bias and asks how correct they might be. He uses this journey to explore how we tell stories about people traditionally ignored, why he’s bad at telling stories, the 1984 Tony Awards, the first and only time he’s been in love, and, of course, the biology and evolution of fruit.”

WHERE: Billiard Room at Gilded Balloon Teviot (Venue 14) 

WHEN: 20:30 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’ve never been to the Edinburgh Fringe, but I’ve watched as my friends took smart, well-crafted shows to the Fringe, it found an audience, and the shows turned into HBO and Netflix specials. I’ve also seen the way people who’ve gone as performers and audience speak with rapturous intoxication about the feeling of being surrounded by that much art and energy. I want a hit of whatever is intoxicating them.

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

In Los Angeles there can be a very limited idea of what success looks like in entertainment, but as the industry is changing, that success is getting rarer. The last year has been about the industry making clear that it’s ready to fall apart, and me trying to get up the gumption to throw myself out of the collapsing building to create work I like. I haven’t fully picked up the message, I’m still trying to get the American TV industry I love back on its feet, but for now, finding satisfaction through live performance and Instagram videos has to be the fuel that keeps me going.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote my show, and I’m my company, so the company came together when my parents decided to have sex many decades ago. My show is about the limited, heteronormative idea of value and purpose we have as a society, and what it means to be a very fat gay man in a world that doesn’t see a lot of value or use in someone like me. It is also about fruit. I’ve worked the show out in Los Angeles for a while, and taken it on the road a bit, but Edinburgh is really its coming out party. The show has evolved a great deal over a year, and now I believe it’s reached its final, Charizard form. After the run in Edinburgh I will be setting the show and myself on fire to accept that no future version could ever be as perfect.

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

I REALLY love the LA-based Heated Rivalry Parody musical at the Gilded Balloon (I believe there are roughly 70 Heated Rivalry Parody Musicals coming to the fest, I plan to have sex with all of the Ilyas and most of the Shanes). And I’m mostly excited to see a bunch of comedians from the UK I love, Rose Matafeo, Nish Kumar, Connor Burns, and my friend Sophie Hagen. And then there are a bunch of my friends from America who are coming: Sam Morrison, Brendan Scannell, Ify Nwadiwe, Shane Torres, and everyone involved in Stamptown. And people should get their Stamptown tickets soon, because over the course of the run, most of the good cast members will probably be mangled in some sort of t-shirt cannon to the groin incident. Zach Zucker is a public menace and must be stopped.

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