Author Archives: Dan Lentell

EdFringe Talk: ROADKILL

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“I’ve worked the last two years as a technician, first with Pleasance and then freelance, so I’m well accustomed to the craziness of the festival.”

WHO: Niamh O Farrell Tyler

WHAT: “On the 31st October 2019, Cosmo was hit by a car in an act of transphobic hate and violence. This show is not about getting hit by a car. This is a show about sex. This is a show about period sex. This is a show about working at Tesco. This is a show about living with your parents. This is a show about the Rocky Horror Picture Show. This is a show about trans euphoria, sexuality and survival.”

WHERE: Space 2 at theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39) 

WHEN: 19:30 (45 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my third Fringe but my first time bringing my own show! I’ve worked the last two years as a technician, first with Pleasance and then freelance, so I’m well accustomed to the craziness of the festival. It’s so exciting to be contributing my own work to the festival though and it’s already such a different experience – there’s such a wonderful supportive atmosphere already. I have never encountered anywhere like Edinburgh Fringe, and the fact that this year is going to be be a totally new experience all over again is really exciting.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Since 2024, I’ve continued working as a freelance stage manager, but also taken on a lot more acting gigs in some short films and theatre pieces and started my own queer events and theatre company, DYKEish! This especially was a huge learning curve but a really interesting one, learning what it takes to run your own company, gather an audience, and engage with the queer community in a meaningful way. What I’ve had to learn very quickly as we come up to Fringe is how to seperate being the performer of the piece from being one of the producers – wearing multiple hats can be a bit conflicting, but luckily my wonderful crew are very good at kicking Producer Niamh, as we call them, out of the rehearsal room.

Tell us about your show.

ROADKILL is a rollarcoaster of a show that is NOT about being hit by a car. What it IS about is a young trans person, Cosmo, struggling to reconcile a past transphobic attack with how they want to be viewed in the present. It’s a fast-paced, vulnerable, and oftentimes vulgar exploration of coming of age as a trans person and the pressure that comes alongside that to be the representative of a whole community. ROADKILL was written by myself and is produced by myself and the wonderful Megan Flynn, with a team of incredibly talented creatives behind us that I still can’t believe I convinced to hop on the bandwagon with me! This is the first show we are making this show under the banner of DYKEish, which is headed by myself and Megan. The ROADKILL crew have also been incredibly formative in everything DYKEish has done so far. Edinburgh will be ROADKILL’s premiere, but I’d love to tour it around Ireland afterwards and even take it to London too if possible!

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

I highly encourage punters to try and support as much trans-made and focused theatre as possible. These are scary times for the community, but there is so much incredible art being born out of the struggle, and one of the best ways you can be an ally is to show up and support! In other words – BUMS IN SEATS FOR TRANS RIGHTS! And there’s something there for everyone when it comes to trans made and focused theatre. Kinder by Ryan Stewart will be a really interesting exploration of reactionary politics in light of recent rulings in the UK; Alter by Extraterrestrial’s description of their show as “growing into queerness, or away from it” is something that really echoes our own show; Shallowspace Cryotech Feverdream by Elastic Fantastic combines trans narratives with sci-fi horror, a marriage of ideas we can’t to see on stage; Somebody Has Got to Be John by Speakbeast Theatre will feed both your desire for queer theatre and any intrusive thoughts you’ve ever had about the Beatles; and A Xerox of a Deer by the Horgles, another Irish company, explores queerness specifically in rural Ireland.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: Horny for the End of the World

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“I get to go be a part of the festival with my apocalyptic anti-rom-com, Horny for the End of the world. It’s great, and a little surreal.”

WHO: Tatienne Hendricks-Tellefsen

WHAT: “Gen Z, try-hard, pick-me Ebeth gets dumped by the man of her dreams the day before everyone realizes the world is going to end. With the short time she has left to live, Ebeth obsesses over her humiliating past relationships and unhinged personal philosophies. This apocalyptic anti-romcom follows Ebeth on her journey of unintentional self-reflection.”

WHERE: Stephenson Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Venue 53) 

WHEN: VARIES (40 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It’s not my first time at Edinburgh Fringe, but it is my first time performing. I went 6 years ago right after I graduated school, and I was so inspired by all the creativity and variety of the festival. It put a fire under me, I thought, “if they can do it, I can do it.” I wrote some of my web-series, Adult, while I was there, and it went on to win awards, be selected at official selection at Lower East Side Film Festival, and get me invited to Tribeca Film Festival N.O.W. Creators Market.

And now I get to go be a part of the festival with my apocalyptic anti-rom-com, Horny for the End of the world. It’s great, and a little surreal.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

A big thing I’ve learned in 2024, is it’s no biggy to face artistic failure when everything else is failing too. If I have a fun, ridiculous, low budget apocalyptic solo play that features mainly homemade props, like a an ottoman made of suitcases and faux-fur, and a visionless vision-board? Bring it to Scotland! Who cares, all our arts funding is cut or restricted in the US anyway. There might not even be theaters in the NYC in the next few years, at least not ones that a person who isn’t MEGA wealthy can afford (I’m ready to eat my weight in fringe comps bb).

And yes, I am very much putting this lesson into practice as I write this interview.

🥰

Tell us about your show.

Of course! I wrote my show, because I was dumped right before the pandemic. I basically spent the whole time I was stuck at my parents house spiraling about a man who didn’t care about me, when I could have spent this very scary, unsure time in history connecting with my family, friends, or nature. I was out of control, I could feel how bored I was making everyone, but I could not stop.

I started channeling some of these negative social behaviors into a script, and Horny or the End of the World was born! A story about a delusional and shallow young woman named Ebeth, who gets dumped before the apocalypse and uses it as a distraction from her impending death … I do like to think I’m personally a little more self aware than my anti-heroine though.

🌍🔥🦄

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

Well, you should definitely go see my friend Michael DeBartolo’s show “Tell Me Where Home is (I’m Starting to Forget)” It’s a beautiful meditation on coming to terms with your sexuality and the challenges of loving yourself when it feels like the world doesn’t.

I’m also very excited for Bebe Cave’s new show “CHRISTBRIDE”, I haven’t been able to see Kaila Galinat’s show about rejection in Manhattan, “Okay Bye,” so I’m definitely going to be hitting that up! I’m gonna see Daniel Sloss of course. I would recommend you guys see all those shows too. Unless you want to admit to me that you have bad taste or something.

See you at Fringe! ❤

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: Bad in Bed: From Arthritis to Insomnia

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“Do as much prep work as you can BEFORE you show up in Edinburgh. As there will always be things that go wrong.”

WHO: Ian TC

WHAT: “Having a bad night’s sleep has an effect on your whole day, having not sleep well for 30+ years changes the way you see the world. Throw in pain to keep you company and that’s enough to send you over the edge. Ian TC brings you his newly updated sell-out comedy show, exploring the world you see when you haven’t slept well. Loud and explosive, but always funny. Bad in Bed is one to see. ‘Like a young Billy Connolly on Speed!’ (The Stand). ‘Fu*king great’ (Tom Stade).”

WHERE: Pleasance Online (Venue 117) 

WHEN: 12:45 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’ve been visiting the Edinburgh fringe (as a punter) now on and off since 1996, The First gig I ever done at the fringe was back in 2018: 5 minutes in a mixed bill of total newbies. The Edinburgh festival, in short, is one of comedy’s most important bootcamps. Every style of comedy is catered for there. You can catch the seasoned pros to the just started, the truly great, to the woefully awful. It can be silly, smart, debase and beautiful all mixed in too an over crowed mess of chaos never designed to have as much going on, but some how still works.

The jump between punter to perform can be insane amount of stress. The first time I did a full run was in 2022. The first year I was living on canal boat that we navigated from Glasgow to Edinburgh… Took 5 days! We could have walked faster.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

We have learned from doing the fringe is that you have to set your pace and make sure you take rests. There is lots and lots going on and way too much to do it all. Do as much prep work as you can BEFORE you show up in Edinburgh. As there will always be things that go wrong. But there is lots os support too, From the Fringe, the Venues and your fellow performers. but also remember everyone will have their own “thing” going on too so don’t be discouraged if the first person you ask can’t help.. ask a few they will.

Tell us about your show.

ad in Bed: Arthritis to Insomnia is the evolution of my stand up comedy from club set stuff into a full show. It covers the two health topics that I rarely talk about outside of comedy, but have shaped my life more than any other factor. It’s not a sob story, it’s a comic look a the ways we deal with pain in our everyday lives. The best thing about the show, that I never expected, was that others with similar conditions have came to the show and identified with what I say and go away with a little better feeling that: one they are not alone and two that sometimes the jokes can help you get by.

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

Oh Wow! there are so many but to keep it brief:
If you are looking for a Full on crazy comedy show
Billy Kirkwood: Chaos
A Whimsical playful laugh
Craig Wilson: You Decide Then
A mixed bill of comedy:
Scotland’s Pick of the Fringe

But there are so many great comedians and show all at the Scottish Comedy Festival hosted in the Beehive and The Waverley bar .. you can just drop by and stay in the same place watching great acts all day.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: That Show About the Hot Dog

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“We know that anything is possible, and anything can happen, in any space, at any minute.”

WHO: Frank Wiener the Magic Hot Dog (PUPPET)

WHAT: “A whimsical journey alongside Wee Wennie Wiener, an unlikely hot dog hero searching for inner hot dog truth. This multidisciplinary comedic production by the CFACoLab explores identity, diversity and the art of the hot dog through an array of vibrant characters clad in hot-dog-inspired costumes. Each scene, playfully dubbed a “DOG”, features effects, dance and culinary adventures, culminating in an epic finale that celebrates the cultural significance of the hot dog. With puppets, music, dance, visual arts and clever humour, this multidisciplinary comedic production promises a flavourful all-you-can-eat experience!”

WHERE: Forest Theatre at Greenside @ George Street (Venue 236) 

WHEN: 13:50 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’m a PUPPET. I’m Frank Wiener the Magic Hot Dog Puppet. And Yes, it is my first time at the festival, my first fringe, my first time performing in my very first show. Some of the artists and directors around me have been many times. They are such “know-it-alls”. But some of us in the show are new to all of this. It’s like we’ve been given a golden ticket to a wonderful ride.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is magical. Since it’s beginning, its mission has always been rebellious, entrepreneurial, bold, daring, different. The Fringe is about making theatre and art anywhere and everywhere. Out of just thin air. We suspend belief. We believe in things that we know aren’t real–like puppets and magic hot dogs. We know that anything is possible, and anything can happen, in any space, at any minute. It’s a festival of art that believes art has the power to make the world better.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha (giggling)……….I was born in 2025, so I’ve only heard stories about 2024. You humans are so caught up in the past. I’m only thinking about my future. But I have learned a lot in this past year. I’m part of a theatre company that is collaborative. We like to be messy with the creative ketchup and mustard. We don’t divide ourselves into small groups and give ourselves big titles. We all get into the same sandbox, and we PLAY and make work. Over this past year I’ve learned that collaboration makes everything better, and that our show is always best when all our fingerprints are all over every part of the project. I’ve been taught that I’m more than just the “puppet”. I can be the playwright. I can be the choreographer. I’m terrible at writing music. And they have decided NOT to let me sing in the show. Our group believes that the theatre frame and theatrical space is as much a character of the piece as the characters in the show. And I’ve learned that it’s great to begin with a blank page—to begin with nothing and from there to find everything–the answers to all the most important questions. My company believes the arts exist within a constant world of evolution—appreciating and respecting the forms of the past yet seeking to play and guide art onto new canvases and new possibilities.

And I might seem nice, but I’m Bossy and this puppet likes to be the “puppet-master”. I like to think of myself as the star of the show, the one in charge. So, look at this organ-grinder (ME) and don’t look at the monkey who thinks they are controlling me. I guess I am trying to learn to be humble……….but…I’m Frank Wiener…I’m a Magic Hot Dog…..and I am only one year old.

Tell us about your show.

Our show follows the story of two hot dog heroes, Wee Weenie Wiener (Wee Wee), and She She. They are looking for their inner hot dog truth. They have dreams and they want to BECOME something. They are looking for meaning in the chaotic hot dog world around them. They realize that they are an amalgamation of a bunch of meats that come together into one casing. Their history comes from many places. They have complex histories. They realize that the world is the grill. The world singes them. Yet they also realize that they as hot dogs are pre-cooked, that the heat of the world is what brings out their inner flavor and helps them become.

Our Show is written and produced by our company, the CFACoLab. The CFACoLab is a professional company housed on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas. We are a lucky group of artists endowed by the David and Stephanie Vondrak Endowment for Knowledge in the Arts. Our goal is to push the boundaries of art, to hot dog and wiener around, to make shows, and to have fun. We like it when the ketchup and mustard get all over the place. And we believe that all the condiments are ok, that we should all dress our dogs as we want and as we will.

The CFACoLab has produced several shows. We usually start with a single object and from there develop the world of the show. This year someone suggested a hot dog. Someone else said let’s call it “That Show About the Hot Dog”. And then our group ran with it. It’s a zany romp of a show—a relentless brine of scenes we call “DOGS”.

This show will premiere at Edinburgh. I am soooooooo excited! And later we hope to tour it and serve Hot Dogs many other places. We have a set of performances in Las Vegas in Early November. Viva Las Vegas!

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

I’ve been looking at the Fringe Guide. I’m “Daring to Discover.” I say don’t just go to the big known shows. Yeah, they are fine but so is having someone move your lips and put words in your mouth…….this is the FRINGE, be bold, take a risk, see something different. Go sit with a pint and watch someone make theatre in a small closet of a theatre space. At our first EDfringe our company was so not ready for it. We showed up in Scotland without posters or flyers, all we had was a show and a venue the size of a postage stamp. And it was rough at the beginning. At one of our first shows only a blind woman and her service dog came to see our show. It was one of the best performances we did that festival—and Yes, we counted the dog in our audience count, he had the best time at the show and gave it a very good review.

I’m excited to see many shows at this year’s festival. Shows like: Alasdair Beckett-King: King of Crumbs, Andrew Doherty: Sad Gay Aids Play, Jazz Emu, Norvil and Josephine, Daniel Martinez Flamenco Co., Circa: Wolf, The Land of Beat, Yonder Dance Company, Riverside Theatre Company, Brit Fishel and Dancers, Olivia Raine Atwood, G and J productions: Some MasterChef Sh*t, Tides, and of course Billy Walker’s Joan Collins Blocked me on Twitter and Kate Stewart. I’m also interested in puppet shows, but I’m really highly critical when it comes to other puppets. Did I say I was only one year old?

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: Douglas Widick: Paperclip

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“Get over being cringe, market your show consistently and aggressively.”

WHO: Douglas Widick

WHAT: “Microsoft Word’s writing assistant, Clippy, has seen the future – and it is bleak. Determined to prevent the impending techno-dystopia brought about by Artificial Intelligence, Clippy travels back in time to warn humanity in a thrilling adventure through the internet. Will he succeed in stopping AI at its source? There’s only one way to find out… Douglas Widick (Time Out NY’s Top 10 Comedy Show: North Coast; Blank! The Musical; F#%king Up Everything; and Anybody: An Improvised Historical Hip-Hopera) makes his UK debut in this award winning one-person comedy musical. Winner: Best Out-of-Town Show – Tucson Fringe.”

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

WHEN: 22:20 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’ve been twice to Edinburgh. First time in 2018 and performed at Monkey Barrell Hip-Hop Improv ensemble North Coast and hosted by MC Hammersmith. The second time I came as a punter and saw 29 shows in 6 days. The thing that makes Fringe so special is the collective spirit and energy of everyone involved. Walking 20K steps a day. Seeing Shrek in a bikini and the saddest thing you’ve ever seen on the same day. It’s too crazy to describe, but when you’re there, it’s all encompassing and intoxicating.

A great festival has a thoughtful line up, eager audiences, and a food truck serving pizza with haggis on top of it ready at all times.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

The big lessons I learned are:

  • Get over being cringe, market your show consistently and aggressively.
  • Market saturation creates a sink or swim atmosphere that requires everyone to become expert copy writers, advertisers, and marketing geniuses quickly.
  • Get comfortable shoes.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote and perform in the show myself, with expert guidance and help from director Sarah Smallwood Parsons, a long time collaborator and friend of mine. The show had a germination period of one year, which involved various work in progress workshops & preview shows at a non profit theater called The RAT in Brooklyn, in addition to a small festival preview at the Tank in midtown.

My director and I started with a storyboard that built on an existing song I had been doing as Clippy for the full year before it. I have a background in music production & Long form improv, but I had never written a cohesive scripted solo piece. I had done some silly one person cabaret shows as Rosie O’Donnell, but nothing as extensive as Paperclip.

After Edinburgh, I am doing an off broadway run at the Soho Playhouse in the West VIllage, yipee!

The show is about Clippy, yes the crappy paperclip from Microsoft Word, redeeming his reputation by saving the world from AI. How? By traveling back in time to kill Alan Turing and stop machine learning at the source. The show features appearances from Ask Jeeves, a talking CAPTCHA, The flying toaster screensaver, and lots of fun audience interaction moments as Clippy gets his destination: 1954.

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

I LOVE Liz Coin’s show Lizzy Sunshine, which is a show that helps shed comedic light on the topic of addiction. Gillian Gurganus is a must see stand up whose rabid fanbase gives her shows the type of unbridled energy I live for. I also love MC Hammersmith with the polished yet posh rhymes, Showstoppers & Baby Wants Candy for narrative musical improv excellence, and King Polish Clown Furiozo for his anything but tepid takedown of toxic masculinity.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: UnTethered

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“It’s required us to practice a great deal of trust, courage and compassion for ourselves and each other.”

WHO: Tana Sirois

WHAT: “An autobiographical comedy that follows a queer, demisexual woman as she attempts to transcend her fears so she can find true love. When her intrusive thoughts manifest as monsters made of plastic bags, she is forced to confront her OCD. Can she experience love while staying true to herself? Or will her desire for intimacy snowball into the worst-case scenario? Praised by FringeReview.co.uk as ‘vulnerable’, ‘brave’ and ‘daring work’, UnTethered has played in Istanbul, NYC, London and Brighton with audiences crediting Tana Sirois as ‘a warrior of emotions’ in a ‘knockout performance’.”

WHERE: Fern Studio at Greenside @ George Street (Venue 236) 

WHEN: VARIES (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our first time at Edinburgh Fringe! UnTethered premiered at the Istanbul Fringe Festival, in September, and since then, we’ve toured the show to NYC, London and Brighton. We have enjoyed all of our runs, but I must say there is something about this piece that just works so well in a fringy environment. One of our recent reviews credited the show as a disarmingly raw and vulnerable show that is “perfect fringe fodder”, which really tickled me. UnTethered is part one-woman show, part mass-dating event, so an environment like Edinburgh Fringe, which I expect contains a good amount of artsy folk who are open to connection, passionate about mental health, and longing to move beyond the traditional gendered binary, is really the perfect place for UnTethered.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

The primary lesson of 2025 seems to be “leap and the net will appear”, which is a bit ironic considering UnTethered is all about my intolerance of uncertainty! Touring this show around the world with a three-person team has been such an exciting, exhausting, rewarding, and meaningful ride. It’s required us to practice a great deal of trust, courage and compassion for ourselves and each other, and I think these lessons have really reverberated on a larger scale for all of us and impacted our lives in quite a significant way.

Tell us about your show.

To be honest, part of me wrote this show because I was extremely fed up with explaining how my OCD gets in the way of love and intimacy to potential partners. At some point in early 2023, a fantasy emerged — I would write a play that perfectly articulates how I experience OCD in less than 60 minutes, and invite everyone I am interested in to come and watch it. If I could succeed in allowing the audience to truly see who I am, perhaps then I could bypass the emotional labor of discussing my OCD, and save a ton of time and energy by jumping straight into dating someone who fully sees and accepts me!

It turns out that writing a show about your mental health and performing it in an attempt to find love saves neither time nor energy. But, oh well — too late to back out now!

UnTethered is directed by Polina Ionina, and produced by her company, The How. Polina and I began working together in 2021 on a very intimate two-person movement theatre piece which was performed twice in NYC and once in Istanbul. After that experience, asking her to direct UnTethered was a no-brainer. I knew this piece needed an extremely talented, compassionate, visionary director who was hyper-attuned to the energetic life of the piece. I can’t imagine this play being directed by anyone else. On top of that, Polina is equally passionate about destigmatizing OCD diagnosis and presenting a piece that portrays an accurate and nuanced example of a disorder that is so often misunderstood.

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

We can’t wait to see Ellie Shaw’s Medium Dead! Ellie programmed UnTethered at The Glitch, and we’ve been following this show’s journey for a while now. (And of course, we have a deep respect for artists who wear many hats!)

We are looking forward to Centre of the Universe because Gaia’s marketing aesthetic is shockingly similar to UnTethered! (And because it sounds like a hilarious and moving piece.)

We’ve been following The City For Incurable Women by Fish in a Dress, and are super excited to see it.

And of course, the most anticipated show of Edinburgh Fringe is everything by Xhloe and Natasha! (And Then The Rodeo Burned Down, What If They Ate The Baby, and A Letter to Lyndon B Johnson or God: Whoever Reads This First). We’ve been following their careers for the past year and they are just absolutely smashing it! We are so impressed!

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: Angela Bra: Secret Diary of a Bingo Call Girl

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“The Free Festival and Free Fringe are core to my Edinburgh experience as it encourages both performers and audience members to take a risk on something new and different.”

WHO: Andy / Angela Bra

WHAT: “Get your dabbers ready for playful parodies, polished puns and surreal stories from the frontline of the UK party bingo circuit. With on-screen singalong karaoke lyrics, audience interaction and an actual game of bingo it’s unlike any other show you’ll see! Critics Choice Award winner at the 2024 Bay Fringe. Best Comedy Show nominee at the 2024 and 2023 Buxton Fringe. Mamma’s Drag Battle finalist 2024. ‘A cheerily endearing persona…’ (Chortle.co.uk).”

WHERE: Hollywood at Laughing Horse @ City Cafe (Venue 85) 

WHEN: On Demand (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be the forth show I’ve taken to Edinburgh Fringe and every year it gives me something different. Admittedly, one year it was mild food poisoning but usually it’s something positive! I love meeting my audiences as they come from all kinds of backgrounds and locations across the globe. I have a strong social media following so it’s always nice to chat to the people behind the comments and the clicks.

I also love watching shows from both acts I know and complete unknowns. The variety is amazing. Last year I mainly watched stand-up but I also watched a talk laying out the speaker’s manifesto for living; hosted in a tiny alcove at the back of a pub to an audience of six. The Free Festival and Free Fringe are core to my Edinburgh experience as it encourages both performers and audience members to take a risk on something new and different. Edinburgh Fringe really is only second to Venice in giving you the chance to take a punt…

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I’ve learned not to worry if it’s five minutes to showtime and the room is still half empty. Being on the Laughing Horse Free Festival, you can be looking at an empty room one minute and then in the next a queer theatre cast arrive on a group night out. This actually happened last year.

I’ve also learned to be kinder to myself. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in the experience you end up running multiple shows and then appearing as a guest in three times as many as a panellist or mixed-bill variety hours and, though fun, it’s utterly exhausting. This year I’m focused on the one show and a limited number of guest spots from promoters I know and trust. I want my energies to be largely directed towards my show and performing it to the best of my ability.

Tell us about your show.

Angela Bra: Secret Diary of a Bingo Call Girl is a drag musical comedy full of songs, games, stories and semi-political puns following my real life ascent from primary school music teacher to a party bingo MC who tours the pubs, clubs and hen do’s of the UK. I won “Joke of the Fest” with it at Lancaster Comedy Festival earlier this year and it has also been well received at Buxton Fringe (where my last two shows have been award-nominated.)

Whilst a solid hour of fun and nonsense, it does also have a political edge that acknowledges and challenges the rise of right wing “populism” – something I now do more and more now on Threads, a site I have been using since ending my relationship with the toxic mess that is the site formally known as Twitter.

It’s now an X…

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

I’d definitely recommend you go and see my friend and podshow co-host Aunty Ginger at Assembly. It’s a proper late night laugh full of adult humour and audience interaction. Last year we did a late night cabaret show called Drag-A-Do but because both our shows are late evening this year that hasn’t been possible. We are planning to bring it back nationally next year though.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: ENOUGH.

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“Scotland has always been a home from home for me as my grandfather was a proud Aberdonian, my grandmother from Glasgow and my father from Edinburgh.”

WHO: Emily Hunter

WHAT: “Winner: Best Drama, Greater Manchester Fringe. Why does misogyny still thrive in 2025? Enough is a bold drama following new police recruit Irie as she battles systemic injustice within the Met. Inspired by real events, it holds a mirror to the institutions meant to protect us, exposing the societal complacency that enables discrimination. Drawing from the Met’s response to the 2021 Sarah Everard vigil, this gripping play challenges power, accountability, and the cost of speaking out. With standing ovation nominations and critical acclaim, Enough is a must-see theatre experience that gives voice to those who refuse to be silenced.”

WHERE: Space 2 at theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39) 

WHEN: 18:30 (45 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our first time as Moonstone Theatre, taking a show up to Edinburgh Fringe Festival – we are so excited to be on this rollercoaster ride! We originally staged our show ENOUGH. at Manchester and Camden fringe and we decided last year to push ourselves to apply for the MOTHER of all fringe festivals – Edinburgh. Scotland has always been a home from home for me as my grandfather was a proud Aberdonian, my grandmother from Glasgow and my father from Edinburgh. I usually see Edinburgh in the throes of winter – so it’s a joy to come up when it’s warmer! I have experienced Edinburgh Fringe as a punter before and it’s hard to capture the energy in the city and put into words. But I’ll try – the energy is electric. There truly is something for everyone and even though we will be running for only 8 nights, I aim to get to at least one other show a day whilst we’re here. Our show is a gritty one act play so I think I’ll look for some comedy to balance out some of the heavy scenes I’ll be doing! Recommends anyone?!

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Since 2024, I’ve learned you can never be too organised: spreadsheets, schedules, backup plans for your backup plans! And no meeting is ever wasted. Every chat plants a seed, whether it grows now or next year. Most of all, I’ve realised you have to create work from your gut; from what drives you, angers you, excites you. If you’re doing it to get ‘discovered’ or rich, you’re kidding yourself. That’s just noise.

It’s also crystal clear how vital it is to work with people who see you, who get what you’re about and have your back. As a team of four wearing every hat (writer, director, actor, producer, tech, marketing – the lot), leaning into each other’s strengths and supporting each other’s weak spots is everything. You need a safe space for honest conversations, even the tough ones, if you’re aiming for quality work and a shared win.

Tell us about your show.

ENOUGH. came to life out of frustration and a desire to spark change. After the Met’s heavy-handed response to the Sarah Everard vigil, I just couldn’t understand how they could do that? I felt compelled to spotlight systemic misogyny through a female lens. Seeing online misogyny escalate only reinforced the urgency. My friend and fellow actor, Gemma Green, and I, both feeling the lack of opportunities for emerging artists over 40, decided in a local café that enough was enough (no pun intended) and just we’d just have create our own. Over coffee, brainstorming favourite colours and sharing stories about our love for crystals, we settled on “Moonstone Theatre.” Moonstone symbolises feminine energy and new beginnings .

I was terrified having never written a full length play before and then had only five months to write ENOUGH. for the Greater Manchester Fringe. It premiered there in July 2023, winning Best Drama, and later earned a Standing Ovation nomination at Camden’s Fringe in 2024. Now, Moonstone Theatre – a four-woman team wearing every hat from writing and directing to tech and marketing – is bringing an even sharper, more urgent version to Edinburgh.

After Edinburgh Fringe, we’re eyeing touring opportunities to civic venues and communities that need this conversation – because too many voices are still silenced.

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

There’s something electric about seeing other all-female companies smashing it, and I’ve loved connecting with a few over socials in the build-up to Edinburgh. Drama Girls looks right up my street; sharp, satirical, and completely unafraid to call things out. I’m so excited to see how they’re blending comedy and commentary but I am FUMINg that I will be leaving Edinburgh as they begin, so I’ll be cheering them from social media and sharing whatever I can. Then there’s The Strongest Girl in the World, which looks like it’s going to break hearts in the best way — raw, solo storytelling with guts and grace.

We’ve also been loving the energy from The Piano Smashers – they’ve been bringing creativity and power into the online space already, and I can’t wait to see what they do live. And finally, Bluffstone is Starvin’ has got my curiosity totally piqued – part Western, part live music chaos, part… who even knows? But it sounds like a wild ride and I’m here for it.

Mostly, I just want to shout out to everyone doing brave, female-led theatre this year. The women making their own work, sharing their process, supporting others online and off – I see you and I’m rooting for all of us. Here’s to telling stories that matter and making the space for each other to be seen. Wishing them all a brilliant, sold-out Fringe!

💥

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: Alex Prescot: Cosy

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“I’ve got the brilliant Ben Target on board as my director and have done more work in progress and preview shows, and the show has grown, changed and improved in so many ways that I never would have anticipated.”

WHO: Alex Prescot

WHAT: “Join comedy equivalent of sunshine Alex Prescot for a delightful debut hour that’s tailor-made for each audience. Expect a warm and fuzzy blend of joyful musical comedy and quick-witted improvisation. Don’t expect his notably absent double-act partner. Clap Back to Reality Winner 2024, Musical Comedy Awards Finalist 2025, Chortle Hotshots Shortlist 2025, Kingston New Act Finalist 2024, Chichester New Act Finalist 2024. ***** ‘Incredibly talented’ (BroadwayWorld.com). ***** (LondonTheatre.co.uk). **** (PepperAndSalt.uk). **** (ThePhoenixRemix.com). Directed by Ben Target (Double Fringe First Winner and Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee).”

WHERE: Dexter at Underbelly, Bristo Square (Venue 302) 

WHEN: 11:45 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I have done the fringe in some capacity (performer, director or punter!) for the past 10 years, but this is my first time taking up a solo musical comedy hour, so I’m super excited!

It’s a unique festival where you can strike up a conversation with absolutely anybody – just to be surrounded by that many people enjoying shows and exchanging recommendations is a huge buzz and why people (me) keep coming back.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

My main lesson is that there’s always more work to do!

I did a work in progress of my show at the Fringe in 2024 (which sold out and got good reviews!) so you might think like ‘OK great, it’s done!’ However, since then I’ve got the brilliant Ben Target on board as my director and have done more work in progress and preview shows, and the show has grown, changed and improved in so many ways that I never would have anticipated.

That’s kind of the joy and the horror of it – you can always find more in a show, being inspired by other performers and trying to create something that expresses what you want to say right now (as well as giving the audience a bespoke experience!).

So as for whether I’ve absorbed this lesson…I’m still working on it!

Tell us about your show.

‘Alex Prescot: Cosy’ is my debut musical comedy hour. It’s about my double act partner who left me to move to Australia (sad), mixing original and improvised songs to explore when to take risks and when the comfort zone is actually a totally fine pace to be. It’s aiming to be the loveliest show of the fringe, a perfect way to kick start your day!

I’ve been working on the show since last year’s Fringe, and the plan is to tour it around the UK after August (and maybe further afield too…watch this space!).

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

First one is a bit biased because I’m in it, but ‘A Jaffa Cake Musical’ is coming back after its sell-out run last year, so it’s a must! Claire Parry is a brilliant clown and is bringing back her hilarious show ‘I Am Claire Parry (very funny stand-up), Katie Pritchard is a musical comedy queen and is returning with her show ‘Katie Pritchard: I Kiss The Music’, and then I’m looking forward to catching James Trickey and Sharon Wanjohi’s debut hours!

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: Anna Beros – High Hoe

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“Egg freezing, a luxury for the privileged, ravaged my savings and left me in a new pit of insecurity, which a recession probably didn’t help with.”

WHO: Anna Beros

WHAT: “From Slut City comes an hour of honest loving stand-up. Would a hoe by any other name stank as sweet? And why not go pro? Can we reward ourselves without rimming junkiedom? What’s up with narcissists? How much motherhood can you afford? Lovingly pegging social norms from behind with warming, incisive stand-up and playful audience interaction, High Hoe is Anna’s third solo hour following Creampie Curious and Creampie Clarity, which both had successful Fringe runs 2023-2024. Anna’s an Aussie, independent full-time stand-up comedian based in Berlin, performing since 2018.”

WHERE: Little Cellar at Laughing Horse @ West Nic Records (Venue 442) 

WHEN: 22:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my 3rd time at EdFringe and I’m so excited to be bringing my 3rd solo hour as well as an afternoon ad lib stand-up show with audience participation. I love Edfringe because it’s a stand-up comedian’s paradise. To be able to perform your solo every day for a month? And to savvy stand-up audiences? And then to perform on all the other compilation shows? Sharing stages with new colleagues and old friends from around the world? It’s a feast of stage-time, a friend frenzy, an energy management bootcamp, and a buzzing microcosm of stimulation and inspiration. So naturally, I can’t wait to gourge myself and level up my craft again, but with all the lessons from the previous two years.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

The biggest lessons I’ve learnt since 2024 are that something will always be stressing you out, and once that’s resolved, something else will take its place. In 2024, planning for when I might want to have a kid consumed me – the importance of motherhood, in what forms I could experience it, how and when I might be able to do it as I approach 40. So motherhood and freedoms are massive themes of High Hoe.

Now in 2025, financial stability has been my biggest stress. Egg freezing, a luxury for the privileged, ravaged my savings and left me in a new pit of insecurity, which a recession probably didn’t help with.

So realising, if it’s not one thing, it’s something else, has helped me to get a lot of perspective and enjoy what I do have.

On the topic of planning for the future, I learnt that you’ll go crazy if you try to make decisions based on desires you think you will have in the future. Plan for the future you want, but don’t let that destroy what you want for right now.

Another invaluable lesson that applies to a career in comedy, but relates to other spheres has been, when you feel like you’re not progressing, just zoom out a little further and you’ll see that on a bigger scale, you are still moving forward and improving.

Tell us about your show.

High Hoe is an hour of my best material from club sets, worked on in 2023 to 2024, bound in narrative, which debuted January 2025 in Berlin. I’ve been performing a minimum of 5 shows per week for the last 7 years. I self-produce and toured my last 2 solos around Europe, EdFringe, Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Leicester Comedy Festival. High Hoe has so far toured through Germany and Luxembourg and will be touring Lisbon, Barcelona, Eastern and Northern Europe and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2026.

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

Mike Rice is a dear friend and stand-up legend who I try to see whenever we’re in the same place. His show this year is Mike Rice: Cruel Little Man, and he’s my favourite kind of hilarious, nasty.

Sofia May, with her first solo hour and full festival run: 9/11 Birds and the Bees. Sofia loves playing with the darkness and pushing everything she can and I love it. I’ve seen her start out and blossum in the Berlin comedy scene and at EdFringe. This show is so perfectly located in the Flight Club room that looks like you’re on a plane. If you want a 9/11 experience, don’t miss this.

Kirsty Munro: 2 Slut Drops and a Chicken Burger. Kirsty’s a Fringe legend, authentic, hilarious, cheeky, silly, top-notch vibes. Also Masai Graham’s 101 Naughty Jokes in 30 Minutes!

Kyle Legacy – any of his shows. You’ll be lucky if you don’t see him. Joke! He gets up on so many shows and has a bunch of his own, the naughtiest probably being Comedy Striptease.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!