Category Archives: EdFestivals 2022

All our coverage from the 2022 festivals.

EdFringe Talk: Laura Davis: If This Is It

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“I lost my home, my job, almost all my possessions, some family members and a couple of dear friends in this pandemic. Also a pretty good vacuum cleaner but it’s obviously not at the top of the list.”

WHO: Laura Davis

WHAT: “Most Outstanding Show nominee at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2022. Laura Davis is internationally acclaimed as one of the strongest, most distinctive comedy voices around. Bold, hilarious and razor sharp, Davis delivers extraordinary stand-up that subverts expectation at every turn.”

WHERE: Monkey Barrel Comedy (Carnivore) – Carnivore 1 (Venue 180) 

WHEN: 16:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This isn’t my first festival and I’ve never been to a rodeo. I’ve been doing these kinds of month long festivals for about 15 years. What makes a good one is two things for me. 1. a genuine sense that you made the best piece of work you possibly could and got to share it. 2. spending a month with a shuffled roulette of old and new friends, eating baked potatoes, laughing about anything and griping about all the problems we chose for ourselves.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I lost my home, my job, almost all my possessions, some family members and a couple of dear friends in this pandemic. Also a pretty good vacuum cleaner but it’s obviously not at the top of the list. Two and a half years later I still don’t have a home to go to and I’m trying to restabilise and gain back some ground.

I think I learned what’s worth holding onto, what I’m willing to sacrifice and for what. I learned what feels like it’s worth fighting for and what I really care about when it comes down to ugly end.

That of course is going to be sort of a different personal curation for everyone so there’s no quick quote to share on what those things should be. But I’ll live differently forever now. I think that’s okay.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote it. It was nominated for best comedy at Melbourne International Comedy Festival because I’m much funnier onstage than I am in interviews.

I’m taking it to Soho Theatre after this Fringe which always feels like a little bit of a magical venue. There’s also a shop near Soho Theatre called Cafe De Nata which just sells fresh Portuguese tarts so I’m pretty excited for after the show, too.

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

You don’t even have to wait until you’ve seen my show to see these shows as my show contains no required information to enjoy them.

Tom Mayhew, Danielle Walker, James Nokise, Josie Long and Alice Fraser. They all put so much consideration into the heart of their shows, so much attention to the detail of the craft and consistently produce unique and original work that I can’t bear to miss.

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EdFringe Talk: Sam Lake: Cake

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“I think in many ways I’m still a silly little comedy boy.”

WHO: Sam Lake

WHAT: “Debut hour from nice young man, Sam Lake. In 2020, Sam wrote a show all about his upcoming wedding. Then both the wedding and show were swiftly cancelled. Based on his own personal love story, it’s a show about reassessing your goals when things don’t go how you planned. But it’s also funny. And there’s cake. We’ll have a lovely time. As well as starring in All 4’s The Joy of Missing Out and Dave’s The Comedy Guide to Life, Sam has also won Leicester Square New Comedian of The Year.”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – The Cellar (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 21:50 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I actually live in Edinburgh! I moved here just over two years ago to be with my (now) husband. I moved just before the lockdowns first started. Remember when that whatsapp message was going around about making a big lasagne at Wembley Stadium? Yeah, that’s when I fled London.

I’ve obviously been to the Edinburgh Fringe before, but this is my first time with my own show. I think visiting the fringe and seeing as many shows as you can in one go is fun, it’s exciting. Doing a show for the whole month is quite different. If you happen to see me in the street, maybe handing out flyers for my show, please, for the love of god, make me drink some water or chew a multivitamin.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I think in many ways I’m still a silly little comedy boy, but what’s changed the most for me is learning to be a bit more expressive about my emotions, as in not keeping things that are bothering me to myself. It’s okay to talk to friends and loved ones about your feelings. It’s something I’m still working on, but it’s a good lesson learned. I’m ashamed to say it, but in order to learn this lesson, I did have to start a podcast and I am truly so sorry for that.

Tell us about your show.

My show is called Cake, an hour of stand-up comedy from myself, and it is making its big debut at the Edinburgh Fringe. It’s being produced by the wonder that is Katie Storey who is truly a godsend. And you can see it 3-28th Aug (Not 16th) 9.50pm at the Pleasance Courtyard.

My show is the story of how my husband and I found ourselves having to completely scrap our plans for our wedding day and instead have a very hasty, very chaotic wedding. It was an amazing day, but how it all happened and specifically what happened on the day is quite the story. It’s a show about making peace with how things you planned for yourself actually unfold and being comfortable with unexpected changes. It’s also about me and my husband, how we met, our own cute little love story.

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

In all honesty, most people coming to the fringe have already booked the big shows they want to see. As a punter, sometimes I think you should just walk around the streets and take a chance on the

first show you get handed a flyer for. Some of my best and opposite-of-best experiences at the fringe have come from doing this.

If I had to recommend anyone else’s show, may I recommend some fellow debutants: Krystal Evans, Hannah Fairweather, Chloe Petts, Shelf, Joseph Parsons, Celya AB. All wonderful. But only go see them AFTER you’ve seen my show. Daddy’s still has wedding bills to pay off.

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EdFringe Talk: Crizards: Cowboys

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“In 2017 we realised the real money’s in the double act business – the rest is history.”

WHO: Will Rowland and Eddy Hare

WHAT: “The UK’s lowest energy double act explore the Wild West. Expect songs, characters, rootin’ and tootin’ from two best friends dressed as cowboys. Crizards are a couple of offbeat boys (Will Rowland and Eddy Hare). Both Will and Eddy are New Comedian of the Year finalists for their solo stand-up, and Eddy was nominated for the BBC New Comedy Awards in 2021. ‘Very wry, very well performed’ (Bruce Dessau). Leicester Square Theatre Sketch Off finalists. As seen on BBC One and BBC Three.”

WHERE: Assembly George Square Studios – Studio Four (Venue 17) 

WHEN: 22:15 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our debut hour! We’ve been up for work-in-progress runs and stand up split bills before, and we did a couple of student plays when we first met. In 2017 we realised the real money’s in the double act business – the rest is history. The great thing about Edinburgh is getting to see all your friends’ shows and also making new friends. People often say Edinburgh’s all about “destroying your enemies” but we just don’t see it like that!

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

We started 2020 with a simple idea: what if a double act show were about cowboys? And what if the cowboys sang songs? Then we heard about Covid and learned that the world didn’t need that show at the time. We stopped thinking about the show during lockdown. Will briefly considered quitting comedy, Eddy bought a pull up bar but had to return it because it didn’t fit his door frame. A lot’s changed since then and 2022 feels like just the right time for a cowboy themed comedy musical – if it turns out we’re wrong we’ll be the first to admit that.

Tell us about your show.

We’re Crizards, we’re the UK’s lowest energy double act, and this is a cowboy themed show with songs in it. It’s our first time doing a show with songs in it so it’s been really fun and exciting for us to write, and we think it will be really fun to watch too! Georgia House is producing it, and we’ve been doing work in progress shows all year but Edinburgh is its first proper outing – afterwards we’ll take it wherever we’re asked to (within reason).

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

There are loads of great acts this year! Patrick Spicer, Ania Magliano and Rob Copland are all debuting this year too – really funny people and great stand ups. Also really looking forward to seeing Sunil Patel, Helen Bauer, Micky Overman, Nick Elleray, Heidi Regan, Sam Nicoresti, and Neil O’Rourke.

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EdFringe Talk: Love, Loss and Chianti

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“There are surprises on the Fringe everywhere you look, an intensive, packed experience which reminds even the most diehard box-set viewer of the pleasures of live performance.”

WHO: Robert Bathurst

WHAT: “Robert Bathurst (Cold Feet, Downton Abbey, Toast of London) stars alongside Rebecca Johnson (The Trip, The Flood) in this heart-breaking and hilarious double-bill of love and loss, written by Costa Book of The Year Award-winner Christopher Reid and directed by Jason Morell. Intertwined with glorious animations from cartoonist Charles Peattie, Reid’s A Scattering and The Song of Lunch are brought to life in this critically acclaimed production.”

WHERE: Assembly Rooms – Music Hall (Venue 20) 

WHEN: 12:55 (95 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my sixth Edinburgh as an actor and the second time bringing my own show. It’s a great place to try out something unusual – audiences are up for it. There are surprises on the Fringe everywhere you look, an intensive, packed experience which reminds even the most diehard box-set viewer of the pleasures of live performance.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Don’t always believe what you hear. Question everything.

Tell us about your show.

I’ve taken two books by the poet Christopher Reid and adapted them for theatre using 90 minutes of brilliant cartoon animation. Rebecca Johnson and I perform. I’ve been developing the show for ten years – animation takes time – and have loved collecting a great team, including co-producers Assembly Productions and Something For The Weekend; everyone has patiently stuck with me.

We tried out one half – the funny half – of Love Loss & Chianti in Edinburgh in 2018 and launched the whole show in London in March 2020. We lost everything, like so many others, and have regrouped to do it here. It’s so exciting to be doing this material again.

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

For slam-dunk guaranteed entertainment and breathtaking skill it has to be the Showstoppers improv gang. I’m also looking forward to Baxter vs The Bookies – I love horseracing; Tim Vine, I surrender to him completely Frank Skinner, I’m devoted to his poetry podcast and loved his book on standup; Basil Brush’s Family Fun Show, probably the hit of the festival; Debussy At Teatime, what could be better?; Arthur Smith, he’s a listed monument, the funniest one I’ve seen; Ghosts Of The Near Future, looks like a wild ride; and Tim Key, with whom I spent a night in Kuala Lumpur.

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EdFringe Talk: The Silent Treatment

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“A lot of the story takes place inside the human body so one moment you’re watching a vaudeville song performed by two cysts and the next you’re inside the human heart.”

WHO: Sarah-Louise Young

WHAT: “The Silent Treatment. A singer loses her voice and embarks on an unexpected journey of self-revelation. Based on a true story, this intimate, funny and uplifting new solo show combines storytelling, physical theatre and song to explore how the body remembers what the mind forgets. From award-winning performer Sarah-Louise Young, creator of An Evening Without Kate Bush and Julie Madly Deeply.”

WHERE: Summerhall – Anatomy Lecture Theatre (Venue 26) 

WHEN: 13:50 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

2022 will be my 17th Fringe and my 40th show. I’ve been coming here for 26 years, since I was a student and cut my teeth .

I love how rich and diverse the array of talent is at the Fringe and take part as much to see other shows as to perform myself. It’s also the one month of the year when I get to see my performer friends as we are often on the road at the same time.

With over 3000 shows to choose from it can feel a bit overwhelming for an audience, but strong word-of-mouth can turn a small underground show into a festival hit and that’s exciting. I’m always on the look out for new and later emerging artists and like to see as much local work as I can as well. We own a debt of gratitude to the people who actually live and work in Edinburgh and this festival should be as open to them as possible.

It’s always a risk bringing new shows up here of course and it’s an expensive and ambitious undertaking, but with the PBH and Laughing Horse Free Fringes there are ways to do it a little more economically.

The first week is always hectic with everyone flying by the seat of their pants as they bed in their shows and navigate flyering, accommodation, getting changed in a broom cupboard and remembering to eat. With new audiences arriving every day there is always something you could be doing to sell your show, but that’s a positive. Yesterday’s one start review could be tomorrow’s award-winning success. It’s a brilliantly bonkers, beautiful, Behemoth!

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I took ‘An Evening Without Kate Bush’ to the Fringe in 2019 (also playing this August alongside ‘The Silent Treatment’) and was about to start a national tour when lockdown happened. I’m not a frontline worker so I know by contrast my struggle was not comparable. But it was a challenge, losing a year’s work over night. Doing gigs in my living room on Zoom and making money where I could gave me a renewed appreciation for a live audience. I’m very grateful I was able to create online content but when I was invited to share ‘The Silent Treatment’ online I decided not to. The show is about voice loss and explores what it feels like to stand in front of an audience knowing you might not be able to make a sound. The inspiration for the show came in Edinburgh when I lost my voice for 24 hours and I knew I wanted to return to the scene of the crime. The audacity of doing the show here spurred me on to continue making it.

Tell us about your show.

‘The Silent Treatment’ is my first truly autobiographical story about my historic struggles with sporadic voice loss. There is a lot of shame around singers and their voices, with performers afraid to open up about their experience for fear they will be thought of as a liability. As it happened there was a medical reason for mine and I was able to seek help. But along the journey I discovered so much more about who I was and how my body had been protecting me for years.

This really is the show I shouldn’t be making because I was advised very strongly by industry professionals that speaking out about my experience would reflect negatively on me – well that was a red rag to a bull! I hope by sharing my story I can help others tell theirs and feel less shame.

After 6 years of thinking about it, I begun work in late 2019 and shared a very tentative 20 minute version to a handful of trusted friends who all belong to the Authentic Artist Collective (https://www.authenticartist.co.uk). The brilliant Sioned Jones, who is a terrific actor in her own right, was there and she gave me some really helpful feedback. I knew at once she was the right person to direct my show and was delighted when she said yes.

Although the subject matter is serious I wanted the piece to have humour and levity too and we share a similar sense of the absurd which sealed the deal. Sioned has helped keep me on track and brought her gifts of imagination and movement to the rehearsal room. It may be my story but I feel ‘The Silent Treatment’ is as much hers as it is mine.

When we had to pause making it over lockdown we kept talking and worked on an audio version which then developed into this final version you’ll see at Summerhall this year.

The final piece of the jigsaw was brining the fantastic Christopher Ash in to create the sound design and co-write the songs with me. I met Chris through Showstopper! (The Oliver Award-winning musical improvisation group I was a member of for over 10 years) and we had also worked together on a production of ‘The Show Queen’ at Park Theatre London and a new musical ‘The H Word’. He has such a delicate and sensitive approach to music and was the perfect person to realise all the different sound worlds in the show. A lot of the story takes place inside the human body so one moment you’re watching a vaudeville song performed by two cysts and the next you’re inside the human heart.

In the two years it’s taken us to bring ‘The Silent Treatment’ to the Fringe it has evolved, I hope for the better. It isn’t the show it would have been had we shared it in 2020. We’ve done four previews and so far the repose has been terrific. Whenever you make work, especially autobiographical, you have to interrogate why people should care, what’s in it for them? I really wanted to make something which resonated with anyone who has been silenced or shut down, not just me as a singer. I hope I have done that with ‘The Silent Treatment’.

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

There are SO many incredible shows to see!

Top of my list is ‘Kathy And Stella Solve A Murder’ at Summerhall. It’s written by Jon Brittain (Rotterdam) and Matthew Floyd Jones (of Frisky & Mannish) and the cast is to die for. I’m a big fan of Jodie Jacobs.

I’m also making a beeline for ‘Blue And Pip’ from the award-winning writer of ‘Rust’, Helena Fox. They are an exciting artist and it’s described as ‘a modern-day folktale exploring endometriosis, the patriarchal healthcare system and the ebbing of the tides’.

Rather cheekily I have to say ‘Looking For Me Friend: The Music Of Victoria Wood’ which I have directed! It’s a beautiful show starring Paulus and will leave you with a warm hug in your heart.

Check out ‘Ada Camp: Too Little, Too Soon’ for comedy and variety, ‘She/ Her’ for theatre and oh so many shows! I should probably stop now… unless you’re into Kate Bush in which case…

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EdFringe Talk: David Ephgrave: Good Grief

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“I no longer take such basic things for granted. I just wish the Government didn’t treat the creative arts like the less significant sibling to every other industry.”

WHO: David Ephgrave

WHAT: “David nails losing parents, so you don’t have to (NB you’ll still have to). Since David’s childhood, his dad Barry provided frustration and support in equal parts. Even as his health deteriorated, he still brought comedic relief. But when he died, everything imploded and now it’s time for a cathartic debrief.”

WHERE: Just the Tonic at The Caves – Just Up the Road (Venue 88) 

WHEN: 14:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Nein, non, no and other such negative responses: this will be my fourth solo show at Edinburgh and my seventh or eighth once you add in the various things I did as one half of the comic duo Doggett & Ephgrave. The first show we brought up in 2008 was a comedy play I wrote with Glyn called The Balloon Debate, set in the basket of a hot air balloon, 2000 feet about East Anglia. This basket had to be built and dismantled every night in super-quick time as per the fringe tradition and also had to be strong enough to withstand the weight of the chap playing the pilot, who fell out of it towards the end of the show (he did all his own stunts).

We certainly never anticipated the emotional rollercoaster Edinburgh had in store for us that first time or how much money it would cost to do it. And that was fifteen years ago when things were markedly cheaper. I love the Fringe, and there’s no festival like it, but something has to shift before performers can no longer afford to do it. It reached that watershed years ago, to be honest, but it gets more prohibitive with each passing year without throwing in the after-effects of a global pandemic. If I ever meet the guy syphoning off the profits, I’ll shake my fist at them. My money’s on it being Scrooge McDuck though I can’t prove it; those anthropomorphic ducks of Scottish descent are the worst.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Perhaps my most eye-opening realisation was how vulnerable the arts were in the face of something unprecedented like the pandemic. Aspects of my job that I’d never questioned – like whether an audience could legally congregate – were suddenly verboten. And a surprising byproduct of this is my sudden tendency to lapse into German, which I’ve already done twice in this interview; ich weiß nicht.

Before 2019, I spent twelve years running the comedy club Mostly Comedy in my home town of Hitchin that – more by luck than judgment – kept growing in profile and popularity. We recently moved to our biggest venue, which could comfortably seat 300 people, and the rollcall of acts who had played it was just extraordinary. I was even – shock horror – at a point where I could pay myself for what I did without worrying whether the club could afford it. Then Covid hit, and we had to shut our doors for nineteen months and managed two more gigs before closing for good.

None of this was likely before Covid. Now, I no longer take such basic things for granted. I just wish the Government didn’t treat the creative arts like the less significant sibling to every other industry, though with Nadine Dorries as Culture Secretary, this won’t change soon. Her unhinged body language frightens me; she moves like Vincent D’Onofrio’s bug-filled farmer in Men in Black.

Tell us about your show.

My show was written and produced by me and addresses what it was like to lose my dad to cancer in 2019 and then go no contact with my mum to end a cycle of emotional abuse. Both experiences were terrible, though the latter ripped me apart as while with my dad’s illness, there was ostensibly nothing we could do once we’d exhausted his treatment, the circumstances with my mum made me feel equally helpless, despite logic dictating that empathy could fix them. However, this wasn’t the case.

I’m aware that doesn’t sound like the most obvious setup for comedy, but maybe that’s the point. The last show I brought to the Fringe in 2018 was called ‘David Ephgrave: My Part in His Downfall’, which tackled my depression, amongst other things. At the time, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to own up to how much my poor mental health had held me back, but the title I’d chosen had painted me into a corner. In the end, I was glad it did, as the laughs came from a far deeper place. That’s also been the case when previewing material from ‘Good Grief’. And both my parents could be funny, though some of those the humour’s pretty dark. But don’t panic as I approach the tough stuff lightly. You don’t need valium to watch me, though if you suddenly Quantum Leap into my body, I’d recommend it.

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

Every year I recommend Phil Kay as there’s no one like him. He is just the best storyteller and can extract comedy from the most unlikely sources. His sets are a tightrope walk, though when he’s at his best, it’s like you’ve just watched the guy successfully traverse the line between the Twin Towers in ‘Man on Wire’. God, I love him.

Three comics who are also always a treat to watch are Lucy Porter, Anna Morris, and Dan Cook.

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EdFringe Talk: Chelsea Birkby: No More Mr Nice Chelsea

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“This is my first Edinburgh taking a solo show and it feels SO different, like it’s more pressure than taking a split bill with a friend.”

WHO: Chelsea Birkby

WHAT: “Highly anticipated debut from this ‘one to watch’ (FunnyWomen.com), ‘rising star’ (OxInABox.co.uk) and multi-competition finalist. She was ‘innocent’ (Oxford Mail) and ‘adorable’ (MumbleComedy.net) but in this thought-provoking and playful show, she explores the things that aren’t so lovely: sex, drugs and rock’n’roll.”

WHERE: Just the Tonic at The Caves – Just the Spare Room (Venue 88) 

WHEN: 15:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first Edinburgh taking a solo show and it feels SO different, like it’s more pressure than taking a split bill with a friend. Stressing about a comedy show is odd. Last week I was truly spiralling thinking “wow now these Mr Blobby jokes are too close together. I might have to separate them or cut them. Especially already having two MILF jokes I’m pushing it. This is a disaster”. I don’t remember this part of The Artist’s Way.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is iconic for a reason, the biggest and best! Being in Edinburgh in August feels electric. I’m booking a batch of tickets today and I’ve got maybe 100 shows in my faves, and that’s just people I’ve heard of. I can’t wait to see what everyone’s been cooking up the last three years, laugh my socks off and visit Mosque Kitchen a truly alarming amount.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

In the pandemic, I claimed the big lesson I’d learned was to make space to enjoy things. After all that time alone, I was excited to go back to things, but I didn’t want to lose the peace of having time to be present. Anyway, that quickly went in the bin. So probs being flat out in Edi.

Taking a show specifically? Jamie D’Souza and I did a really fun split-bill and I learned: a fun title really helps draw people in, you shouldn’t say “or whatever” after a bucket speech otherwise people won’t feel the pressure to give and I’m wearing less PVC because although it’s waterproof (a plus for Edinburgh), it’s also noisy including when on stage.

Tell us about your show.

No More Mr Nice Chelsea is the stand-up show for YOU if you:
Have ever said “I just don’t get angry”
Get shy saying “sex”
When you drink you do it right, getting slizzered
Agree the Xtina, Britney, Madonna kiss at the VMAs was a defining moment of the last century.
Like to rock out (I’m talked Nickelback, Avril Lavigne, Busted)
Are a silly billy
Like french post-war philosophy
Cry but like to party
Wear pleather

I wrote it! And I am thankful to every audience who helped steer it by laughing and all my friends in comedy who’ve workshopped it with me. Soho Theatre Labs have helped develop the show too.

My last preview will be in my flat with my friends and family, like when you’re 9 and you’ve written a play in your room and make everyone watch it.

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

I am very excited to see Crizards: Cowboys, having seen them do shorter spots. I loved Will Rowlands’s 2019 solo show which was off-beat and stunning and one of my faves that year, and Eddy Hare is always hilarious. They’re a low-energy double act and best friends and this time they’re cowboys and there are songs and hats!

I can’t go and see Eric Rushton: I Had a Dream and You Were All In It because we clash (time-wise, not politically as far as I know).I love his act, it’s so unusual. It’s thoughtful and yet a little laddy, he’s so sincere but playful. And I’ve seen him trying some jokes for the show in like clubs at the weekend and wow they’re about some heavy stuff sometimes but people are cracking up and they just shine! So you have to go for me and tell me what I’m missing out on.

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EdFringe Talk: Pierre Novellie: Why Can’t I Just Enjoy Things?

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“Even in a global pandemic, no one ever really quits comedy.”

WHO: Pierre Novellie

WHAT: “Before the plague and WW3 I was a chortling, apple-cheeked blacksmith and now I am a scowling wretch in a tattered cloak. The show is observational comedy for people who think they don’t like observational comedy. A mixture of high-brow and low-brow references from five-star receiving, award-winning, hit-podcasting, Frank Skinner-supporting Pierre Novellie.”

WHERE: Monkey Barrel Comedy – Monkey Barrel 1 (Venue 515) 

WHEN: 18:10 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It’s my 12th Edinburgh Fringe and my seventh solo hour of stand up. I have almost lived a year of summers inside the Fringe and my only year off since I was 18 was the covid year. It’s huge and mind-bending and amazing but also lonely and expensive and stressful.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

The amount of effort expended on getting a show ready for the fringe is equivalent to writing a full novel, a one hour pilot script and several pitches, minimum. Even in a global pandemic, no one ever really quits comedy. Some opportunities will never come back so they are best embraced when they appear.

Tell us about your show.

I’m a stand up comedian so I wrote it and I’m in it. My producer is the great writer/producer Katie Storey. I’ve been previewing it and fiddling it for months and months and ideally it will do a London run and maybe some one-night performances around the country, who knows.

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

You should see Jess Fostekew, Glenn Moore, Garrett Millerick, Sara Barron, Alex Kealy – screw it, anyone st Monkey Barrel.

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EdFringe Talk: Are You Being Murdered?

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“Like many people I’ve realised how cluttered my life is with “things” and how much better I feel getting rid of many of them that I don’t need.”

WHO: Arthur Bostrom

WHAT: “World premiere of a new murder mystery starring Arthur Bostrom (‘Allo ‘Allo!) set in the golden age of BBC sitcoms, from the acclaimed Father Brown writer David Semple. A supporting artist’s job is to be invisible, inscrutable, and not to pull focus from the stars… and Jamie Button does his best to follow these rules, until he witnesses a murder on the set of a popular sitcom. Extra turns detective, stepping into the limelight. As events unravel and the culprit fears detection by this amateur sleuth, could it be that Jamie has spoken his last ‘rhubarb’?”

WHERE: Pleasance at EICC – Cromdale Theatre (Venue 150) 

WHEN: Varies (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my third time as a performer. I appeared on the Fringe in 1975 and 1976 as part of Durham University’s Edinburgh Fringe Theatre Company. I performed in revues, plays and a one man show “Des Esseintes”, the experience of which made me decide to become a professional actor. So Edinburgh Fringe was very much my launchpad. I’ve been back several time as a show watcher.

What’s special about EdFringe for me is the excitement. It’s huge event where you can see so many different types of artistic expression. I always come away inspired. I believe EdFringe has grown and grown precisely because of this mix. You can see the greats, such as Sir Ian McKellen, and next door maybe someone who’s just starting. It’s unmatched anywhere else in the world I believe.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I’ve had a long time to think and mull during the pandemic years when, for the most part, I couldn’t work as an actor. Before 2020 I had been wondering if I still wanted to be an actor, after 42 years. During that time I realised I still did. I’ve realised the things and people I’m grateful are in my life. Also I’ve finally learned that great lesson to control things that are within my power to change for the better, and stop mourning things that I cannot do anything about: Brexit, the pandemic, governments, people’ behaviours etc. A long list. I’ve learned I can’t hang on to every one of my friends. Some have left my life, appropriately. Like many people I’ve realised how cluttered my life is with “things” and how much better I feel getting rid of many of them that I don’t need. If I ever did need them. This is a “work in progress”. I’m away working on this play, living out of a suitcase for weeks. All I’m missing from home are some paintings I love. There.

Tell us about your show.

“Are You Being Murdered?” is a one man play acted by me, written by David Semple, and produced by Seabright Productions. It’s set in the 1970s and features me playing the character of Jamie Button, a supporting artist on the famous BBC Comedy “Are You Being Served?” It’s an affectionate, funny story from that time, with also a touch of Marple and Poirot thrown in as I also solve a murder. It came about as I had appeared as a guest on the BBC series “Father Brown”, an episode written by David Semple, the writer of this show. We had met briefly on location six years ago, and in June 2021 he emailed me literally out of the blue to inform me that he had written me a one man show. At no point had he contacted me before. Later that day, he sent what was the 4th draft, I loved it, wanted to do it, and here we are doing it- through extraordinary synchronistic paths .David Semple had suggested Seabright Productions, and I found that that Tom O’Connell was now a co-producer there – I had had a very happy association with him in 2016 on a touring play and he was very happy to take on this play. Such warm and enthusiastic connections . We are premiering it at five performances at the Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne, from July 28th – 31st before heading up to the EICC in Edinburgh. We are hoping to tour the production in the rest of 2022 and into 2023 as there is interest from UK venues.

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

I’d like to plug the show Megalith, by Mechanimal, which features a friend and super all round actor Charles Sandford. You can find it at Zoo August 5 -28. It’ll be physical, exciting and thought-provoking I know.

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EdFringe Talk: Afghanistan Is Not Funny by Henry Naylor

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2022 by

“I think I probably started coming here back in the 1830s when George IV was still King.”

WHO: Henry Naylor: Writer/Performer/Co-Producer

WHAT: “In 2002, whilst researching a comedy, triple-Fringe First winner Henry Naylor and two-time Scottish Press Photographer of the Year Sam Maynard, went to the Afghan war zone. An extraordinary tale ensued in which they were threatened by a war criminal, captured by the Mujahideen and nearly blown up by the Taliban. Performed by Naylor himself, the show takes us back to the start of the modern Afghan tragedy. It comes direct from the Adelaide Fringe, where it won twelve five-star reviews and two major awards. European Premiere.”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Teviot – Dining Room (Venue 14) 

WHEN: 16:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Aag. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been to the Edinburgh fringe; I think I probably started coming here back in the 1830s when George IV was still King. No, seriously, this is probably my 20th year. I started out doing comedy sketch shows with my buddy Andy Parsons; but in more recent years have been a playwright. I’ve certainly done seven plays in the last eight fringes.

I tend to do the same venue every year, at the same time-slot – so people know where to find me! (The Gilded Balloon Teviot Dining Room at 4pm). I know the room well and know how to make it work. It’s also nice to keep returning to the same space: like coming home.

Every year feels different, depending on how your show is going down. On those magic years when your show is a hit, there’s nothing better on Earth.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I think for many artists, we’ve been stuck in our houses, unable to socialise, and it’s forced us to be introspective. I expect there to be a lot more shows this year where the performers are mining themselves. Digging deep into their characters.

So I guess the work will be more introspective than usual… but that can produce interesting Art. If creatives have mined themselves honestly, they could have tapped a greater profoundity.

Also, many of us have been spending two years to come up with the shows. That’s a lot of time in the development of an artist. Expect quite a few artists to have taken dramatic twists in their style. I’m anticipating surprises from the more established acts this year.

For my part I have returned to performing. I’ve only performed in one show in the last 15 years at the Fringe. This year I’m doing my first-ever solo show. And I’m loving it.

Tell us about your show.

My show is called Afghanistan Is Not Funny. For an hour, I tell the story of my, and my brilliantly talented photographer friend Sam Maynard’s, trip to Afghanistan straight after the war in 2002.

We were researching a play I was writing for the Fringe at the time, called Finding Bin Laden. We were completely naïve. We turned up in a war zone taking photos and meeting all sorts of Afghans, refugees, landmine-victims, warlords, soldiers, Ex-Talibanis.,, We nearly got killed a couple of times, we narrowly missed a landmine, we were threatened with execution by a war criminal… we were even kidnapped by the mujahedin… And we have the photographic evidence of Sam’s brilliant photographic slides to back up the story.

I’m excited about it; previews at the Adelaide and Hollywood Fringes went well. We won a Best Theatre award at Adelaide, and Best International Act at Hollywood fringe. So it should be good!

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

Torch Theatre’s multi-award winning show called Grav is returning to the Fringe. It’s about Welsh rugby legend Ray Gravell, and was a big hit a few years ago. You don’t have to be a rugby fan to enjoy it, though, and the actor Gareth Bale, is a real talent. Should be great.

Torch Theatre is doing its version of one of my plays ‘Angel.’ The show won the Fringe First back in 2016, and I’m told that theirs is an excellent production. The actress Yasemin Özdemir is meant to be extraordinary in it. I’d love to be able to see it – but the show’s on at 4pm – which is the same time as me!

Stand-up Marcus Birdman will be doing a show about how he had a stroke. He’s always a really interesting performer anyway, but I think his subject matter this year will be particularly challenging and interesting.

There’s a show called The Gods, The Gods, The Gods at Assembly which should be good; the team behind it have consistently produced interesting work.

And finally, one of my good friends, Mike Blaha is performing his first ever Edinburgh show. It’s a spoof academic lecture called, “Spanking The Monkey: The Etymology of Onanistic Euphemisms.” He’s a very eloquent and intelligent guy – so heaven knows what he’s come up with!!

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