Category Archives: EdFestivals 2022

All our coverage from the 2022 festivals.

EdFringe Talk: Elf Lyons: Raven

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2022 by

“It is one of the most exciting places to spend a month and take risks – especially when seeing all the amazing alternative talent that you might miss on a usual commercial line-up or panel show on TV.”

WHO: Elf Lyons

WHAT: “Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Show nominee Elf Lyons floats to the Fringe with her new horrifying comedy show inspired by Stephen King. Part mad clown comedy spectacle, part Hammer horror. Elf becomes your own personal Pennywise as she merges horror techniques with old school storytelling to make you laugh and shiver in equal measure. Don’t be a Misery, get a glass of red rum, bring your pal Tony and laugh with Elf forever and ever. ‘Silly, touching and catastrophic’ **** (Sunday Times). ‘Lyons has genuine funnybones’ (Chortle.co.uk). As seen on ITV2, Dave and BBC Three.”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Teviot – Dining Room (Venue 117) 

WHEN: 20:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No. I’ve been almost every year since I was 18. It is one of the most exciting places to spend a month and take risks – especially when seeing all the amazing alternative talent that you might miss on a usual commercial line-up or panel show on TV. There are so many talented clowns and physical performers this year – especially from L’ Ecole Gaulier, which I would recommend!

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

Chances are you are dehydrated and you just need to eat a vegetable and have a power nap.

Tell us about your show.

It is written, created and made by me. I hire a rehearsal room, throw loads of shit around (sometimes metaphorically, sometimes literally) and see what sticks and makes me happy. You have to challenge yourself.

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

There are so many amazing shows at this year’s Edfringe. If you like my style of comedy (and why would you be on here if you didn’t you weirdo?) then here are a few that I would definitely recommend that you check out and see. These guys are eccentric, unique, alternative and just all brilliant.

3am Brain – George Dimarelos .- Lovely man from Australia who is a book nerd and knows a lot about economics.

Amelia Baylor: Greatest Hits – Brings the Vibe in a way that makes you feel like a feminist and empowered manic pixie dream.

Amy Matthews: Moreover, the Moon – Go and see this woman for her style alone and then be jealous of both her comedy skills and her dress sense.

Andy Field – Best I-Shit-Myself-story ever.

Ben Moor and Joanna Neary: BookTalkBookTalkBook- This is art and this is what the fringe is ABOUT. Please go.

Britney – Friends and Nothing More – They have a sketch about Stephen King and Tabitha King. Need I say more?

Cerys Bradley: Sportsperson-Phenomenal funny legend directed by the phenomenal funny Joz Norris.

Christian Blighty: Playboy- Clown Madness with too many props. Crone – Horror comedy by one of the best physical theatre performers I’ve seen in yonks.

Crybabies: BagBeard – Good long eggs with silliness galore.

Davina Bentley: Never Again 2- Characters. Charisma. Nerve and So MUCH Talent.

Diane Chorley: Down the Flick – You just have to go.

Frankie Thompson: Catts- This woman is a future artist that Performance Art Grads will write their thesis about.

Garrett Millerick: Just Trying to Help- You can’t get better stand up.

Garry Starr: Greece Lightning- His dance as Atlas is one of the silliest things I’ve ever seen. We once did a naked Hamlet together on stage. See this man.

God Damn Fancy Man- AWESOME.

Grant Buse: SentiMENTAL!- We used to live together and he has gorgeous hair and a gorgeous voice and filthy jokes. Not Tim Minchin.

Harriet Dyer: Trigger Warning. Frankly if this does not win every award and get the accolades it deserves the whole fringe is flawed.

Isabelle Farah: Irresponsabelle- I wish I had been able to see this woman live on stage when I was growing up because she is inspiring and funny as hell.

Jazz Emu: You shouldn’t have- Silliness and Garth Marenghi oddity to the ecore.

Jen Ives: Peak Trans- You have to love Jen Ives. She’s ON it.

John Robertson: The Dark Room- He is Cult.

If you want to be cult, see JR. Jordan Brookes- No one can sit on a chair like him. Go to see him sit on a chair.

Jordan Gray: Is it a Bird? – She is a goddess that makes your heart soar and your stomach muscles churn from laughing.

Josh Glanc: Vroom Vroom- SUCH A FUNNY SILLY STUPID ONE MAN SKETCH SHOW FROM ONE OF THE KINDEST MEN IN THE WORLD.

Joz Norris: Blink – There is only one Joz Norris.

Julia Masli: CHOOSH! – Clown silliness from the doe eyed princess Julia Masli.

Katie Pritchard: Disco Ball – You can’t help but feel giddy with euphoria from seeing Katie and her joyous musical comedy.

Laura Davis: If This Is It. Laura loves plants, loves brioche, loves life and her comedy is like a beautiful couture gown with how it is woven together.

Lauren Pattison: It Is What It Is. Lauren should be Prime Minister because there is no one so on it as she is. She is the word EUREKA in one person.

Lily Phillips: Smut. Smut. So much smut. The Lovely Boys. These boys make me cry laughing every time. I just cannot.

Luke Rollason: Bowerbird. TOO MANY PROPS and a very good mime.

Maisie Adam: Buzzed. Her engagement story had me crying with laughter. She’s like how I imagine all The Losers Club would be in one person and that is a big compliment.

Mary O’Connell: There’s Something Wrong With Mary. Mary had be aching with laughter when I saw her at a gig the other day. She is as sharp as a knife Kathy Bates would use.

Michelle Brasier; Average Bear. Heard so so so many things about this show. Cannot wait to see her. Naughty. Just from witnessing this angel on stage at one of my clown courses, I know this is going to be super.

Nikki Hartung: Love, Pierre. Again, another student from one of my clown courses. Nikki entranced me then and no doubt will entrance you on stage.

Norris & Parker: Sirens. These women take sketch to places it should not go and I love them for it.

Paul Foot: Swan Power. I mean, if you don’t know who Paul Foot is… where have you been?

Phil Ellis: Hedgehog. Phil is chaos and will probably breach all health and safety rules in the process of his set.

Pierre Novellie: Why Can’t I Just Enjoy Things? Such an acerbic and nuanced comedian.

Richard Brown: Horror Show. Never seen Richard but I have heard awesome things and this sounds awesome.

Richard Stott: Afterparty. SOLID GOOD EGG THIS ONE.

Rosie Holt: The Woman’s Hour (I directed this one). Character comedy that is razor sharp.

Ryan Lane Will Be There Now In A Minute. Oh go on. Go. If you saw Hilda and The Spectrum then you need to see this. No one can do characters like Ryan.

Sami Abu Wardeh: Bedu. Physical clown fun.

Seayonce: Res-Erection. Silly AND sexy? What!?

Shelf: Hair. My god children. Had to include them.

Sikisa: Life of the Party. Sikisa is god. Siblings: Siblage. Siblings on stage. What isn’t to love?

Sooz Kempner: PlayStation. Sooz is the most loveable nerd queen of us all.

Susan Riddell: Living My 2nd Best Life. Every time I see Susan on stage I fall more in love with her.

Tom Crosbie: Nerd’s Eye View. Keep thinking about what this man can do with a Rubik’s cube.

The Ugly Animal Preservation Society. Technically a mixed bill but Simon Watt who runs this is ace and deserves praise for such a dynamic concept.

Vidura Bandara Rajapaksa. Has a joke on Portugal that kills me.

Vittorio Angelone: Translations. Seen this guy do some very exciting alternative short sets so interested to see his full hour.

Where’s Your Head At? Faye is divine AND has a trumpet.

Will Duggan: Iceberg. Will is to comedy what a strong oak tree is to a forest.

Yasmine Day: Songs In The Key Of Me. Always cry laughing watching Yasmine.

Yuriko Kotani: Kaiju About. The way Yuriko plays with rhythm on stage is a delight.

Zach Zucker: Spectacular Industry Showcase, Paid me to include him on this list.

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EdFringe Talk: Man Shed

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2022 by

“Described as the “quintessential fringe show.” Edinburgh is the biggest arts festival in the world and the best. The variety of acts and talent is staggering.”

WHO: Euan Martin: Writer

WHAT: “Can a man find his purpose when he grows older and all the major life events come thick and fast? Should he retire to the solitude of The Shed and escape from the world, or get out and try something new? When familiar rules no longer apply, is it too late to change the habits of a lifetime? Inspired by the work of the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association, Man Shed is a one-man theatre piece by Right Lines Productions which explores the joy of sheds, the pain of loss and the comfort of friendship.”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker One (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 14:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

We visited the Fringe in 2008 with the interactive comedy ceilidh show The Accidental Death of an Accordionist. Described as the “quintessential fringe show.” Edinburgh is the biggest arts festival in the world and the best. The variety of acts and talent is staggering. I’ve been coming for 40 years and never fail to find some gem of a show. The pressure is on as a producer with all the competition!

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

Don’t despair! Live theatre was simply not possible for a long time due to the pandemic, so we concentrated on working up ideas for new shows. It was great to have some clear time to write, as opposed to spending time on admin for upcoming tours!

Tell us about your show.

Man Shed was written by Euan Martin and directed by Dave Smith. Dave and Euan run Right Lines Productions, the company producing the show. Right Lines has been writing, producing and touring original theatre productions for 20 years. The first show under the Right Lines banner was Who Bares Wins, a comedy inspired by the exploits of the Naked Rambler. It starred Ron Emslie who also stars in Man Shed.

Man Shed was due to tour in May 2020, but the pandemic intervened. This is the world premiere outing of the show. We aim to get the show back up and running for a spring tour in Scotland/UK in 2023.

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

Nightlands, dogstar theatre at Summerhall. Another Highland theatre company. Always produce challenging, thought provoking work. Sandy Brechin Band, Merchant’s Hall. Brilliant accordionist, Sandy’s wit and repartee makes this show not to miss. Men With Coconuts Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose. Great musical improv troupe. Pleasance National Partnerships programme acts at the Pleasance!

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EdFringe Talk: The Bubble Show

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“I have performed at Fringe Festivals as far as New Zealand and Edinburgh is by far the largest and greatest fringe in the world.”

WHO: The Bubble Man

WHAT: “Join Mr Bubbles with his extraordinary soap bubbles in all shapes and sizes! Enjoy bouncy bubbles, bubbles inside bubbles, smoke bubbles, square bubbles, giant bubbles and even fire bubbles! Interactive and suitable for all ages, The Bubble Show is a unique blend of magic, storytelling, science and bubble art! Actor, storyteller and Guinness World Record holder, The Highland Joker is one of the top bubble artists in the world. He is returning to Edinburgh Festival Fringe with his international award-winning performance! Join us as we journey together through the realms of Bubbleland!”

WHERE: Assembly George Square Gardens – Piccolo (Venue 3) 

WHEN: 10:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Super excited to be back in Edinburgh with The Bubble Show at Assembly Festival, George Square. Last time I was in Edinburgh with The Bubble Show was in 2019. Before that I used to perform street bubbles at the Fringe. I have performed at Fringe Festivals as far as New Zealand and Edinburgh is by far the largest and greatest fringe in the world.

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

I used a lot of past two years, experimenting with my Bubble Art, developing new ideas, and rehearsing. Very much looking forward to bringing back some bubble fun to Edinburgh this summer.

Tell us about your show.

The Bubble Show is a family show, aimed at children 3-12, it’s a blend of storytelling, magic, science and bubble art. The show is always super popular, because bubbles are a universal thing of beauty. They are so simple yet so spiritual and profound. The show it lots of fun.

It is a one man show, produced and performed by Eran The Bubbles man, one of the top bubble artistes in the world.

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

If you really love bubbles! Go and see the other bubble shows. My friends Kurt & Iulia perform Bubble Show for Adults Only. This is a late night show, not for the faint of heart!

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EdFringe Talk: Caitlin

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“I lost my mother to Covid in December 2020 and suffered all that went with losing someone precious at that time. So I decided to say “YES” more. Don’t be afraid. Take risks. Do a one woman show and make my Edinburgh debut at 56. That’s what I have learnt.”

WHO: Christine Kempell

WHAT: “Before Dylan Thomas died at the tender age of 39, he and his bohemian wife, Caitlin, binged and brawled their way round the bars of Britain in the 1930s and 40s. In this one woman show, Caitlin Macnamara tells the story in her own brutally honest words about her stormy, skint, passionate, booze-fuelled, infidelity-riddled marriage to the selfish, tragic genius and of her own unfulfilled ambitions. ‘He had his poetry. He was a poet. You will have heard of him. And Caitlin Macnamara? Chances are if you’ve heard of me, it’s because I married him.’”

WHERE: Greenside @ Infirmary Street – Ivy Studio (Venue 236) 

WHEN: 19:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first time as a performer at Edinburgh fringe. I have been before as a punter and also as a reviewer but this is my first time on stage in Edinburgh and I am thrilled to be part of the 75th anniversary festivities. I’m looking forward to seeing as many of the shows at Greenside Venues as I can as well as catching some of my favourite comedy acts. I’m also looking forward to hopefully meeting up with people I haven’t seen for years to let them know I am still alive and still doing it. I have just finished a run at Brighton fringe festival so I’m hoping I get similar support from audiences in Edinburgh.

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

I think my appreciation of everything has been amplified since 2019. Being with my family, meeting friends, going out for meals, going to the theatre, going to live gigs are all wondrous to me now but also being in the small moments more and constantly thanking the universe for where we are and not where we have been for the last two years. I hope we never have to go back. I lost my mother to Covid in December 2020 and suffered all that went with losing someone precious at that time. So I decided to say “YES” more. Don’t be afraid. Take risks. Do a one woman show and make my Edinburgh debut at 56. That’s what I have learnt. One great big sod it.

Tell us about your show.

Caitlin is a one woman play about Dylan Thomas’s wife and her turbulent life with the poet, told entirely from her perspective with brutal honesty. It was written by Mike Kenny back in 2003. I saw my friend Helen Griffen in a reprised production in 2014 and thought at the time Caitlin was a part I’d love to have a crack at. My old friend from Carmarthen Youth Opera days, Steve Elias is directing it. Steve has been in 25 West End shows so he knows what he’s doing and he was also the choreographer and presenter on My Dancing Town. Caitlin was a dancer so Steve has me jumping around all over the place. There are normally bruises so I am predicting to be black and blue after performance no 12. We have been at Brighton fringe, Theatrau Sir Gar’s Glowyr and Ffwrnes theatres, and we’re at the London Welsh Centre and Blackwood Miners Institute in October. And Edinburgh of course.

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

You have to go and see Siblings as they are hilarious and when I saw them in Brighton (again!) recently they had another act with them- Sami. He’s got his own show in Edinburgh and he’s also incredibly funny. If clowning and physical comedy are your thing you should definitely go and if it’s not- check it out anyway. I predict you’ll be howling with laughter.

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EdFringe Talk: Ania Magliano: Absolutely No Worries If Not

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“This is my first time doing an hour of stand up! I’ve been up to the festival before in a variety of other contexts (working as a receptionist, doing a sketch show, doing tech for other shows) but I imagine this will be a pretty different experience.”

WHO: Ania Magliano

WHAT: “50% Polish, 50% Italian, 100% legend. Ania Magliano’s debut show tackles the stuff that matters: Lush, horse girls and buying a cat off Gumtree. Winner of the Leicester Comedy Festival Best New Show 2022. Writer for Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Date. As seen on The Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV2) and Dave Online. ‘Already has the cool, calm and collected stage presence of a standup veteran’ (Guardian). ‘A finesse usually seen after decades in the game’ (DIVA). Come if you want to, but absolutely no worries if not.”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker Three (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 16:35 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Thoughts on festivals experienced as a producer v. experienced as a punter etc.)

This is my first time doing an hour of stand up! I’ve been up to the festival before in a variety of other contexts (working as a receptionist, doing a sketch show, doing tech for other shows) but I imagine this will be a pretty different experience. Finally I’ll get the chance to talk for an hour uninterrupted!

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

I’ve written a long diary entry after every Fringe I’ve done, and each time I look back on them they make me cringe to my very core. In terms of general life lessons since 2019, I’ve started therapy so I reckon I’m pretty much sorted personality wise?

Tell us about your show.

My show is written and performed by me, who I’ve had a long and tumultuous working relationship with. It’s being produced by Country Mile Productions and I’ve had creative help from Jordan Brookes – I don’t throw the words ‘dream team’ around lightly but this is it! In October I’m doing a week at the Soho Theatre in London, and Aberystwyth Comedy Festival.

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

Chloe Petts for an hour of fantastic stand up and fantastic vibes. Crizards for a really wonderful and hilarious Cowboy themed show with songs that I’ve had stuck in my head since I first saw it in May. Nic Sampson for a very funny, very well performed show about RUNNING! Leo Reich for comedy so good I can’t put it into words. Sophie Duker, need I say more!!!!!!! I’m also super excited to see Olga Koch’s new show as I’ve loved every other one she’s done. And Snort is the best and most fun improv show.

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EdFringe Talk: Daniel Muggleton: Oh, More Mr White Guy?

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2022 by

“It’s easy to forget to eat during Fringe and things still close relatively early in Edinburgh.”

WHO: Daniel Muggleton

WHAT: “Daniel Muggleton is an Australian stand-up comedian wearing a tracksuit. His debut special, Let’s Never Hang Out, aired multiple times on ABC Comedy and is now streaming on Prime Video. He’s been hand-picked to support Jim Jefferies, Tom Stade and Steve Hofstetter on tour, was selected as one of Four Great Free Fringe Shows by The Scotsman in 2019 and his stand-up clips have millions of views online. ‘A foul-mouthed prophet’ ***** (Advertiser, Adelaide). ‘Never preachy… deceptively smart’ **** (Chortle.co.uk).”

WHERE: Laughing Horse @ The Counting House – The Lounge (Venue 170) 

WHEN: 19:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No, but it’s the first time since 2019 which feels like a very long time when you’re used to going every single year. It’s also the first time I really wasn’t planning to go… and then changed my mind last minute. So this is a real test, because if it’s a disaster I’ll never do anything impulsive again. That actually seems like kind of a rash decision in itself, so you can see how much I have riding on this month.

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

I’ve learned that as a person with a moustache, people treat you very differently when wearing a face mask. It feels like I’m cat-fishing the world. I have also learned that it’s actually not that easy to get someone pregnant, meaning I was pulling out unnecessarily for years.

Tell us about your show.

I’m a stand-up comedian so I did everything you’re describing. I also did it without government grants, bursaries or prizes and expect to make money from the show, like a good capitalist. I’ve done the show at Australian festivals in the front half of 2022, and will tour it regionally from September… after that I’ll film it and put it on YouTube and then move on with my life.

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

After they’ve seen my show it will be about 8:15pm, so I reckon maybe grab a bite to eat? It’s easy to forget to eat during Fringe and things still close relatively early in Edinburgh. After that I reckon Bobby Mair is a good bet, if you’re willing to consider the next day as ‘after’ then there’s also Red Richardson and Garry Starr is an Australian act who smashed in domestically in 2022.

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EdFringe Talk: Boorish Trumpson

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“I love discovering bizarre and inspiring work that defies genre – it feels like it re-inspires and reinvigorates your own creative juices.”

WHO: Claire Parry

WHAT: “#MakeMusicGreatAgain. You are the orchestra. Boorish Trumpson is your rehearsal-conductor. Just your rehearsal conductor… just for one rehearsal… absolutely no other ambitions. None. Nope. ‘Fantastic performance’ **** (TheWeeReview.com). ‘Irrepressible’ **** (List). ‘Hilarious’ **** (FeministFringeReviews.wordpress.com). ‘Phenomenal’ (Chortle.co.uk). ‘A Masterpiece of a chef-d’oeuvre’ ***** (Boorish Trumpson). An interactive, music and clowning-filled interrogation of power and those who wield it from critically acclaimed Lecoq-trained clown Claire Parry.”

WHERE: Assembly Rooms – Front Room (Venue 20) 

WHEN: 15:30 (70 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my 5th time as a performer! I first came in the year after uni, then returned with professional ambitions in the interactive, immersive show Eden Gate (I’m going to say it – a cult hit. I’ve never felt so mildly famous). Then a few years later I came with my first professional solo show Intolerable Side Effects and now I’m back with Boorish Trumpson for the whole run after doing just a week last year! I’ve also been twice as a punter for the weekend – definitely the more relaxing way to do it compared to keeping on top of all the admin, ticket sales, flyering and performing. But I keep coming back for more! I think my favourite thing about the fringe is how many brilliant and completely unique shows you can see whilst up here – it’s the reason I dared to train in physical theatre (arguably still not a financially viable career choice…) and I love discovering bizarre and inspiring work that defies genre – it feels like it re-inspires and reinvigorates your own creative juices. It’s also amazing to meet so many artists, especially as a solo artist who usually sits at home alone…

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

In 2019 I did in two shows a day, including all the production and marketing for one and a lot of flyering. It took quite a toll on my energy and I don’t think I was always in the best place. Last year when I was there for just a week flyering was banned – it was AMAZING. It took so much pressure off and I felt so much better before performing each show. This year I’ve put budget aside to get a flyerer to help me out – I’m figuring out my limits and what putting on the show realistically costs rather than thinking I have to do EVERYTHING and not pay for anything. The other amazing thing – I treated myself! With my fave honey, lemon and ginger drink before each show! In 2019 I would have considered that a frivolous no no (I’m on the extreme end of ‘self-disciplined’ when it comes to not spending money). I think I’ve learnt that actually there’s a balance and it’s important to allow myself to spend on what is going to keep me healthy as a performer, both mentally and physically for the month. I’ll still be having packed lunches though…

Tell us about your show.

Boorish Trumpson is a mad clowning and music filled solo show about a power figure who’s after power for power’s sake over principles but transposed into the world of an orchestra. Boorish Trumpson is the rehearsal conductor on a power grab and the audience are cast as the orchestra – it is very interactive and the script is full of verbatim Boris Johnson and Donald Trump quotes in a bit of send up of these types of leaders whilst the political questions rumble underneath – how complicit are we in their rise?

I wrote it following seeing my mum’s community choir concert – I thought the conductor looked so funny and so powerful conducting all these different groups – it felt like a setting ripe for adding in a bit of physical theatre and political satire! I have also been helped immensely by my dreamy dramaturg/co-directors Alex Prescot and Lily Levinson, clown extraordinaire Lisa Berg and my sound designer Fizz Margereson – they helped me devise the piece in the room (following several months of mulling and failed funding applications…which at least helped clarify my ideas!) and offered brilliant feedback following WIPs to help it grow. I brought the team together as I’ve worked with them all before and really wanted their combination of skills on this project. Following the fringe I’d love to tour Boorish Trumpson – no specific plans yet but I’ve invited industry along to the show to kickstart plans. I’m ready for a chat, programmers…

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

Oh there are so many shows I’m excited to see!! Clem Bogg-Hargroves is brilliant in SKANK at Pleasance – the laughs and the feels all at once. I am very excited for Jo Griffin, People Person, too – she’s doing a solo show for the first time following many years at the fringe as an amazing sketch duo. I have also been waiting since 2019 to see Ryan Lane’s solo show Will Be There Now In A Minute – I’ve heard his characters are brilliant and he won the Soho Rising award. It All by Cameron Cook is also an absurd and completely mesmerising piece of solo theatre that needs to be on your list. So looks like I have a thing for solo shows…and a final one for that list is the hilarious Frankie Thompson clowning around in Catts! I’m also very excited to check out Runesical by Gigglemug, who also wrote the brilliant and v funny Timpson the musical! There’s 8 whole people in that one I think. And finally, if I were a child (which I basically am) I’d see Strictly Come Barking by Jon and Ollie who are hilarious. A family show which I will be taking my fringe family to see.

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EdFringe Talk: Dedication

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2022 by

“It’s a very personal show about reclaiming my family who perished in the Holocaust. Especially my uncle Norbert Stern – the finest pianist in Belgium until he was murdered at Auschwitz at age 21.”

WHO: Roger Peltzman

WHAT: “‘The past isn’t dead, it’s not even past’ (William Faulkner). New York pianist Roger Peltzman’s one–person show, Dedication, recounts his family’s tragic history fleeing the Nazis in war–torn Europe using drama, powerful images and musical performances of everything from blues to Chopin. Drawn into the story of people he never knew, Peltzman develops a ‘relationship’ with his uncle, Norbert Stern, a brilliant pianist who was murdered in Auschwitz at age 21. Learning that Holocaust trauma can be inherited, Peltzman is able to come to terms with himself and a past that becomes present.”

WHERE: Greenside @ Nicolson Square – Emerald Theatre (Venue 209) 

WHEN: 19:45(60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes. We originally were going to come in 2020, before Covid. This is Dedication’s world premier – and we couldn’t be more thrilled that it’s at this year’s Fringe! Where else are there 1,000,000 theatre lovers gathered in one spot? Where can you basically have a month run and be seen by reviewers and presenters? Plus lovely Edinburgh!

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

To keep plugging along. Improve the show….do more drafts etc. The lesson is to take a terrible situation and adapt by using the extra time to your advantage.

Tell us about your show.

The show is produced, written and performed by me – New York City pianist Roger Peltzman. It’s a very personal show about reclaiming my family who perished in the Holocaust. Especially my uncle Norbert Stern – the finest pianist in Belgium until he was murdered at Auschwitz at age 21. I fell his presence everyday when I practice. He encourages me to play faster – or scolds me to play more beautifully! It also deals with over-coming 2nd generation trauma. Music, the determination to tell my mother’s escape story and remembrance for my murdered family – all help me to persevere.

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

Fallen Rose by Buzz Box Theatre is a political play about the White Rose movement in Nazi Germany. Young students who stood up to the murderous regime. Their story of courage always gets to me.

Pianodrome is an absolutely unique venue. It’s an in-the-round amphitheatre, made entirely from up-cycled pianos! They have plenty of piano concerts and cutting edge music.

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EdFringe Talk: Closure

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2022 by

“As a theatre maker, the Edinburgh Fringe feels like a real bucket list moment.”

WHO: Faye Draper

WHAT: “Why be the bigger person when you can be the last one standing? Ink and Curtains make their Edinburgh debut hot on the heels of their first national tour with this tale of a dinner party with a dark secret. Alex and Laura quickly learn that their friend Mia may not let them all leave alive. Closure wields dark comedy and vicious catharsis to explore feminine rage, women’s rights and – more importantly – women’s wrongs.”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Baby Grand (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 15:10 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes it is! As a theatre maker, the Edinburgh Fringe feels like a real bucket list moment. Being able to showcase my work in front of – what feels like – the whole world is really exciting and a big moment for me. You never know who’s in the audience or where in the world they came from.

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

There’s never a perfect time to create something or take a risk, you just need to go for it. The pandemic completely changed my life in so many ways and, whilst a lot of it has been really difficult, it also gave me a lot of perspective. I realised that if I didn’t take a punt on life, I’d be stuck in the same place forever. Closure really came out of that realisation – that making risky choices can pay off – and I can’t wait to share it with everyone.

Tell us about your show.

Like I said, I wrote the play through lockdown. First person I sent it to is the co-director of Ink and Curtain, Maz Hedgehog, and together we knew that we had to make it happen – come hell or high water. Closure is a revenge fantasy and battle cry, like Sarah Kane with a bit of banter. It also comes from painful personal experience, taking my past experience of sexual assault and turning into something meaningful (also hella violent and aggressively northern).

After we’re done with Edinburgh, it’ll be returning to Ink and Curtain’s home base (Manchester) where it’ll be part of HOME’s PUSH Festival in January. After that? Who knows! If any Hollywood studios want to buy the rights, I’m always available.

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

If you want to relax and destress after watching Closure, CLASSIC! is a 60 minute romp through classic literature. It’s also on in the Pleasance Courtyard so you don’t even need to go that far. Closure takes a lot of inspiration from classical art and literature, so Classic is a bit of a mirrorverse Closure.

If you want something else that’s gutsy and challenging, that tackles difficult issues head on with deftness and compassion then you have to see British as a Watermelon by Mandla. It’s an experimental look how we are formed by our memories and what it means to be British. I saw it when it was on at Contact Theatre in Manchester and it is just stunning.

And if you want something as intensely northern and irreverent as Closure, you need to see Skank. It’s on in Pleasance Two and this will be its last outing, so you have to see it before it closes.

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EdFringe Talk: Will Tell and the Big Bad Baron

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2022 by

“As a promoter, you come because Edinburgh is the greatest showcase of live entertainment in the world and it has always been essential to be here for your work to be seen.”

WHO: Colin Granger: Writer

WHAT: “Inspired by tales of Sir Lancelot and Robin Hood, plucky heroine Will Tell disguises herself as a knight and rides off on a chivalric quest to rescue her freedom-fighting dad from Baron Boris’s deepest darkest dungeon. Will knows how to stand up to tyrants but nothing has prepared her for when Boris’s daughter Edeltraut falls madly in love with her and wants to be rescued too. Madcap physical comedy with capers around castles, damsels in distress, a jaw-dropping joust and lots of original catchy musical numbers.”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose – Doonstairs (Venue 24) 

WHEN: 12:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No, my first time was in 1979 and I’ve been coming ever since. Not every year but whenever we had a new play or when we were on the lookout for shows to bring to our venue Komedia in Brighton. As a promoter, you come because Edinburgh is the greatest showcase of live entertainment in the world and it has always been essential to be here for your work to be seen. Let’s hope it is the same this year.

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

How fragile life is and how we shouldn’t take anything for granted. But also a reminder of what joy live performance can bring to us all and how much we missed it these past three years.

Tell us about your show.

Our new play is a mad-cap comic adventure with capers around castles, damsels in distress and even a jaw-dropping joust to the death on life-sized horse puppets mounted on bikes. We started working on it in 2020 at a time when democracy and liberty seemed particularly under threat and chose to base it on the legend of the great Swiss freedom fighter Wilhelm Tell – of shooting an apple off his child’s head fame – something which had never been done before in English-speaking theatre. In our play, this child is Wilhelm Tell’s daughter Will and the play tells how she rescues her father from th Baron’s deepest darkest dungeon. And the Bad Baron? Well, it was a toss-up between calling him ‘Donald’ or ‘Boris’ and Boris won because of his comic potential. Theatre Fideri Fidera is an Anglo-Swiss repertory touring company. We work and create together and we have performed in over 150 venues around the UK ranging from the Lowry to many a village hall. And post-Edinburgh? After five years on the road we are taking a breather before touring Will Tell in autumn 2023.

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

When we have a new play we hardly have time to look at what else is on until after we open the show. But I have heard great things about Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster at Underbelly. And if the fringe is getting too much I would also advise you to visit my old Edinburgh friends: the Meadows at sunset or early morning or wander through the trees at the Botanical Gardens. Both will be perfect preparation for your next Fringe show.

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