Category Archives: EdFestivals 2023

EdFringe Talk: Party Scene: Chemsex. Community. Crisis.

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“If all else fails, get a falafel wrap.”

WHO: Carl Harrison

WHAT: “Journey into the underbelly of queer culture and experience a sweaty pulsing dance theatre show exploring the complexities of desire, intimacy, isolation and addiction. With an international company of incredible performers, Party Scene celebrates the heady high of the session but poses tough questions around drug use, sex, consent and mental health in the queer community. A bold and wild ride, the show sparks conversation around identity, self-worth, isolation, homophobia, family and care.?”

WHERE: Summerhall – Main Hall (Venue 26) 

WHEN: 17:35 (65 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my third time to Edinburgh. First time was with my mate Lucy’s family – Lucy and I wrote a song on the way up here from Manchester about a tiny penis – it was called ‘An Ode to a Chode’. I remember seeing Flight of the Conchords and we were spitting distance from Jimmy Carr. Second time was with a queer show called ‘I Heart Catherine Pistachio’ at Paines Plough about an abused teenage girl who’s obsessed with Saved by the Bell. I count that as one of the most thrilling performance experiences. So close to the audience and such an electric atmosphere in that tiny tent. Delighted to be graduating to Summerhall for my third visit.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I think it’s that the world around us can become quite die, cry, hate so I’m pushing even further into the ultimate affirmation of live, laugh love. And if all else fails, get a falafel wrap.

Solid Fringe advice too.

Tell us about your show.

Party Scene is a horny, writhing animal of a show about gays, drugs, sex, pleasure, loneliness and shame. It’s a thrilling, tense, and arousing piece of dance and theatre starring an international cast of four men in very little clothing.

It is written by Phillip McMahon and co-directed with Phillip Connaughton. THISISPOPBABY have been going for 15 years making work about pop culture, counter culture and queerness be it cabaret, plays, dance or film. Party Scene has had two lives so far – it was initially a short film we created in lockdown from which a live version was created for an Irish tour and now we’re bringing that work to Edinburgh. Lock up your sons.

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

The nepotist in me recommends –

Solene Weinachter – After All. An extraordinary performer who has to be seen to be believed. CAPTIVATING!

Figs in Wigs – Little Wimmin – a bonkers, queer retelling of this classic story. So funny and so brilliant. The figs are the Spice Girls of queer performance.

Hannah Maxwell – Nan, Me and Barbara Previ – An amazing wordsmith(stress?) telling a story of caring for her nan – La la Land meets mission impossible meets Hannah’s nan.

Plus there is a LOT of great Irish work on – check out the Wild Geeze, Eva O’Connor’s Chicken, Junk Ensemble’s Dances Like a Bomb and the Culture Ireland programme.

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EdFringe Talk: Saturn Return

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“It’s definitely not been easy bringing the show to Fringe, with lots of ups and downs and unforeseen circumstances on the way, but that only made the show better and myself stronger as an artist and producer.”

WHO: Natalya Samee

WHAT: “A Saturn Return is one’s astrological coming of age, propelling major life transformations. Think getting married or breaking up, finding your dream job or quitting. For Natalya? It was the demise of her seven-year relationship. Saturn forced her to learn life’s big lessons the hard way. She’s ready to talk – now that she can be funny about it. Join acclaimed performer Natalya Samee (Ars Nova, Brooklyn Comedy Collective) in her new comedy-turned-theatre one-woman show exploring love, loss and finding your life force among the cosmos.”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Beside (Venue 117) 

WHEN: 16:50 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Not only is this my first Fringe, this is the first theater festival I have ever been to, let alone performed in! I’ve organized, produced, and attended my fair share of music festivals though, big and small, so learning the ropes from that has really helped inform the process for producing my own show.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Where to start? As both a person and artist, I’ve learned to let go and trust the process in moments when you put in your all and something doesn’t go as planned.

At the same time, as a producer, I’ve learned to take control in areas that I was less comfortable in before because of the skills and confidence I’ve gained making this show. For example, speaking up about how I want something to look and feel, proactive communication with collaborators, final say on an edit, and maximum transparency on everything from the get go to avoid letting anyone down.

Tell us about your show.

I am the writer, performer, and producer of my solo show, SATURN RETURN. I worked on this show for nine months in a comedic artist development program at an off-broadway theater in NYC called Ars Nova. Through Ars Nova, I met my Director, Arpita Mukherjee, who is highly accomplished in film, TV, and theater. I have learned an incredible amount from her. My show debuted two months ago to a sold out audience in New York, which felt incredible. Just proving to myself that I could do this was all I needed to know I could do this again and again in higher pressure situations with fewer resources. It’s definitely not been easy bringing the show to Fringe, with lots of ups and downs and unforeseen circumstances on the way, but that only made the show better and myself stronger as an artist and producer. After Fringe, we’re headed back to New York for another off-broadway performance – and who’s to say what’s next!

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

Go see WELCOME TO THE BIG SHOW at Summerhall, by Gara Lonning. He is a one of a kind, incredible, true artist (comedian, dancer, director, producer, writer) and one of my favorite collaborators. We have a podcast together (HE’S COPY – streaming everywhere) which can give you a taste of how dynamic and hilarious he is. Don’t miss it!

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EdFringe Talk: Martin Urbano: Apology Comeback Tour

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“Was just waiting until I had thousands of dollars I was willing to never see again, and this year I’m finally doing it.”

WHO: Martin Urbano

WHAT: “Martin Urbano spent his long, lucky career talking and saying anything he wanted, until allegations surfaced, he stepped out of the spotlight, promising to take a long time to listen. Now he’s back! Martin tackles his allegations (and much more!) in this long-awaited apology comeback show. He shares his humorous musings on being cancelled, woke Twitter mobs and Uber. ‘Martin Urbano is sincerely subversive’ (New York Times). ‘His work combines edgy, almost-over-the-line humor with – get this – really good jokes’ (Vulture.com). ‘He often leans into a persona of a sex creep’ (Vice.com).”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker Three (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 21:45 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first time at Fringe, but I’ve wanted to go for years! Was just waiting until I had thousands of dollars I was willing to never see again, and this year I’m finally doing it. I got my entire life’s savings together, put it into an envelope labelled “Stamptown Productions,” and handed it directly to the head of Stamptown; Zach Zucker

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I learned a lot of things that are much too private to share with you. So instead I’ll give you this answer: I learned how to make a woman have an orgasm, but can’t say the lesson has quite sunk in yet!

Tell us about your show.

My show, Apology Comeback Tour, highlights my abilities as a “truth-teller” comedian. I wrote the show by watching funny stand-up comedians and then writing down what they said verbatim. I’ve been touring this show in the United States of America, mostly at comedy clubs, where crowds have had mixed reactions. Depending how it does at the Fringe, I will either tour it more and film it, or I will quit stand-up comedy forever.

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

America needs a win, so please check out some funny Americans, like: Ike Ufomadu (let’s just say… he’s kind of weird!), Chloe Radcliffe and her show about cheating, Myq Kaplan’s show which is at the same exact time as mine, the show ( . ) ( . ), not American but I’ll give her a pass, Janine Harouni, and despite all of the horrible things you may have heard about their personal lives, check out the briTANick guys.

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EdFringe Talk: Annabel Marlow… is this okay??

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“Everyone I love is there, being talented and clever and good looking. Heaven, heaven, heaven.”

WHO: Annabel Marlow

WHAT: “From SIX (Edinburgh Fringe original cast), Public (Vaults) and several perfect pictures (Instagram) Annabel Marlow makes her solo debut. Enjoy a comedy gig (we’re making it a thing!) of original music, perfect singing (not even kidding), and absolute vibes. This show explores love (whatever that is!), contraception (modern!), graphic designers (nooo!), having opinions (or not!), overthinking (she sounds cute!) and just how much attention one girl apparently needs. So put down the knitting, and bring a hot single friend to watch Annabel perform all these songs and jokes about literally herself and maybe three others.”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – The Attic (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 20:30 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my fourth time at Edinburgh! I was in the first ever cast of the musical Six as the original Katherine Howard in 2017 which was obviously insane and perfect. And since then I’ve been going with either my brother or a bunch of friends, not performing, but to watch a billion shows and have a billion beers. I always cry on the last day because I have to wait a whole year till I can go back to the heaven that is the Fringe. Everyone I love is there, being talented and clever and good looking. Heaven, heaven, heaven.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

This year I’ve just really had to really gosh darn believe in myself because, apart from all the gorgeous people at Stamptown (my producers) and the support of my family and friends, I really am just like doing quite an insane thing. Putting on makeup and lovely outfits and getting up in front of people and basically being like ‘here’s all this stuff I wrote I hope you like it.’ You really have to back yourself and believe in what you’re doing but sometimes that can be hard when it’s just you writing in your room without showering for days what who said that? And what really helps is giving the support I want for myself, to other people doing the same thing around me. Be good to people, help people when you can, give advice, be kind, and it literally all comes back to you in some way or another!

Tell us about your show.

I wrote my show, and the lovely folks over at Stamptown are producing it! It’s me at the keyboard singing with one of the best voices you might ever hear, being a bit funny, being a bit sad, telling some stories and having a jolly old time. I did 3 previews in London which all went super well! Scary though lemme tell ya. I’m not sure what will happen after Edinburgh but my money’s on a Netflix special.

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

Well firstly I will plug the other show I’m doing which is a brand-new musical called ‘Public’ which is just two hours before my show also in the Courtyard at 6:30!!! It’s hilarious, moving, the music is unreal I must say. Come come come.

Obviously all the other Stamptown shows are going to be epic party times, with very talented clever lovely people who you should really grab tickets to see before they are all shipped on a boat to Hollywood on the 1st of September undoubtedly. My best friend Rosie is directing and producing an original musical called ’We’;; Have Nun of it’ at Underbelly. My friend Rosalie Minnitt is doing her one-woman comedy extravaganza called Clementine. John Tothill, Lorna Rose Treen. My friend James’ ‘Pleading Stupidity’, my friend Cat’s ‘Artist/Muse’. SO MANY.

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EdFringe Talk: Please Love Me

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“It’s good to have someone to keep you in check mentally when there are so many other acts to compare yourself to.”

WHO: Clementine Bogg-Hargroves and Zoey Barnes

WHAT: “‘I felt this pressure to be sexy from the second I got tits. And then the f*ckers didn’t even grow that much.’ From the creators of the sell out show Skank (The Times’ Critics choice for 2021 Edinburgh Fringe and Offies 2021 OffFest nominee) comes a one-woman spectacle featuring pole dancing and original music. A first love, second heartbreak, and third piece of cake in a row make a naughty teenager question if she can ever be a “good woman”. And what the hell that even means. Ready for some clubland classics and moral philosophy?”

WHERE: Pleasance Dome – AceDome (Venue 23) 

WHEN: 20:20 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be our third time at The Pleasance, as well as having performed at the free fringe and with other companies long ago. Edfringe is such a unique experience, it just covers the whole city in posters and glitter and talent. We always walk away having made new fringe friends and having ideas for 100 new shows because there’s just so much to take in!

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

We’ve learned that the fringe is best experienced together. As our last show was a solo show, created and performed by Clem, she spent the majority of her time in Ed alone, which can be really daunting and isolating. When the two of us were there together it just became a blast. It’s good to have someone to keep you in check mentally when there are so many other acts to compare yourself to.

Tell us about your show.

Making our show has been a collaborative process, Clem is the creator and performer and Zoey is the co-creator and songwriter. We don’t easily fit into legible roles because we’ve both touched all elements of the show. We met in drama school in 2016 and became instant best friends like that mashed potato powder you just add water to. We’ve been collaborators ever since; this is our third show together and our work has scaled enormously each time.

Please Love Me will premiere in Edinburgh this year! Then we’re hoping to do a national tour. As Clem grew up in France, there’s talk of translating it and taking it there! Clem is excited to perform in a place she can call home and Zoey is excited to drink red wine and smoke cigarettes in a beret.

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

Clem: My good mate Harry Stachini is going up with his stand-up hour Grenade and I can’t wait to be in the audience and cheer him on in Scotland. I’m a big fan. He’s just fantastic at what he does and he’s also an absolute dream of a person. A GOOD LAD!

My other good mate Eva O’Connor is taking her new show Chicken to Summerhall, where she’s performing as a life size chicken in a rubber chicken suit. Need I say more?

I’m also really excited to see Lucy Mccormick as I’ve never seen her perform before but her energy is electric and I’ve only heard good things.

We’re also excited to catch F-Bomb theatre’s smash hit The Beatles Were a Boyband as we somehow missed it last year! Frankie Thompson and Liv Ello’s Body show looks amazing and Ageless, a physical theatre piece by Scotland’s leading dance company for those aged over 60.

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EdFringe Talk: Clown Sex

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“As a live performer, it’s really important to have a good home life, and enjoy the times when you aren’t making a show or are on stage. It’s essential to find enjoyment in your day-to-day life.”

WHO: Natasha Sutton-Williams

WHAT: “Join Gary Strange in the London sewers as he encounters stories of bad sex, sad sex and clown sex. From garlic-flavoured nipples to cat cunnilingus, it’s funny, grotesque and surprisingly relatable. Visceral and ‘brilliantly oddball’ (Time Out), this show makes audiences laugh, cry, and even gag. Expect the unexpected. Nominations: People’s Choice Award (VAULT Festival 2023), Best Performance in an IDEA Production (Offies Award 2023), Clown Sex Podcast (OffComm Award 2023). ‘Unique and mouthwatering’ ***** (NorthWestEnd.co.uk). ‘Examines sex in all its messy glory’ ****½ (Breaking-the-Fourth-Wall.com). ‘Unexpected comedy’ **** (BroadwayWorld.com).”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker Two (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 13:45 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes! This is the first time that I will be performing in Edinburgh, and am doing the marathon of the month at the Pleasance Courtyard. I’ve performed many times in London at festivals like VAULT and previously I have been reluctant to go up to Edinburgh because it can feel like there is so much noise and that you are screaming into a void. But because Clown Sex sold out at VAULT this year and received a number of award nominations and great reviews, it felt like this year would be the best time to give Edinburgh a go.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

There’s two big things I’ve learnt in relation to live performance since the pandemic. One is that there is still a huge public desire to see live performances on stage. It is an inbuilt urge for humans to tell each other stories and watch each other perform live and in the flesh. That gives me hope even in these steadily difficult times.

The second thing I’ve learnt is that as a live performer, it’s really important to have a good home life, and enjoy the times when you aren’t making a show or are on stage. It’s essential to find enjoyment in your day-to-day life. Creating and performing work is one of the most exciting things you can do with your time, but it’s important to find other stimuli in addition to treading the boards if you want to keep your sanity in this insane business.

Tell us about your show.

Gary Strange has moved into the London sewers due to the cost-of-living crisis. One benefit of living in London’s innards is that Gary can listen to his high-rise neighbours through drainpipes and plugholes, overhearing stories of bad sex, sad sex and even clown sex. He recounts a day in the life of a failed teacher and party animal, a journalist’s enlightening sexual encounter with a feline friend, and Gary’s personal experience of getting jiggy with a kink-positive clown.

I have a real soft spot for Gary, even though some people might find him to be a bit of a wrong’un. It’s true that he has some odd tastes – clown sex being one of them – and he loves to bask in the joy of filth, but what is so great about Gary is that he doesn’t let society’s prejudices get in the way of expressing himself, or his pleasure seeking. He is cheery, sweet and really quite thoughtful, especially when it comes to his romantic partners. He has taken wokeness very seriously.

I’ve written and am performing the show. My incredible producer Steph J Weller is producing the show, along with some support from Wildpark Entertainment. Steph and I co-founded Working Birthday Theatre company. We’re the filthy joke that makes your mum laugh in spite of herself. Our theatrical goal is to subvert traditional representations of women and instead presents complex, hilarious, and even amoral female protagonists with unflinching detail. We’ve created critically acclaimed shows like Freud the Musical which explore mental health, sexuality, and the enduring quest for human connection.

Clown Sex has had different permutations over the years, but the version you will see at Edinburgh has never been seen before! During the pandemic I adapted Clown Sex into a 6-part comedy drama podcast which was a great experience. It has much more material in it than I am able to illustrate in an hour show, and I am able to delve more deeply into the world of the characters. You can listen to the Clown Sex podcast wherever you get your pods! Here is a link to it on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3oCmcBVAsFhqCQnOmNsoRi

The next steps of the project are all very hush hush, so watch this space to see what grotesque hilarity seeps out from the sewers of my mind!

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

Last year when I went up to the Fringe as a punter, I saw the queer, burlesque clown show Trash Salad devised and performed by Rosa Garland. It has gained quite a following since last year, and is on for the first two weeks of Edinburgh at the Pleasance. It is a truly original show, so if you like your burlesque queer and freaky with a dash of vinaigrette on the side, be sure to check it out!

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EdFringe Talk: How to Write a Eulogy That Kills

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“I love, love, love the fringe for the non-stop performances, all the creativity literally everywhere you go, the new people to meet, the feverish excitement, and of course all the walking I’m forced to do and how shapely my calves will become.”

WHO: Angela Beevers

WHAT: “From a producer on Silicon Valley and Beavis and Butt-head comes an irreverent true story about belly dance, cancer, fiddling, beekeeping, and a psychotic deathbed wish. After a sold-out run at the Hollywood Fringe and an Encore Producer’s Award, this show makes its international debut promising both laughs and cries. Mostly laughs. Definitely some cries though.”

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

WHEN: 23:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first time to Fringe as a performer. I came in 2019 as a tourist and also to see all the amazing shows and meet comedians for my job. In addition to doing my own comedy shows, I also work in development as an Associate Producer, so I’m so, so lucky to not only perform but also meet other amazing talented people and hopefully develop with them as well. I love, love, love the fringe for the non-stop performances, all the creativity literally everywhere you go, the new people to meet, the feverish excitement, and of course all the walking I’m forced to do and how shapely my calves will become. I also can’t wait to have my mind blown by all the incredible shows this year. I can’t stop thinking about everything I saw in 2019.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Eeek. I wish I could say I’ve learned a ton, but one big change I’ve made is to try to not let fear of Covid stop me from performing. I spent a lot of 2022 indoors, feeling generally uneasy. So I guess the big thing I’ve learned is to get back out there. That, and that audience members love when you give each of them a tender kiss on the top of their head at the end. It makes them feel special, and it’s more unique than a bow.

Tell us about your show.

My show is called How to Write a Eulogy That Kills. And I’m actually producing it all by myself, and I’m in it alone, so it’s really just a lonely company of one. I do not suggest this to people, it is very difficult, however it’s one way to get yourself out there!! And learn a ton! I did premier it before Edinburgh in 2019 at the Hollywood Fringe, and after the pandemic I’m finally getting it to Edinburgh this year. I have a wonderful community of artists and performers I work with all the time in LA, including my friend Eden Sher who is also doing a one-woman show at Fringe this year, called I Was on a Sitcom. She and I have both really helped each other out, while producing our individual shows on our own. We’ve known each other for years; her husband Nick has been my writing partner since college. I love collaborating and will likely add a team to this show as I do this run. After Edinburgh, I plan to go back to LA, NY, and SF at first, and am looking at other Fringe festivals as well.

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

Well, I definitely want people to go see Eden Sher’s I Was on a Sitcom (it’s got masterful physical comedy, amazing hilarious and tender writing, and a really intimate and casual look at someone who most people know as a character on TV).

I absolutely adore Courtney Pauroso’s work, and everyone should see Vanessa 5000. She blows me away with her shows every time, so funny, so fearless. She’s playing a sex robot this time, and I can’t wait to see her completely embody that role and what she and her director Corey Podell have come up with this time.

Another LA clown to watch out for is Bill O’Neill, with his show The Amazing Banana Brothers. He’s going to slip on 1000 banana peels, which is also mind-blowing physical comedy (plus he’s directed by Natalie Palamides, need I say more?)

Also, Katherine Bourne Taylor’s Grown Up Orphan Annie, and Mark Vigeant’s Mark Pleases You, both just had huge audiences at the Hollywood Fringe. I love character comedy and I’m so ready to see Orphan Annie all grown up, and apparently, there will be original music and orcas? Mark Pleases You is a hilarious whirlwind, all about confronting your inner child — I’d describe more, but I really want Mark to show you himself. You simply must see all, there is no option to skip a single one of these wonderful shows or you will have bad luck for seven years. I don’t make the rules.

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EdFringe Talk: A Terrible Show for Terrible People

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“I can’t wait for Fringe to start; it’s going to be an inspiring hub of not just creatives, but DRIVEN creatives who all had the gumption to take their show here.”

WHO: Bonnie He

WHAT: “Winner: Best Comedy, 2022 (Hollywood Fringe). Raunchy, absurdist physical comedy with two spoken words. For perverts, feminists and your mom (not mutually exclusive). ‘Highlights include a hilarious, irreverent burlesque act performed by Bonnie He.’ (StageRaw.com). ‘He’s Hello Kitty-accessorized, coquettish character is a breath of fresh air, as she acrobatically assaults unwitting audience volunteers in her endearing search for love’ (Orlando Weekly). ‘Great, clean, dirty fun.’ (TheTVolution.com). Additional awards: Fringiest Show, 2023 (Orlando Fringe Winter Mini-Fest); Craziest Solo Show, 2019 (Crazy Woke Asians Solo Performance Festival); Maverick Award, 2023 (Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival).”

WHERE: Underbelly, Cowgate – Iron Belly (Venue 61) 

WHEN: 23:10 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Second time to Edinburgh, first time producing a show!!! Sorry for all the exclamation marks. It’s been an absolute dream of mine to take A Terrible Show for Terrible People here for years, so I’m excited it’s finally happening. I was first here in 2019 to scope out the festival. I would have felt far too nervous and anxious just putting up the show without getting SOME idea of the lay of the land first. The Los Angeles theatre scene isn’t as big as New York, but everyone still knows that if you’re serious about your craft, you take your show to Edinburgh. And to get to do that this year WITH a mini-team in tow: director Bruce Allen, producer James Carroll and me, creator, performer and producer Bonnie He, is nothing short of amazing. I can’t wait for Fringe to start; it’s going to be an inspiring hub of not just creatives, but DRIVEN creatives who all had the gumption to take their show here. It takes a LOT of work to get everything in order by August! My team and I have been working non-stop since getting our official offer from Underbelly at the end of March (late, I know). Producing is certainly a very different experience than just hopping on a plane mid-August to watch some shows for a few days haha.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

The 2022 Hollywood Fringe Festival was the first time I was putting up my show post-pandemic, and I gathered a few life philosophies while prepping for it.

1) You will always learn more from lived experiences.
I’m a recovering perfectionist. Wonderfully, the art of clowning, in which one learns to be okay sitting in failure, is what made me chill out. But sometimes old habits die hard. Before I made any decisions—which venue to pick, who to hire for PR, etc.—I would research my options, but at some point, they became overwhelming, and then I found myself procrastinating on finalising any decisions because I felt that I didn’t have all the information I wanted yet. I 100% do not recommend this methodology. The aha moment for me was realising that this was a PROCESS, not a one-and-done project. I asked myself, was this the last time I planned to do my show? No. I realised then I had already learned so much while prepping for Hollywood Fringe, and I was only going to learn more for the next festival. Be easy on yourself. You’re always improving as you go along, but you can’t improve if you never launch.

2) Know what you’re presenting.
At the Hollywood Fringe, the single category you put your show into is the category in which people will vote for it at the end of the festival. A Terrible Show for Terrible People is a comedy in the form of a solo clown show and physical theatre, and there were three categories A Terrible Show fit into: 1) Comedy, 2) Solo Show and 3) Dance & Physical Theatre. I quickly ruled out Solo Show because A Terrible Show is not a vulnerable tale of overcoming obstacles (it is a HILARIOUS tale of overcoming obstacles), and that didn’t quite fit. I struggled between the other two categories, however. I had been advised that Dance & Physical Theatre was the easier category to win in because historically, there were simply less entrants than Comedy and even less than Solo Show. But I ultimately decided, if things went well, I’d rather risk getting just a nomination for Comedy because that’s what the show REALLY is at its core: a fun, dumb time that makes people laugh. I was nominated for the Comedy Award and I did end up winning it, which of course, feels great! But moreso, it felt deeply gratifying knowing I had done my show justice by decisively labelling it in the category that most accurately described it.

Tell us about your show.

The show is A Terrible Show for Terrible People, a physical comedy show with only two words! It is a raunchy romp from a woman’s perspective, and suitable for perverts, feminists and your mom (not mutually exclusive). The show debuted in Los Angeles at the Lyric Hyperion when Dr. Brown was running it. Our show did well in the States, with multiple awards including Best Comedy at the Hollywood Fringe and Fringiest Show at Orlando Fringe Winter Mini-Fest among others. James came on board to produce for Hollywood Fringe and has been my rock ever since. Bruce has been a supportive partner from the inception, but officially came on board for our live taping and now Edinburgh! Afterwards, we’re going to continue touring it on the U.S. circuit, but fingers crossed, we’ll get interest to put it up in the U.K. as well, and hopefully we’ll find distribution for the live taping of the full show that we did in Los Angeles right before Edinburgh.

This is honestly NOT how I saw my life going, by the way. My parents immigrated to the U.S. from China in the ’80s for a better life, and I’m sure having their firstborn become a touring clown was probably not on their list of dreams for their children. I started with improv, and clowning became the hot new thing in the 2010s. I was instantly enamoured with the artform, especially as an over-thinker. Clowning forced me to confront my own stupidity and then fully embrace it, and now I feel both sides of my brain operating harmoniously. And I’m excited to share my stupid with the world, and I hope people have a good time laughing.

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

Oh hell yeah! There are a LOT of great Hollywood Fringe shows at EdFringe this year!

2022 Best Solo Show winner Teruko Nakajima with Made in America
2022 Top of the Fringe winner Becca McGlynn with Asexuality!
2023 Top of the Fringe winner Claire Woolner with A Retrospection
2023 Best World Premiere winner Laser the Boy with A Shark Ate My Penis

I literally cannot believe I made friends with all of these insanely talented, lovely people through Hollywood Fringe and we all get to be together here at Edinburgh Fringe.

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EdFringe Talk: A Preoccupation with Romantic Love

Posted in EdFestivals 2023 by

“We kept running out of avocados and I’d have to run to Lidl in the pouring rain, fill up three tote bags, and head back.”

WHO:  Laura Thurlow

WHAT: “Approaching her 30th birthday, after ten years of failed romances, Laura meets with the six ghosts who have broken her heart to exorcise them for good. A darkly funny, poetic monologue about letting go of the dream of ‘The One’ and loving yourself in their absence. The show explores gender, beauty and the fear that follows women who love men – their greatest known predator. How can you heal yourself while still compelled to chase the very thing that breaks you?”

WHERE: Pleasance Online (Venue 171) 

WHEN: 15:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

My second Fringe, but I first moved to Edinburgh from Canada in 2016. Last year, I put on a wee poetry show for about a week, and also performed with The Loud Poets at the Scottish Storytelling Centre as a part of their “Best of The Fringe” showcase. The Fringe is an incredibly exciting time in Edinburgh that truly brings the city to a standstill. I have experience as a performer, but lots more as a local… working in a brunch restaurant… in 2019 I think I made 500 servings of avocado toast on a single day and I’m pretty sure that’s not an exaggeration. We kept running out of avocados and I’d have to run to Lidl in the pouring rain, fill up three tote bags, and head back. Anyways, it’s a time of year that gets your adrenaline pumping and there’s really nothing else quite like it. I love going to free shows and trying to find the oddest things I can in the programme that I just know I’d never manage to find anywhere else.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

It is very hard to convince people you flyer to in the city centre to come see your poetry show in Morningside. A bit of a niche discovery, but an important one all the same. I think I’ve learned the subtle art of flyering now, if I’ve perhaps not mastered self promotion. In any case, I’m thrilled this year to be in 2 venues with two rather different vibes – I think it will certainly make for an experience. The most important thing I think I learned, however, is to just not take it too seriously – to just be glad to have the chance to do the show in the first place, to relish opportunity to meet new and interesting people, and to take the time to see as many other people’s shows as I can.).

Tell us about your show.

I am nearly a one woman band, I’m afraid. This show is an expansion of my spoken word practice – a foray into drama, and plot. I am writer, performer, and tragically, publicist.

I do have the help of six other actors playing my exes in pre-recorded monologues – Charlie Blanshard, Daniel Camou, Demi Anter, Max Aspen, Mustapha El Yousfi, Toby Jeffries. (Max has also done the mix for said recordings!).

The conceit is that I’m going to listen to and share these six monologues in the hopes of healing something tragic and dramatic within myself – move on from my desperate preoccupation with love. I’m going to tell you some funny stories and I’m going to cry just a little bit. In Newcastle, at least, the audience cried with me. You will love this show if you love gossip and/or have ever tried to date a man.

The production premiered at the Alphabetti Theatre in Newcastle, and will have some performances in London at The Queer Comedy Club and The Canal Cafe Theatre before heading up to Edinburgh. I’m then returning, mid Fringe, to do two shows at The Hen & Chickens Theatre in North London.

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

Amy Webber ! 14:40, Just The Tonic at The Mash House. Listen, my show is supposed to be funny, but it’s going to make you cry. Amy will just make you cry with laughter. She’s phenomenal. We performed on the same bill once like two years ago or something and since then I’ve seen her twice in London. She is, without question, the next big thing.

As well, I’d hugely recommend checking out one of King of More’s shows this year. @kingofmore, at least on Instagram. I caught their sold-out-show last year at Blunda Gardens and I don’t think before or since I’ve seen a performer with that amount of pure charisma flowing through them.

Finally, they don’t need my endorsement as they are a living legend – go see Jazz Emu and tell me all about it. I regrettably missed their show last year and I’m afraid given the timing overlap I’m going to miss them AGAIN this year. I may never recover.

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EdFringe Talk: Guy Masterson: Love and Canine Integration

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“I’ve learned from stepping into live theatre again and from performing at NZ Fringe how important it is to allow yourself an authentic connection, to let flow ‘off script’ so that the reaction and response is for you as much as for audience sharing with you.”

WHO: Milly Moon

WHAT: “Once upon a time, she walked the length of Aotearoa New Zealand. To scream at the ocean, to sing at the trees, to curse the effing supplejack vine. She walked to process grief, to know alone, to remember home. While she walked, she sang. In an intimate performance of story and songs for wandering feet, Moon’s retelling of walking Te Araroa hiking trail, celebrates the power of voice, body, and being shit scared but doing it anyway. Moon’s unique and raw performance style engages audiences to embrace story, in sometimes uncomfortably intimate, sometimes darkly explosive performances.”

WHERE: Greenside @ Nicolson Square – Fern Studio (Venue 209) 

WHEN: 14:00 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It certainly is! This is my first time producing and performing my own show which I presented in Feb at NZ Fringe and had sooo much fun I decided to add Edinburgh Fringe into my UK trip! I think what I’m finding particularly special and inspiring about this festival is how incredibly diverse the works on offer are. I come form a music background and diving into the Fringe world is already opening a sense of possibility and creative expansion, it’s very exciting!.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

ooo ee! Huge lessons learned in 2022 as an artist and a human navigating the world! I feel the last couple of years I’ve been in constant ‘absorption’ from lessons born from the experience that inspired Walking Songs, and in continuing to develop in different directions, I’m solidifying, breaking down and re-learning these lessons again and again. The most poignant developments have been in discussion of the themes of this body of work with audience and those willing to share story in return with me, connecting in their own way with things like the idea of home as a sense, that everything falls apart and that it’s never too late to start again.

I’ve learned from stepping into live theatre again and from performing at NZ Fringe how important it is to allow yourself an authentic connection, to let flow ‘off script’ so that the reaction and response is for you as much as for audience sharing with you. It is vital to find honestly in the art I’m offering and that magic that happens when I’m telling story with my own voice, is why I’m doing this.

Tell us about your show.

Walking Songs is written, produced, marketed, performed and all the rest of it, by little old me! I make the props, write the music, tell the stories and am taking it through 3 Fringe Festivals by my sweet self.

I spent almost 5months walking the length of my homeland – Aotearoa New Zealand – to heal from trauma, loss and attempt to re-find a sense of home. While doing do, along with screaming at ocean and bush, I wrote. On the other side of the walk, I put these writings together, wanting to tell the story, share the music and connect with those on their own healing journeys.

Walking Songs premiered at NZ Fringe in Feb this year and will go to Melbourne Fringe in October. With my background in Music, I have already started recording the songs and stories and will be releasing these as an album in the near future along with other developments of the work. I’m excited to move this in many creative and connected directions!

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

There are soooo many incredible acts at the Fringe – I’m almost overwhelmed exploring what I’M going to see!!

If you enjoy elements of what Walking Songs has to offer – music, solo, adventure and nature connection, I think the ‘intimate sound experience’ 1000 Miniature Meadows is offering might be of interest – I sure can’t wait to immerse in this thoughtful exploration!

Bronwyn Claire Asha is performing a new show called ‘As I Roved Out’ and if her previous work is anything to go by – this will be extraordinary! An enchanting storyteller and talented multi-instrumentalist, As I Roved Out is certainly for those looking for story and song for wandering feet and heart.

My fellow Greenside performers have a huge variety of music, solo acts, and female representing pieces – I love the sound of Charlotte Grimmer’s ‘Initial Consult’, a comedian from my part of the world, I imagine comedy from Australia with a musical twist can only be HEAPS of fun!

Also set in Australia but digging into a much darker story, Shaddows Of Angels would be my pick for something to challenge and provoke as a female lead theatre piece. I’m also very excited to see Alison’s Skilbeck’s Uncommon Ground, Queen Mary Theatre Company’s ‘All the Glorious Moments In Between’, Oor Theatre’s ‘Singing Sands and By the Moon’s ‘Be Home Soon’ which look at themes I have been exploring with Walking Songs, of home, loss, grief and a transience that can deepen an understanding of ourselves and our world.

There are just so many incredible offerings – go Fill Yer Boots!

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