Category Archives: EdFestivals 2023

EdFringe Talk: I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical

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“I have been increasingly learning the benefits of being able to delegate wherever possible.”

WHO: Alexander S. Bermange

WHAT: “The definitive comedic musical revue revealing all about musical theatre, and the people who love it on both sides of the curtain! Updated version featuring new songs. Lauded with an unprecedented 35 five-star reviews for its previous sell-out fringe and London seasons. ‘Flawless’ ***** (BritishTheatre.com). ‘Sharp satire, undiluted fun’ ***** (BroadwayBaby.com). ‘Delightful’ ***** (BroadwayWorld.com). ‘Hilarious… Wonderfully witty’ ***** (EdinburghGuide.com). ‘Crisp, perfect, immaculate, hilarious. Unmistakable gem!’ ***** (Musical Talk, podcast). ‘Laughs come thick and fast’ ***** (MusicalTheatreReview.com). ‘Loving tribute to world of musicals’ (Matt Lucas). ‘Must-see’ (Tim Rice). ‘Brilliant score’ (Miriam Margolyes).”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon at the Museum – Auditorium (Venue 64) 

WHEN: 20:50 (70 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my fifth time in Edinburgh, and my third with I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical (though this being a fresh production of the show including additional songs and featuring a new cast, in many ways it feels like my first!). The Edinburgh Fringe is truly unique – the all-pervading sense of vibrancy and creativity that arises from so many artistically-minded individuals descending on the city to create and/or experience a staggering array of shows make it feel like nowhere else on Earth.

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

I have been increasingly learning the benefits of being able to delegate wherever possible. Each year this has become a little easier, as we have been able to steadily increase the size of our team, and there have therefore been more of us able (and qualified) to take on different responsibilities. This is particularly so this year, when we have the luxury of being under the umbrella of an established production company whose staff are experts in their respective fields.

Tell us about your show.

I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical is a comedic musical revue that reveals everything you could want to know about being a musical theatre performer – if only there were any who would admit it – plus everything about the devotees, detractors and disruptors they perform to! I’m the writer, it features a cast of West End regulars, and the producer is the great James Seabright, who picked the show up after seeing it in Edinburgh last year. In addition to its past runs there, the show has played in London, Liverpool, Switzerland and South Korea and was filmed for online streaming, though the forthcoming Edinburgh season will be the premiere of this new production. It will subsequently play at Wilton’s in London from 29th August to 9th September.

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

My audience should see Black is the Color of My Voice, which is inspired by the life of Nina Simone and features her music performed live. And having enjoyed seeing Iain Dale in conversation with legendary lyricist Tim Rice (who has been so kind as to be a vocal champion of my work) at last year’s Fringe, Iain Dale: All Talk will also be well worth a watch. Finally, having recently composed music for the West End production of Spitting Image The Musical, I’d encourage my audience to check out one of the terrifically talented team I had the pleasure of working with on it – comedian Matt Forde – who is in Edinburgh with his shows Inside No. 10 and The Political Party.

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EdFringe Talk: Kathy Maniura: Objectified

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“You’ve gotta fight pretty hard to keep a level head, a regular sleep pattern and healthy gut, but it’s absolutely worth it.”

WHO: Kathy Maniura

WHAT: “Kathy Maniura is ready to be objectified – by which she means pretend to be a bunch of objects live on stage!! In her debut solo show, this award-winning character comedian brings to life a few of her favourite things – and a lot of her least favourite. Meet an exhausting paper straw, a desperate electric scooter and a teeny tiny sexy little airpod among others in an hour of silliness that might make you look at the world a little differently. ‘Standout performer… Enigmatic’ (Scotsman). ‘Flawlessly performed and wittily and inventively scripted’ (Chortle.co.uk).”

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

WHEN: 16:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It’s my 5th time at the Fringe in some way, but my first time doing a show just me (the other times I was doing shows as part of character comedy duo Horseplay). The Edinburgh Fringe is a magical place – performances everywhere you turn at any time of the night or day, so much inspiration and energy. It’s also relentless, at times competitive, and wildly expensive. You’ve gotta fight pretty hard to keep a level head, a regular sleep pattern and healthy gut, but it’s absolutely worth it. I’m so excited to do my show every day – it’s a character comedy show where I pretend to be objects, and the more I do the characters the more exaggerated and absurd they become. I can’t wait to see how they end up by the end of the month…

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

I suppose the main thing I’m learning and trying very hard (and mostly failing) to actually put into practice is to go with the flow. Within any given performance, within the roller coaster of a Fringe run, and in life generally. In 2021 I had a near death experience from freak tonsillitis (a disease for children, how embarrassing!!) and it’s really taught me that you never know what’s around the corner, so in many ways there’s no point worrying and it’s best to just get on with it and do your silly little comedy show and hope it makes people laugh.

Tell us about your show.

Objectified is an absurd character comedy show where I bring to life a variety of everyday objects – by which I mean, if objects were people, what would they be like? I’m asking the big questions – will a regularly discarded e-scooter ever be loved? Can anyone resist the appeal of a slutty little airpod? What’s a wine bottle hiding? And much more… It’s good natured, silly, and I hope might inspire people to look at the world around them a little differently. I wrote the show myself, and the process has been mostly me prancing around talking to myself in my room. That said, a solo show is never really a solo show – it’s being co produced by Gilded Balloon, I’ve had invaluable feedback from Alison Thea-Skot and Kat Bond and I’m so grateful for the input of my brilliant comedy pals who have put up with me agonising about the show and offered me insightful feedback over pints – Derek Mitchell, Hannah Turk, Simon David, Jen Ives and many, many more. It began as work in progress shows in London through the winter, and has since been to the Glasgow Comedy Festival, Brighton Fringe and Oxford Comedy Festival. I’d love to tour the show after Edinburgh – watch this space!

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

There’s so much wonderful absurd, character-driven comedy at the festival this year. It’s something that doesn’t necessarily have a home year-round, so I’d say grab the opportunity furiously with both hands to see as much as possible. Lorna Rose Treen (fiendish skin pigeon), Lachlan Werner (ventriloquist and cultural icon), Jodie Mitchell (as drag king John Travulva), Simon David (shamlessly using his dad’s death to make ART). One of the great joys of the fringe is taking a punt on things you’d never otherwise see, so just explore! You haven’t done the fringe until you’ve seen something mind-blowingly good, something awful, and something completely baffling.

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EdFringe Talk: Some Sonnets and a Bit of Bach

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“What makes EdFringe unique is its sheer size and the ever-present chance of discovering something that a few years later turns into a cultural icon.”

WHO: Sebastian Michael

WHAT: “What do William Shakespeare and Johann Sebastian Bach have in common? Sebastian Michael, author of The Sonneteer and Sonnetcast podcaster, is trying to find out, bringing you some of his and your favourite sonnets and connecting them – somewhat adventurously – to a fugue. Expect glorious poetry, some fascinating insights, and one or two surprises…”

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

WHEN: 11:30 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first time at the Edinburgh Fringe in nearly ten years. I’ve done it in various capacities before – as an actor, performer, director, producer – but never with a spoken word solo show until now.

I’ve had my ‘triumphs’ and ‘disasters’, sometimes with the same show in the same year, and I’ve tried to “treat those two imposters just the same,” as well as anything in-between, though I admit it tends to be markedly easier to handle the former than the latter…

More than once have I told myself: that’s it, I’ve done it now, I don’t need to do this again. But the lure of Edinburgh proves irresistible. What makes it unique is its sheer size, the abundant wealth of productions in one place that you simply don’t get to see anywhere else because they will never be commercially viable enough to make it to London, for example, and the ever-present chance of discovering something that a few years later turns into a cultural icon.

I’ve never been to the Festival just as a punter – even my first trip about 35 years ago was in essence a recce – but I know the choice of shows can be overwhelming. And, as everyone knows, just being there has become prohibitively expensive. This I consider a big problem, because it threatens the experimental nature of the Fringe to its core.

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

I have to answer this question very literally: The big things I’ve learnt since 2022 are the Fugue and the Sonnets. I haven’t learnt all of the Sonnets yet – this is a work in progress – but in April 2022 I started learning William Shakespeare’s 154 Sonnets by heart and I’m nearly halfway through, currently, as I write this, approaching Sonnet 68, Thus Is His Cheek the Map of Days Outworn.

Playing the Fugue in C Major from the Well-Tempered Clavier, let alone performing it as part of a show, would have been beyond me a year ago, and the thought of doing so ludicrous. It’s genuinely amazing what a good teacher and a lot of practice can do for you though.

I suppose the big learning in more general terms came in 2020/21 with Covid, which served as a major reset button and put everything in perspective, as has the war in Ukraine since: we really need to treasure our arts, our forms of expression, our poetry, because although they be robust and lasting, the freedom and leisure we need to nurture, develop, and enjoy them are fragile indeed and may come under existential threat at a moment’s notice.

Tell us about your show.

This show sprang from a conversation I had with my young and prodigiously gifted piano teacher, when I wondered out loud: what do William Shakespeare and Johann Sebastian Bach have in common? and semi-jokingly answered: me. On account of my abundant love for them both. The two are really as different as you can imagine, but this piqued my interest further and I thought it might be a rewarding challenge to try and link Shakespeare’s Sonnets somehow to a Fugue by Bach.

The show consists pretty much of what it says on the metaphorical tin: I am presenting some of my and also some of the audience’s favourite Sonnets, giving a bit of background to how they came about and what they may mean, and linking them to one particular piece of music by Bach.

This is a premiere and whether it goes on anywhere else after Edinburgh, and if so where, depends entirely on the universe: if the world wants me to do this show, it is on offer and I’ll consider going anywhere that I’m invited to. If it turns out that nobody has any need or use for it, then I’ll enjoy the rest of the fest as best I can and book it all down to what will in any case be a profound experience.

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

I am doing this interview a month before I travel up to the Festival, so I haven’t seen anything yet, but my recommendation to anyone is: go discover! Find the shows nobody’s talking about. Eschew the deluge of ‘star-ratings’ and seek out obscure but interesting premises and ideas. Be the only person in an auditorium that seats sixty and see something that blows your mind.

The following are shows that have so far attracted my attention. They’re mostly from the venue group that I’m at – Greenside – because I’ve only looked at their programme in detail so far, but I have also identified a couple or so outside.

Enjoy:

A/lone: Loneliness and disconnectedness are big themes for us today, and this physical theatre / dance / verbatim piece looks like it’s taking an imaginative approach to them.

Burnt Lavender: “The revolution starts here,” is what this company of students from the University of Worcester say about their foray into LGBTQ+ history. I feel I am part of that history and I’m intrigued to know what the revolution looks like from their perspective…

Maybe Things Are Okay The themes of this show – life, loss and love in different colours – have forever fascinated me and they are ones I have dealt with in some of my own plays. So this is an opportunity to see how a new generation explores them.

Perfect Pairing: A Wine Tasting Dancegustation The concept of a ‘dancegustation’ in itself is one that most likely has to be experienced to be understood, and I am all for word creations if they define something that may well be worth cultivating…

Peer Gynt: A Jazz Festival Grieg and jazz sounds to me like an exquisitely promising combination, and one that I can’t wait to hear in fusion.

Alan Bennett’s Cocktail Sticks I’m a great admirer of Alan Bennett and I don’t know this piece, so this will be one of those opportunities the Fringe often offers for filling an educational gap.

I Believe in One Bach The cue for me here is in the title: I have not found many shows at this year’s Fringe that feature Bach, and none that isn’t simply a performance of his music, except mine and this one here, so obviously I’ll have to go and find out more.

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EdFringe Talk: Gallus Stooshie’s Cool Ceilidh

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“We wanted to bring something a little bit different from an hour long dance performance and realised that a modern ceilidh would appeal to so many locals and tourists from around the world.”

WHO: Susan Elena

WHAT: “Gallus Stooshie is a modern Scottish dance troupe here to make ceilidhs cool again. Enjoy a sensational performance, then take part in the coolest ceilidh in town, all led by our gallus dancers. Expect fun, fancy footwork and floor-filling tunes in an interactive, family-friendly event you don’t want to miss! Gallus: bold, cheeky or flashy. Stooshie: a commotion or fuss. Gallus Stooshie: made in Scotland to make you dance!”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Teviot – Debating Hall (Venue 117) 

WHEN: 14:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is Gallus Stooshie’s first EdFringe experience but we have been attending the festival for many, many years as punters taking in the shows and soaking up the atmosphere. There’s nothing better than wandering around the meadows between shows and enjoying the hustle and bustle, especially when the sun is shining.

The huge variety of shows involved in the Fringe truly make it accessible for everyone and we believe that our Cool Ceilidh will go down a storm with families and anyone who loves to ‘wheech’ around a dance floor.

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

Just to go for it and make it happen! My husband, Mark from Gigging It Up, had his EdFringe debut last year with comedy shows at Boteco do Brazil and is back again for his second year. After hearing all about his Fringe experience, I knew it was time for us to get involved too and Gallus Stooshie just seemed like the perfect fit. We wanted to bring something a little bit different from an hour long dance performance and realised that a modern ceilidh would appeal to so many locals and tourists from around the world.

Tell us about your show.

Gallus Stooshie was originally formed way back in 2014 to promote the Glasgow International Comedy Festival in Dublin. After a long hiatus, the show’s director, Susan Elena, decided to extend the performance and add a ceilidh to get everyone up on their feet and dancing along.

The whole idea is to bring ceilidhs into the 21st century with modern music that different generations will enjoy, and a show-stopping performance that includes traditional Highland dancing with a twist of Jazz and Urban dance.

We’ll be performing at the World Cycling Championships’ Go Live! festival in Glasgow just a few days before our EdFringe debut with the Gilded Balloon.

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

We’re very excited about Adele Birkmyre’s show Happy Pants and Men In Quilts, both happening in Boteco do Brazil with Gigging It Up.

Adele Birkmyre is a fantastic comedian who can even make Tena pants funny while the guys behind Men in Quilts, Ronnie Black, Kenny Sinclair & Graham Stewart, were once hot-bodied men in kilts but are now revelling as warm-bodied men in quilts.

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EdFringe Talk: Tartan Tabletop in a Dungeons & Dragons Comedy: The Never-Ending Quest (Ends Aug 27th)

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“The show is different every night, meaning that I, as the Dungeon Master, essentially have to write 25 shows rather than just one.”

WHO: Josh Aitken

WHAT: “A quest that began on the free Fringe last year, makes it’s full Fringe debut – the popular Dungeons & Dragons podcast team lands at Gilded Balloon with the Never-Ending Quest – improvised comedy at the roll of a dice, expect teamwork, nerdy jokes and guest star comedians playing Noblin the Goblin. Don’t worry about the plot, we don’t! Expect laughs, adventure and random acts of sorcery from the Tartan Tabletop gang of misfit adventurers – produced by Off Fest-nominated Future Artists.”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose – Nip (Venue 117) 

WHEN: 17:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

As most of our cast are recovering theatre kids and drama students, we’ve all been to the festival before – however this show is something we’re bringing ourselves, rather than our high school production of ‘Grease’.

All of our cast are Scottish, and some conveniently from Edinburgh… One of them, Alex, as a younger man thought that the festival was comprised of Jugglers only, and couldn’t understand the mass popularity. He’s since been informed he is not required to juggle in our show.

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

So the show is different every night, meaning that I, as the Dungeon Master, essentially have to write 25 shows rather than just one. A steep learning curve for me was remembering not to write the show the morning of… wether this has absorbed or not we are yet to see.

Alex has also asked me to let you know he has learned to juggle, I will reiterate however that this isn’t necessary for our show.

Tell us about your show.

The show is a group of friends sat around a table playing Dungeons and Dragons and we want you to feel like a part of that! That’s literally how the show started, we were a group of friends who would meet every Friday night to escape our mundane everyday responsibilities by rolling dice and speaking in funny voices… and then we decided to monetise our hobby.

As the Dungeon Master I write the entire show other than the characters played by my fellow cast members – those are completely improvised and developed personally by the actors. They get to be the heroes and I get to be the trees, rats and slimy goblins. Its a thankless and some might say humiliating job, but thats showbiz baby!

The show is being produced by Future Artists and we are incredibly thankful to them for the opportunity. As for the future, well it depends how many of you lot come and see us.

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

A friend of the show has wrote a play called ‘The Rejects’, which is on at TheSpace on the mile, We caught there preview and its hilarious! You should definitely check it out.

For something more Dungeons and Dragons-esque there’s an improv comedy show called ‘Mistakes Where Made’ on at CC Blooms, we’re planning to go see that, it looks right up our street.

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EdFringe Talk: Magic for Animals

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“I’m never as happy as I am onstage and that I love to be around other performers and creative people.”

WHO: Liz Toonkel

WHAT: “Magic for Animals is a one-woman magic show about agency, consent, and animal rights. Liz Toonkel uses sparkling, incisive humour to offer a refreshing antidote to the gendered and speciesist tradition of magic. It examines how we treat animals, and urges us to reconsider how we treat one another. By day, Liz is a production designer who’s shaped the look of such films as Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and Emily the Criminal, by night she’s a performance artist and magician.”

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

WHEN: 23:25 (50 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I am excited, and insanely nervous, to be a first time Fringe performer! Last year I had the opportunity to visit the festival and I had the best time seeing so many incredible shows and was really struck by the sense of community. That camaraderie is what inspired me to take the plunge and bring my own show this year. I just returned from performing at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival and by far, my favourite part of the experience was spending time with the other artists so I can’t wait to do that again on a larger scale.

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

I’ve learned that I’m never as happy as I am onstage and that I love to be around other performers and creative people. The pandemic was really challenging for me and in the past year I’ve pushed myself to be more of an active community member. I’ve learned so much from spending more time with fellow artists and it’s made me happier and my work stronger. In 2022, I thought a lot about how I can be a better ally to those around me and how to try and foster spaces of safety and respect. This is something I work on every day and even though I often make mistakes I try my best to learn from them rather than give up which I am wont to do since I’m a perfectionist. My perfectionism is the biggest hurdle I’ve been working to overcome this year. I hope by trying to embody the spirit of the fringe I can push myself further along in doing so.

Tell us about your show.

By utilizing a popular form such as a magic show for its curb appeal, I am drawing in an audience that wants humor, entertainment and spectacle. Already the pivot in my practice towards the magical has invited in audience members who have told me they would have never approached performance art. And if that helps save one more pig, cow or possum then I am one happy clam. I have deep joy for the craft of magic and am thrilled to devise a piece that takes the comedy and razzle dazzle to a deeper level.

Los Angeles Performance Practice is producing my show and they came onboard after I performed a workshop version at their 2021 LAX Festival. I really admire the ethic of their organisation and the way they lift up a diverse set of voices and help support solo work. A workshop version of the show was presented at Aarhaus Festuge 2022 with Live Art Denmark and the show had its world premiere as part of the primary lineup at the 2023 Cincinnati Fringe Festival in June. I hope to book a full tour of the show after Edinburgh and will be presenting it at the Center for the Arts at Kayenta in Utah in early 2024.

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

I’d love to suggest three fellow women artists who are also bringing their solo shows from Los Angeles.

Claire Woolner is an amazing performance artist and clown who is going to be my roommate in Edinburgh. We supported each other in building our shows and I love her hilarious and personal show A Retrospection at PBH’s Free Fringe at Banshee Labyrinth.

Brianna Ahlmark and I study clowning together and without her guidance I wouldn’t have finished my applications in time to find a venue in Edinburgh! She is truly my fringe guardian angel. Brianna has so much fun onstage and is impossible not to love, check out her show Dillis at PBH’s Free Fringe at Banshee Labyrinth.

Courtney Pauroso is a performer who I greatly admire. I saw a workshop of her new show and can’t wait to see a more developed version of Courtney Pauroso: Vanessa 5000 at Pleasance Courtyard.

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EdFringe Talk: Rizal Van Geyzel: Arrested

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“Freedom of speech is fragile in Malaysia.”

WHO: Rizal van Geyzel

WHAT: “Rizal Van Geyzel (as seen on Comedy Central Asia) was put in jail for telling jokes about his Islamic heritage. After a year under fire from right-wing extremists, a hostile government, and a sedition hearing, Rizal Van Geyzel comes to the Fringe for the first time to tell the story of how it happened, and what it means for the role of comedy, and the impact it has had on freedom of speech in Malaysia. Don’t worry, all this sounds a bit heavy but the show is really funny.”

WHERE: Laughing Horse @ Bar 50 – Upstairs (Venue 151) 

WHEN: 21:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Coming from Malaysia, this festival will be exciting for me on so many levels. We do not have any arts festivals of this magnitude back home, and on top of that, The UK is a much older nation compared to Malaysia and I will be keen to explore the city and all its historical sites. The EdFringe will certainly open my eyes and expand my understanding on the many different genres of the performing arts.

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

2022 will be remembered as the year Stand-up Comedy came under attack. The Comedy Club I ran for 8 years was vandalised, and shut down by the authorities. I received death threats, got arrested, remanded and charged by the high court for uploading my Comedy clips with jokes that allegedly insulted race and religion. All thanks to the oscars and Will Smiths wife!

Jokes aside, one of the many lessons I learnt is that freedom of speech is fragile in Malaysia and stand-up comedy may not be the universal language I so thought it was.

Tell us about your show.

The show is produced by RGB Monster, a production company with a lot of experience running festival shows all over the world namely, “Not My Audience”, “Inside The Robot”, & other lineup shows. This show “Arrested” however, will be produced by them for the first time and will be debuting internationally at the Edinburgh Fringe after a successful run in its home country, Malaysia.

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

The Asian Comedy Showcase at 2.45pm at the Laughing Horse will be featuring loads of talents from countries where Comedy is banned!

Sam See’s Government Approved Sex! will be at the same venue at 7.15pm. Sam is one of the most lightning quick comics I’ve seen come out (in more ways than one) of the grassroots of Singapore’s Comedy Scene.

Ollie Horn “Not Much”, happening at Just The Tonic at 6.25pm. Why Ollie Horn isn’t a household name in the UK is beyond me. He’s extremely clever, and exudes a very British like charismatic charm thats good enough to colonise countries.. again.

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EdFringe Talk: After Shakespeare

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“I’ve had Long Covid ever since; with fatigue and brain fog filling my every day. Everything is a chore and requires a huge amount of effort – even answering these questions!”

WHO: Andrew Slade

WHAT: “What happens to Shakespeare’s best-loved heroes and most reviled villains after the curtain falls? Come and join a host of familiar Shakespearean characters as they reflect back on their lives: including Lady Macbeth, Portia, Hamlet and King Hal (Henry V). Lexi Wolfe weaves together Shakespeare’s words, historical research, and her own dramatic spark, as she transforms into four distinct characters, to follow their onward journeys. Winner of Best Actress, Buxton Fringe 2021. ‘Lexi Wolfe is a formidable actor’ (Buxton Fringe).”

WHERE: theSpaceTriplex – Studio (Venue 38) 

WHEN: 16:05 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first time, however by business partner, Lexi Wolfe (who is the writer and sole actor in the show) tries to visit when health allows (last time was back in 2016, I think), and last performed in Edinburgh back in 2009! So we’re both really excited to be making this journey as 2 people with disabilities this has been a real challenge – but we know we have a show with legs, even if ours sometimes let us down! We’re hoping the energy and enthusiasm, and sheer excitement of Edinburgh (a city we both love) will carry us through!

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

Oh wow. I guess don’t get Covid. I caught it twice at the start of 2022, and I’ve had Long Covid ever since; with fatigue and brain fog filling my every day. Everything is a chore and requires a huge amount of effort – even answering these questions! Fortunately I’ve just started a new treatment program, which I’m hoping will at least help me survive next month!

Tell us about your show.

Sooooo……After Shakespeare was the brainchild of Lexi. We both love our Shakespeare, but she took it a step further by making the thesis of her Masters at LIPA about the Bard, and so it was always going to happen at some point that we did something Shakespearean. She wrote it during lockdown as a way to not go stir crazy. We often have conversations about characters in books, TV and films wondering about how they got to where they are, or what their lives looked like after, and after a night of no or very little sleep I guess she took it to Shakespeare and asked the question about what Shakespeare’s characters would think about after their shows. Even the dead ones. So we have Henry V, Hamlet, Portia and Lady Macbeth lamenting and being generally perplexed about the state of their lives (except Portia, I think she’s generally really happy with her lot). The show is dramatic, funny and insightful as Lexi has woven in some historical facts about some of the characters along with the Shakespearean stories. We debuted the show over Zoom during lockdown, and then cut it down to a festival version that we wanted to bring to Edinburgh. We took it to Buxton Fringe first, were we were nominated for Best new Writing, Best Production and Lexi also won Best Actress – so enthused from that, we’ve ended up checking in to Edinburgh for the full run! As for the future….we have another performance booked in September, and we’d really like to tour it, or one of our other shows, so I guess watch this space!

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

Good question! Well I know a couple of others performing this year, and I think variety is so important – so I’d suggest going to see Mark Simmons show called New Jokes – he’s had jokes nominated for best joke at the Fringe for the last 2 years I believe, and is incredibly funny. Also go and see “Let The Bodies Pile” starring the amazing Emily Carding – you’ll get the combination of an award-winning writer, with an award-winning actress and a highly respected Director all in one show (a bit like ours, I guess!)

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EdFringe Talk: Juliette Burton: No Brainer

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“Every show, every set is a lesson waiting to be learned. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to say ‘fuck it’.”

WHO: Juliette Burton

WHAT: “Everyone’s got a brain, although some work differently to others. In fixing her broken brain, Juliette learned a lot. Tired of mental health problems? Now is the time for solutions. Join award-winning comedian Juliette as she shares a manual for the mind. Not another awareness-raising show, but a change-making show. Is getting better a no-brainer? As seen on BBC One, ITV, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live. Edinburgh Fringe total sell-out, 2015 to 2018. ‘Joyous’ (Times). ‘Fringe favourite’ (Guardian). ‘Hilarious’ ***** (EdFestMag.com). ***** (Mirror). ***** (BroadwayBaby.com). ***** (VoiceMag.uk). **** (Sunday Express). **** (One4Review.co.uk).”

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

WHEN: 19:20 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’ve been performing in Edinburgh for over a decade now, sold out 4 years in a row, won a few awards and found my home, myself, my family thanks to the festival. A great festival is made by audiences. I might create a show but audiences make a show. All the sold out shows and awards mean nothing without an audience there to enjoy it. Audiences in Edinburgh helped me find a higher calling and my direction in life. I even moved to Edinburgh after falling in love with the city, and a man who lived there. When that relationship didn’t work out, I turned it into a show. Just like everything in my life, I wrote to cope. I wrote to communicate meaning, to find meaning and to galvanise others to take action to change the world. Thanks to the Fringe I toured in Australia and New Zealand, I met fellow change makers who craved progress and saw the arts and comedy as a vehicle for that. Edinburgh festival gave me my greatest successes and my greatest lessons. It shaped who I was and the direction of my life. I’ve had a longer relationship with this festival than any romantic relationship. However the pandemic changed everything. The pandemic ripped the live circuit away. It left me bereft. To cope, I wrote. And I took my time before returning. This is the year I will return.

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

I didn’t perform in Edinburgh in 2022. I spent the last 4 years rebuilding. In 2020 I was in the middle of my second UK tour funded by the Arts Council which was cancelled due to lockdowns. I’ve spent the last few years sitting back and watching, learning from observing others, witnessing. This year I’m dipping my toe back in because I feel something building inside for the next step. Have I absorbed any of the lessons yet? I’ve spent the last 4 years absorbing, patiently waiting. I’m constantly learning. Every show, every set is a lesson waiting to be learned. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to say ‘fuck it’. Life is short. Performing is the greatest joy I have ever found in life. To have the opportunity to do it is a privilege that thanks to the pandemic I will never take for granted again. I am there to serve the audience by playing, by having fun and being a conduit for fun for them.

Tell us about your show.

Back in 2021 I applied for Arts Council funding to write a show about hope and how to find hope when things seem hopeless. A week after I got the funding I had a huge mental health breakdown. I’ve had a fair few in my time. I was sectioned under the mental health act aged 17, I was hospitalised 5 times for mental illness, been in therapy for 20 years and I’ve been diagnosed with 15 mental health conditions. I know what a breakdown looks like, and this was a big ‘un. I’ve rebuilt myself a number of times and this show showcases what I learned in this rebuild. I learned a lot in the past 4 years and I’ve taken my time to make this self development hilarious comedy content. We’ve all suffered one way or another in the last few years, so I wanted to share everything that has helped me so that audiences can help themselves. The show was meant to be about hope – that’s the light and fluffy side of me I used to perform as. This is grittier, more real, stronger. And if you like this you’re going to love what’s about to come… My show was written by me, Liam Bierne and Gareth Gwynn, it’s performed by me and all the parts of me I’ve healed. And it’s produced by Ingenious Fools, who are super supportive and have been during my difficult past few years. With this show I sold out at Machfest, Nottingham Comedy Festival, Leicester Comedy Festival and previews so far prove audiences seem to really love it in a “we really needed this” kind of way. So come see for yourself.

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

Definitely see Sooz Kempner. Sooz and I have known each other for almost as long as I’ve been performing in Edinburgh. During the pandemic especially we stayed in close touch. She’s a grafter, has worked her socks off to get to where she is right now and deserves all the good things coming to her. If you miss out on seeing her now, you’re missing a zeigeist. She’s channeling something bigger than herself and we’re just lucky to be around her while she’s doing so. Also Rachel Creeger who is another great friend and anyone performing at Gilded Balloon – they’re a terrific venue who are supporting great acts.

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EdFringe Talk: Wildcat’s Last Waltz

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image of event

“I realised this year those ‘conditions’ don’t really exist and at some point, you have to go for and realise that the doing it in the first place is an achievement not what might or might not come next.”

WHO: Joshua Welch

WHAT: “Move over Dame Jude – there’s a new national treasure in town! This bold piece of theatre pierces to the heart of love, life and grief. It is a truly unique theatrical experience. The self-proclaimed ‘Wildcat of Sheffield’ faces the end of her days after the death of her beloved Geoff. With her razor-sharp wit and larger-than-life personality, she looks back on her past, her outrageous youth, falling in love, marriage, motherhood, ageing and loneliness. ‘Utterly captivating… full of life and light and fun… powerful and poignant… fearless acting… side-splitting’ ***** (LondonPubTheatres.com).”

WHERE: Assembly Rooms – Front Room (Venue 20) 

WHEN: 19:45 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

With my own show? YES! I came once when I was at University to watch shows, the moment I got off the train the heavens opened and I got drenched and never really got dry. Let’s hope the sun shines on 2023! I can’t wait to be there again, it the idea that when you begin your show you know that hundreds of other show are happening at the same time is soo exciting!

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

I’ve been doing Wildcat’s Last Waltz since 2019 and I’ve always been pretty nervous about bringing it to the Fringe and found an excuse not to do it every year, “I’ll wait for a producer” ” I’ll wait for funding” “I’ll wait until I’ve got good PR” I guess waiting for the ‘perfect conditions’ to take the show in. But I realised this year those ‘conditions’ don’t really exist and at some point you have to go for and realise that the doing it in the first place is an achievement not what might or might not come next.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote the show, Kelly Hunter directs and there’s amazing accompanying music from; Mercedes Maresca, Catherine Kay and Carina Torres. I came into theatre not long after my Mum passed away, I joined a AmDram group that created an alternative family that weren’t in the world of tragedy, they were in the world Ayckbourn comedies and pantomime. It saved my life. After University, I wrote Wildcat’s Last Waltz after being inspired by long drives with my own grandmother in my clapped-out VW polo. My grandma and I shared stories of each other’s grieves , fears of death and funny stories and became an unbreakable bond because of it. This play is my tribute to her and all the other strong, loving and wildly fierce mothers I have met along my way.

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

WASTE-MAN – ASSEMBLY ROOMS- George Square Studios – Looks amazing, can’t wait to see it !

DRAG QUEENS & VAMPIRES – UNDERBELLY COWGATE – I went to Uni of York with these Queens they were hilarious then and always have been!

DANIEL KITSON – SUMMERHALL – Pure class of a comic

PLAYING LATINX – SUMMERHALL – Written and performed by Guido Lueches who is an amazing performer and you will have a fantastic time

DAINA: THE UNTOLD AND UNTURE STORY – PLEASANCE DOME – Something I’ve been meaning to see for ages and I can’t wait to final see them

NOT CRICKET PRODUCTIONS – THREE MEN IN A BOAT – C VENUES – Went Uni with these guys, they adapt classic novels for children with creative flare, care and beauty!

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