Category Archives: *Written Interviews

From time to time we encounter an artist or producer toiling away at something pretty special. Here’s what they have to say, in their own words, about their work.

EdFringe Talk: Ali Brice Presents Eric Meat Gets the Chop

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“Having no Fringe to aim for allowed me to properly relax and removed a lot of anxiety from the year. But it also stopped my momentum.”

WHO: Ali Brice

WHAT: “After an enforced sabbatical, Eric Meat is back at the office he calls home. Between water cooler gossip, trips to Honkers (everyone’s favourite post-work pub) and a looming appraisal, his loyalty faces its final test. Hilarious, heartfelt and absurd, it’s a story of loyalty, nostalgia and knowing when to let go. How can you come back if you never leave? Best Show Nominee Comedians’ Choice Awards 2022. ‘Ali Brice is funny… a master of the absurd’ **** (List). ‘Comic genius’ **** (Skinny). ‘Side-splittingly comical’ ***** (TheUpcoming.co.uk). ‘Hilarious, unique… surprisingly moving’ **** (Chortle.co.uk).”

WHERE: Room 1 at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Carbon (Venue 180) 

WHEN: 17:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my 13th Fringe. I first went in 2010 and became immediately addicted. Apart from the two COVID years, the only Fringe I have missed since 2010 was 2024. And that is because I wanted to have a holiday with my girlfriend. Maybe I will have another holiday in 2038.

The Fringe is the best place in the world for comedians and comedy fans alike. There is no way to describe it. If you like comedy and haven’t been: GO! But be prepared to spend every August in Edinburgh for the rest of your life (unless you go on holiday!)

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

Having taken the 2024 Fringe off, I have learned that not having a Fringe to aim for really threw my year out of whack. The Fringe is such a Big Thing and really dominates any year I’m doing it and forces me to write as there is an end goal.

Having no Fringe to aim for allowed me to properly relax and removed a lot of anxiety from the year. But it also stopped my momentum. Now I’m finding it very hard to get up to full capacity and really hit my stride. But I’m getting there!

Tell us about your show.

My show is very silly. And very loose. And that is exactly how I like it.

I play a Northern man called Eric Meat. In the show he is excited as he is at the end of a sabbatical and returning to work the next day. Before he returns to work, he learns that his job doesn’t exist anymore and that he has to apply for a new position and is up against 3 of his colleagues.

It is largely a celebration of work. Which might seem odd. People generally don’t like or celebrate their jobs. I don’t like my day job – but I need it. For the money. But I do like my office and really like my colleagues.

Eric takes this to the extreme.

I also love talking to the crowd. I get distracted very easily and love going off piste and seeing what happens in the room. Sometimes I abandon the show entirely. They’re my favourite shows.

While I love fully polished, well-rehearsed shows. A lot of them follow the same formula. BORING!

Come to my show and see some genuine jeopardy.

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

Sam Nicoresti – she’s always been hilarious but over the last couple of years has become increasingly incredible. Do not miss.

Pat Cahill – the funniest bones in the business.

Joz Norris – a true artist and lovely human.

Lucy Pearman – always a good time.

Andy Barr – one of the best AB comedians in the biz.

Adam Larter – bringing back his ‘Can You Put A Tail On It?’ for, I think, the fourteenth or fifteenth time. Always flies under the radar, this could be the breakthrough year.

Luke Rollason – they’ve won a BAFTA (and I was in the film that won it, and will bask in the reflected glory for the rest of my life) and are brilliant.

Sooz Kempner – believe the hype.

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EdFringe Talk: Mr Woody’s Last Lesson: Confessions of a Teacher

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“I’m also hoping to reconnect with long-lost Scottish family. I’ll be the one outside the venue shouting, “Are you my cousin?!” between shows.”

WHO: Woody Clark

WHAT: “Buckle up, folks. After 23 years of holding it together, this teacher is finally off duty… and off the rails. A classroom meltdown like no other – unhinged rants, bad decisions, and a music lesson with more chaos than a school camp. Expect mischievous puppets and brutally honest comedy from a burnt-out teacher on the edge. If you’ve ever wanted to tell a helicopter parent to zip it, this show is for you! Warning: Explicit language and the kind of storytelling that makes a 4pm staff meeting almost tolerable.”

WHERE: Bothie at Gilded Balloon Patter House (Venue 24) 

WHEN: 16:00 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes! We left Australia 6 weeks ago on a madcap musical mission—touring our kids shows across Canada, dodging moose and maple syrup in equal measure. Now we’ve touched down in the UK for our very first Fringe season.

We’ve just ticked Glastonbury off the bucket list (yep, played the Kidzfield while ankle-deep in glitter and mud), and now it’s full steam ahead to Edinburgh, baby! This festival has been a dream for years—a chance to soak up the chaos, make new mates, and connect with UK artists, producers and festivals who’ve probably already walked past our poster 47 times without noticing.

On a personal note, my parents emigrated from the UK to Australia, so I’m also hoping to reconnect with long-lost Scottish family. I’ll be the one outside the venue shouting, “Are you my cousin?!” between shows.

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

Oh, loads. Some educational, some traumatic.

If you’re an Aussie heading to Canada or Edinburgh— bring thermals. No joke. I wore three pairs of socks and still lost feeling in my toes. I heard summer in Edinburgh happened last Tuesday. Briefly. Around 2pm.

Grizzly bears are majestic. Like giant, angry koalas with biceps. You’ll never look at a eucalyptus tree the same way. Lesson: don’t leave your trail mix in the van.

Good coffee is a rare gem abroad. Bring a portable machine and your favourite local beans. Melbourne’s coffee snobbery is real for a reason—six weeks touring Canada and I only found one proper flat white. Fingers crossed Edinburgh fares better!

“Scenic detours” are a scam. A festival 400 miles away up a mountain may sound romantic, but unless you’ve got a helicopter and a Sherpa, it’s a logistical nightmare. Lesson: Always check the altitude and fuel prices.

Hiring a left-hand drive car to navigate snow, moose, and black bears at 3am through the Rocky Mountains to catch an international flight is not for the faint-hearted—or the sleep-deprived. Lesson: maybe don’t schedule your epic driving adventure immediately before your flight to the UK. Or at least learn which side of the road to drive on before the highway merges.

Tell us about your show.

Mr. Woody’s Last Lesson is what happens when a wholesome Aussie music teacher finally loses the plot.

After 24 years in classrooms—teaching kids to strum ukuleles, dodging parent emails, unblocking toilets, and smiling through lunchtime duty—I (Woody Clark) wrote the show that teachers wish they could say out loud. It’s one big day-from-hell, where everything unravels: the students, the parents, the system… and finally, the teacher. With ukulele solos, misbehaving puppets, and a staffroom’s worth of sarcasm, it’s part meltdown, part love letter to educators everywhere.

I wrote the show myself after years of touring as a children’s performer, with songs on ABC Kids and a mobile ukulele school. It premiered at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in April 2025 and is now making its glorious UK debut—after surviving a six-week tour across Canada, Glastonbury, and several terrifying experiences with left-hand drive.

After the Fringe, I’m heading back to Australia for a string of Christmas shows, some long-overdue home renovations, and maybe—just maybe—some sleep.

Because when you’ve survived school camps, NAPLAN week (national school testing week), and 1,200 cheese sticks in lost property, you’ve got two choices:

Write your obituary… or write a comedy show.

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

Well, first up—we’ve also got a kids’ show at Gilded Balloon Patter House! So if you’ve got sprogs, small cousins, or want to see me do family-friendly chaos (with ukuleles and puppets), come check it out.

I’ll also be wandering around the Fringe like a lost kangaroo looking for great little shows—so ask me for tips after I’ve seen a few.

My top tip though? Go see my dad’s show – Dave Clark: Australian Folk Singer. He supported Billy Connolly back in 1981 when Billy toured Australia. Dad’s a folk icon from the ’70s who no one remembers now, but he’s still got the goods—concertina, guitar, big heart, and classic Aussie yarns. It’s an hour of Aussie bush ballads, political passion, love songs, and Four Little Johnny Cakes. Pure joy.

And of course, shout out to all my Aussie mates also here to lose money at the Fringe—support them! Seriously talented folk, putting it all on the line.

Check out the epic lineup at House of Oz—a whole season of incredible Australian shows:

Daniel Muggleton – sharp, no-BS stand-up

Josh Glanc – wild sketch meets surrealism

Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence – a hilarious take on Aussie school sport drama

FLICK – bold solo show diving into memory and trauma

The Listies – absolute legends for kids and adults alike

House of Oz is the unofficial Aussie embassy at Fringe—check it out and support the mob.

Because let’s be honest… if we’re all going to lose money, we may as well lose it together watching incredible art.

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EdFringe Talk: Woody Fu: One Man John Wick

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“When I first came I fell in love with all lo-fi theater magic. Shows like Police Cops and Don Juan were so anarchic, fun, and inventive with staging that I was incredibly inspired.”

WHO: Woody Fu

WHAT: “John Wick. John Wick Chapter 2. John Wick Chapter 3. What do these movies have in common? Woody has seen them. Now, he’s embodying the world’s favourite Canadian action star Keanu Reeves in this scripted comedy, calling on the audience to help create movie magic live onstage. There will be car chases, ultra-violence and a plot device labelled “undeveloped dead wife character”. After selling out Hollywood Fringe and winning Best of Fest at Toronto Sketchfest, this hit show comes to Edinburgh! Presented by Chris Grace (Baby Wants Candy, Chris Grace: As Scarlett Johansson, Sardines!).”

WHERE: The Crate at Assembly George Square (Venue 8) 

WHEN: 20:50 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I first performed in Edinburgh in 2018 with the musical improv group Baby Wants Candy, and as a lead in the scripted comedy “Thrones! The Musical” (I played Jon Snow of course). This is my first time bringing a show and I am thrilled!

When I first came I fell in love with all lo-fi theater magic. Shows like Police Cops and Don Juan were so anarchic, fun, and inventive with staging that I was incredibly inspired. They made me step up every aspect of my own writing and performance.

I also love the community. It’s a rich and fertile group of likeminded international weirdos who are insanely creative and funny, thoughtful and talented. I feel very lucky to be participating this year.

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

Despite my best intentions I have learned to take care of myself. Did you know that apparently water, exercise, rest and eating greens is somehow good for you? Apparently it’s true! As I come to Edinburgh this year, my main focus will be to not overcommit myself, to just breathe and do one thing at a time. Also! Music is key: Jamie XX to relax, Run the Jewels to get hype.

Tell us about your show.

This is a scripted solo comedy show called WOODY FU: ONE MAN JOHN WICK. Terrible to say out loud, but great for SEO. It takes us on the set of John Wick Chapter 5: E Pluribus Unum. Keanu needs the audience’s help to recreate all the hallmarks of this billion dollar franchise: car chases, gun-fu, and vaguely Eastern European thugs. Audience members become the crew on the “film set,” filling out various jobs like Line Producer, Writer, and most importantly the Key Grip (the keys must be gripped).

Along the way, we’ll ride motorcycles, snap some necks, and revisit Keanu’s most iconic films in a celebration of our favorite sexagenarian Canadian action star. My show enjoyed a sold out run at Hollywood Fringe, and toured the states at comedy festivals. It also won Best of Fest at Toronto Sketchfest!

I’m an actor and comedian based in Los Angeles. I was featured as a New Face of Comedy by Just For Laughs. You may have seen me on ABC, CBS, FX, HBO Max, HULU, Comedy Central, Peacock, and Netflix playing a weirdo character.

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

Sophie’s Surprise 29th is an absolutely perfect show. You will be thrilled and delighted. At one point you will scream and cover your eyes with your hands, only to peak through them.

Baby Wants Candy & Shamilton for top tier musical improv from the very best!

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EdFringe Talk: Transfers

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“I hate the role of producer – I’m not good at promotion, the financial obstacles are great and appealing to an audience is like shouting at passing strangers in a hurricane.”

WHO: Martin Foreman

WHAT: “Eight very different people, eight very different situations. How does £500 get passed around? Willingly or violently? As a gift? Blackmail? Payment for drugs? Beauty treatment? A scam? Car repair? Is it stolen? Or lost? In cash or online? In someone’s home? A nightclub? On the street? In a theatre? Perhaps all of these or none. In a newly devised show, see money circulate in a kaleidoscope of comedy, tragedy and the mundane in Britain today.”

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

WHEN: 21:20 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Thanks for inviting me back to talk about our other Fringe show, A Pound of Flesh, so forgive me if some of my answers are similar to what I said before. 🙂

We’re an Edinburgh-based group of theatre creatives, which means that most of us have been in the Fringe before in different companies and many of us have worked together on other productions in the city during the rest of the year.

The last time I was fully involved in the Fringe was 2019. I hate the role of producer – I’m not good at promotion, the financial obstacles are great and appealing to an audience is like shouting at passing strangers in a hurricane. This year, however, I’m working with a great team and I – and we – are confident that we have two great dramas to offer the world.

I have no idea what makes a great festival. I know what made the Edinburgh Fringe great in the past was the sheer variety of talent that came to perform here from all over the world – and an audience that was excited and enthusiastic about what they were seeing. My fear is that the Fringe has become too commercial – the costs of venue hire and accommodation have shot through the roof, so we get far fewer companies from abroad. Ticket prices have had to go up to meet the cost of venues and that all impacts on the numbers who come to the city and see different shows.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again . . . I would love it if comedy were split off from the rest of the Fringe and held at a different time of year. For financial reasons it won’t happen, but coverage of stand-up reduces the attention paid to theatre and all the great things happening on stage.
Whatever the problems, I know I’ll have a good time seeing lots of new talent and shows – although they will all have to be in the daytime because I’m teching each night throughout the Fringe.

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

I was only involved in a minor role in 2024 and before that my last contribution to the Fringe was in 2019. The lessons I have learnt are find a producer who has no fear, always be prepared to lose money and above all create a production that wows not just yourself but which wows the world that comes to see it. And don’t forget to see and support as many of the other fantastic performers here that need your support!

Tell us about your show.

I conceived the idea of Transfers – the sum of £500 passing from one person to the next in a never-ending circle – based on Arthur Schnitzler’s notorious La Ronde. That play consisted of a never-ending round of sexual encounters but it’s been done before in many different forms. So instead of body fluids I came up with the idea of money going round and round. And rather than limit the scenes to my own experiences and ideas, I decided it would be a much better play if it were created by the actors themselves.

The first step was to bring on board Michael Robert-Brown, an actor/director I had worked with before and together we put together a cast to represent a cross-section of Britain today. We haven’t managed to tick every box, but we have eight actors, male and female, of different ages, backgrounds and experiences who have come up with eight very different scenes covering issues from trans to Alzheimer’s, homelessness to violence, child custody to OnlyFans.

Michael is not only one of the actors but he brings the play together as director while I’ve taken the scenes that the cast have created, written the initial drafts of the script and together over the rehearsal process we have crafted a play that is in turns tragic, comic, dramatic and – deliberately – mundane.

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

Immediately before Transfers in the same venue is our other production – A Pound of Flesh, a tragoc version of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice in which Portia cannot save Antonio’s life and Bassanio is forced to face the consquences of his own greed.

Of course I have to draw attention to other Edinburgh-based groups and actors that I have worked with or seen in the past. They include:

EGTG, who always produce fascinating work (disclosure, I worked on one their productions last year), are offering Dario Fo’s The Virtuous Burglar and Lucy Kirkwood’s The Children
This is the last time Arkle Theatre appears at the Fringe – with The Thirty-Nine Steps and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

One of our cast members, Jed Bury, is also in Holly Street.

In my last interview with GYCO I mentioned other plays I know nothing about but want to see.

Here’s a different list that I hope to get to: The Cadaver Palaver; The Domestiques; Frat; The Lolita Apologies; Love, Death and Shakespeare. . . and there’s a whole lot more.
(Btw not all the plays have X accounts so I have given the Instagram handle if they have one instead.)

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EdFringe Talk: Jimmy Made Parole

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“I deliberately chose to step outside of my comfort zone for this year’s Fringe, and so far the process has been very rewarding.”

WHO: Charles Edward Pipe

WHAT: “Join ex-con Jimmy as he brings you along to get ready for his first date since he got out of prison that morning. Along the way he’ll introduce you to a cavalcade of crooked characters, talk you through a smorgasbord of shady schemes, and entice you with a variety of vices. Writer Charles Edward Pipe has previously had success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with Five Short Plays Loosely Linked by the Theme of Crime – ***** (TheEdinburghReporter.co.uk) – and Four More Short Plays Loosely Linked by the Theme of Crime: ***** (TheEdinburghReporter.co.uk). ***** (VoiceMag). ***** (One4Review.co.uk).”

WHERE: Snug at Paradise in Augustines (Venue 152) 

WHEN: 15:45 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No! I first performed at the Fringe as a teenager in 2016, and then returned as a writer, director, and producer in 2023 with ‘Five Short Plays Loosely Linked by the Theme of Crime’, and then again in 2024 with ‘Four More Short Plays Loosely Linked by the Theme of Crime’. This is, however, my first time performing at the Fringe since 2016, and my first ever solo show, so I have a feeling it will be a very different experience.

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

This show is very different to my previous Fringe shows – in that it’s a solo show rather than a cast of 3. and is one 55-minute story rather than several short plays – so there’s been a bit of a learning curve while developing the show. I deliberately chose to step outside of my comfort zone for this year’s Fringe, and so far the process has been very rewarding. It’s really fun to be able to laser-focus in on one character and spend so much time exploring what makes him tick.

Tell us about your show.

‘Jimmy Made Parole’ is a one-man romantic crime-comedy about a roguish ex-con getting ready for a date. Written by me, starring me, produced by me… it’s very DIY. The plot follows this scoundrel, Jimmy, as he gets ready for a date on the same day he gets released from prison. He needs money – because the money he stashed away before he went to prison is gone when he goes to find it – so he concocts a variety of schemes on the fly to make some money to buy flowers, buy a new suit, and pay for the date. There’s a bare-knuckle boxing match, an illegal casino, an opium den, a bar crawl, and so on.

It’s a very fast-paced show, full of audience interaction, improvisation, dark humour, and optimism.

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

‘Hold the Line’ by my friend Sam Macgregor. It’s a show based on his experiences as an NHS111 call handler.

‘The Dahlia Files’ by Hey Thanks! Theatre Collective – another one-person crime-themed show.

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EdFringe Talk: Dan Bastianelli: Identity

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“It is a huge part of my year and, as a local, I love what it gives the city.”

WHO: Dan Bastianelli

WHAT: “The modern festival’s smartest multi-space destination venue. The ultimate powerhouse of live performance, offering a pulsating programme of diverse and inclusive work from every genre possible. Part of our 11-space hub at the very stylish Surgeons Quarter, well-stocked bars and great food has made this the perfect destination for audiences who tend to come and spend the day seeing a wide selection of award-winning shows from across the globe.”

WHERE: Theatre 1 at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Venue 117) 

WHEN: 18:25 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my 5th show at the Edinburgh Festival. In my first couple of years, while I was at university, I brought shows to the PBH Free Fringe. This was an amazing way to hone my craft and get huge amounts of experience on stage to different audiences every day. In the past couple of years, as I have grown in my professional performing career, I have moved into ticketed venues but the spirit remains the same.

It is a huge part of my year and, as a local, I love what it gives the city. Ever since I was young, I have loved attending shows and watching street shows. My grandparents used to bring me onto the royal mile regularly, and it is probably where a lot of my love for magic began.

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

2024 was a really good year for me as I performed a sell-out run in a small and intimate room. I learned a lot about my show and how to evolve it night on night based on audience reactions. This year I have taken the lesson to take a bit more risks, as Edinburgh audiences want to see something new and different.

Tell us about your show.

My show is essentially a one-man band. I produce, write and perform the show. I do however have lots of help from great friends and colleagues throughout the writing process. I have been performing magic at professional events from the age of 14, but this is the first show that I have written that really explains to the audience who I am and what that means.

This show is newly written specifically for Edinburgh 2025, but I am performing a preview show at Newcastle Fringe a few days before the run begins, just to get those inevitable initial hiccups ironed out before Edinburgh.

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

I have lots of amazing friends in magic (too many to shout out here). I am a proud committee member of the Edinburgh Magic Circle, who are performing a medley show in the Festival for the first time in many years. I’d encourage magic fans to go and support them as the performers will primarily be festival newbies and up-and-comers, which is what the fringe is truly about.

Other magic shows I would highly recommend are; ‘1 hour of Insane Magic’, ‘The Remarkable Ben Hart’, and (for younger families) ‘Mario the Maker Magician’.

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EdFringe Talk: A Pound of Flesh

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“My fear is that the Fringe has become too commercial – the costs of venue hire and accommodation have shot through the roof, so ticket prices have had to go up and that impacts on the numbers who come to the city and therefore on audiences.”

WHO: Martin Foreman

WHAT: “In Shakespeare’s classic, The Merchant of Venice, only Portia’s appearance in court and her implacable logic saves Antonio from Shylock’s knife. But what would happen if she never came to Venice? Bassanio’s need for money to woo Portia sets in motion the events that lead to the trial, but what are his real motives? And why is there so much hatred between Antonio and Shylock? With echoes of Romeo and Juliet, events in A Pound of Flesh move remorselessly to a tragic end.”

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

WHEN: On Demand (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

We’re an Edinburgh-based group of theatre creatives, putting on two productions – A Pound of Flesh and Transfers. Most of us have been involved in the Fringe before in different companies over the years and, many of us have worked together on other productions in the city during the rest of the year.

The last time I was personally involved in the Fringe was 2019. I hate the role of producer – I’m not good at promotion, the financial obstacles are great and appealing to an audience is like shouting at passing strangers in a hurricane. This year, however, I’m working with a great team and I – and we – are confident that we have two great dramas to offer the world.

I have no idea what makes a great festival. I know what made the Edinburgh Fringe great in the past was the sheer variety of talent that came to perform here from all over the world – and an audience that was excited and enthusiastic about what they were seeing. My fear is that the Fringe has become too commercial – the costs of venue hire and accommodation have shot through the roof, so ticket prices have had to go up and that impacts on the numbers who come to the city and therefore on audiences.

Finally, I would love it if comedy were split off from the rest of the Fringe and held at a different time of year. For financial reasons it won’t happen, but coverage of stand-up reduces the attention paid to theatre and all the great things happening on stage.

Despite my gripes, I know I’ll have a good time seeing lots of new talent and shows – although they will all have to be in the daytime because I’m teching each night throughout the Fringe.

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

I was only involved in a minor role in 2024 and before that my last contribution to the Fringe was in 2019. The lessons I have learnt are find a producer who has no fear, be prepared to lose money and whatever you do create a production that wows not just yourself but which wows the world that comes to see it.

Tell us about your show.

Who wrote A Pound of Flesh? Will Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice, based, like a lot of his work, on similar stories that had been told many times before. I took his play and brought in an element from Romeo and Juliet to create an alternative version in which Portia does not come to Venice to save Antonio’s life and all ends in tragedy. The focus of the tale is now Bassanio and the consequences of his greed – and the love Antonio bears for Bassanio is much more obvious in this version.

I am therefore the co-playwright (the text includes both Shakespeare’s words and my words in his style), the director and, faute de mieux, producer. An early version of A Pound of Flesh was full-length with ten actors. This version – premiering at the Fringe – is fifty minutes, with a cast of five. We auditioned in February and the cast comprises three I have worked with before – Ollie Hiemann, who frequently takes the lead in Edinburgh productions, as Bassanio; Danielle Farrow, a Shakespeare talent and expert, as Shylock; Michael Robert-Brown, an excellent character actor, as the Doge and other parts – plus Gabriel Bird, equally talented and often seen on the Edinburgh stage, as Antonio; and Millie Deere, a newcomer to Edinburgh, as Portia.

We have no plans to take it onwards – professional producers and theatres and agents please get in touch!

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

Immediately after A Pound of Flesh in the same venue is our other production – Transfers, a cast-devised play in which £500 gets passed from person to person in a kaleidoscope of life in Britain today. But enough self-promotion…

I have to draw attention to other Edinburgh-based groups and actors that I have worked with or seen in the past. They include:

EGTG, who always produce fascinating work (full disclosure, I worked on one their productions last year), are offering Dario Fo’s The Virtuous Burglar and Lucy Kirkwood’s The Children
the last time Arkle Theatre appears at the Fringe – with The Thirty-Nine Steps and A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Two of our cast members are in plays by other groups – Ollie Hiemann can be seen in Captivate Theatre’s Sweeney Todd and Gabriel Bird in Jean Anouilh’s Antigone

I’m pleased to see Dan Hazelwood’s Ascension return to the Fringe – the true story of a gay Dutch sailor marooned on an island three hundred years ago. I was astounded by it when I saw it last year.

As for the rest? Well, skimming through the brochure I can say I’m intrigued by – I can’t say recommend because I haven’t seen it and don’t know the cast or the play – Casablanca: The Gin Joint Cut; Cheese and Guava or Romeo and Juliet; Hamlet from Raiser Theatre; Lord of the Flies; Time

Bends . . . and I’m sure there are a whole lot more.

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EdFringe Talk: Golden Time (and Other Behavioural Management Strategies)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“We want the show to create a sense of joy and connection through storytelling.”

WHO: Giulia Grillo

WHAT: “Golden Time is a primary school incentive rewarding free time for good behavior. Kate is an assistant teacher with terrible time management and needs your help. Blending interactive performance, spoken word and comedy, join Kate as she attempts to avoid distraction and save time. Kate Ireland is a Glaswegian writer and performer whose words have recently connected with people online through her discussions around productivity and incentive culture. Directed by Giulia Grillo, this show is Kate’s solo theatre debut and is creatively captioned.”

WHERE: Ace Dome at Pleasance Dome (Venue 23) 

WHEN: 13:30 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my second time at the Edinburgh Fringe. My first experience was as a University of Manchester graduate. The University selected my show PULP to represent the students’ talent at the Festival.

When I went I was in my early twenties and had recently moved to the UK from Italy. I didn’t know what the Fringe would be like. It was a truly inspiring experience to embrace my creativity and expand my imagination in terms of what theatre can look and feel like.

I watched sensory pleasing shows with found teddy bears used as puppets, shows in which essential oils and perfumes were sprayed over the audience’s seats and shows where the audience had to step on stage, read the script and tell the story.

It was bonkers and it inspired me to be bold when it comes to storytelling. This is what Kate Ireland and I are trying to do with Golden Time (and Other Behavioural Management Strategies) heading to Pleasance Ace Dome from 30th July – 25th Aug at 13:30. We want to punch the audience in the gut with our show and create a sensory collective experience that people will remember long after the festival.

We think that what makes theatre so special and important in this historical moment is that it creates community and brings people together in a physical space. Their bodies experience a story together simultaneously. A friend once told me people’s heart rhythm synchronizes when they’re watching a show.

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

This last year has taught me definitely to make work locally whenever you can and accepting it doesn’t have to be perfect. Find your peers, reach out to the local artists you like saying ‘ I wanna work with you, how can I help you?

We need to create the opportunities for young creatives to come together, upskill or share skills. In Manchester I found a supportive network of young artists I could make grass roots theatre with whilst not feeling pressured.

Blether was the local creative community where I started to develop my directing and performance skills. Blether is an arts collective made of women and queer people who run monthly workshops and creative events in Levenshulme in Manchester. In winter 2024 I had just graduated, I was out of work and feeling quite demotivated. One day I reached out to the Blether Instagram as they were looking for more volunteers to help run the events.

Through Blether I met Kate in January 2024. I had no idea she was writing a theatre show. One day in April – we had known each other only a couple of months- I remember I was in Italy for Easter visiting my family and she just called me and said ‘I want you to direct my show’. And I was like: what show?!

She had just finished writing as part of the Roundhouse Young Artist Scheme.

Since then, the show has been shaped by our shared experiences running creative workshops for Blether and other organizations. We want the show to create a sense of joy and connection through storytelling.

Tell us about your show.

The show is produced by PJ Cunningham on behalf of our arts collective, Blether.

Kate and I have worked many hours on the show over the past year. We wanted to bring the show to the Fringe this summer and needed a brilliant producer to help us with the managerial, financial, and practical elements of bringing a show there. I instantly thought of PJ, a brilliant Manchester based producer I worked with in January. She called me in December 2024 to direct a show for PUSH Festival at HOME, Manchester. Now I was calling her to join our Golden Time gang! She accepted and here we are now!

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

We must mention the shows of our fellow Stage Manager & Lighting Designer Maddie who is one of Third Floor Theatre (TANKED at Zoo Playground) and Tom Bass (16 Pickle Studio at Greenside @ Riddles Court). Both shows address tender themes presented through clowning. Their playful storytelling and experimental approach chimes with ours.

I also need to mention a show presented as part of the Here and Now programme called ‘A Citizens Assembly’, by Andy Smith & Lynsey O’Sullivan. The play is set to be read and performed by people and not actors.

The show aims to engage young people and community members in a dialogue around climate change. People in the play are not performed by actors. The play is written and designed to be read by the audience. The format of the play really creates a sense of a collective and it encourages people to be brave, to listen and respect each other’s perspectives.

I would recommend TANKED by Third Floor Theatre, Blip by Tom Bass and Andy Smith & Lynsey O’Sullivan ‘A Citizens Assembly’!

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EdFringe Talk: In These Shoes

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“My Instagram feed is currently awash with Edinburgh food and wine options (also highland coos), and it seems like the number of fancy bakeries has also tripled since I was last there.”

WHO: Glynis Traill-Nash

WHAT: “Glynis Traill-Nash lives a double life: fashion writer by day, jazz singer by night. Now the two collide in this soirée of chic! Dressed to thrill and accessorised with a set list of stylish chansons, Glynis will take you from the suburbs of Perth to the front rows of Paris to unpick the world of fashion in alarmingly relatable fashion. ‘An absolute romp of fun’ (OutInPerth.com). **** (Advertiser, Adelaide). ‘Even Anna Wintour might manage a smile at this mix of fashion and fun’ (SydneyTravelGuide.com.au). Adelaide Fringe Weekly Award Winner 2025.”

WHERE: Dairy Room at Underbelly, Bristo Square (Venue 302) 

WHEN: 19:45 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Would you believe I last brought a show to Edinburgh in… 1998?! I’ll leave you to do the maths on that. So, it’s been a while between drams. That was also the last time I attended the Fringe. I thought there were a lot of shows that year, but there are about three times the number this year. I just love the city so much—I almost moved there!—and I cannot wait to get back. My Instagram feed is currently awash with Edinburgh food and wine options (also highland coos), and it seems like the number of fancy bakeries has also tripled since I was last there. If we cross paths during Fringe, I’ll probably have a cinnamon knot in hand.

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

That being made redundant from your dream job isn’t the end of the line! I’d been fashion editor of Australia’s national newspaper for almost 10 years when I was let go not long ago. I was amazed at the doors that opened once that happened. So I’ve since learnt to walk through a lot of those doors, mostly without them hitting me in the face.

I’ve also learnt that when you’re not being flown around the world by fashion brands with alarming regularity (see point above), the plummet from Platinum frequent flyer status back to Silver is pretty swift. I’m still absorbing that one. [Cue: tiny violins.]

Tell us about your show.

I’ve spent the last 21 years building a career as “one of Australia’s most experienced and respected fashion journalists” (according to my LinkedIn profile). But I’ve been singing my whole life. So, with more time on my hands (see above) I decided to bring these two worlds together in cabaret form with a good dose of comedy. I actually loved writing the show—it turns out fashion and fashion journalism are RIPE for unpicking. We have more adjectives for “beige” than Scots

do for “idiot”. Plus, I have spent almost half my career trying to get my head around the rise of Crocs and activewear, so hopefully this show will go some way to helping others on this same journey of understanding, if not embracing.

My musical director, Josh Haines, has been amazing to work with, not only a brilliant pianist and arranger, but also the best hype merchant you could wish for. The music crosses jazz, pop, canzoni d’amore and musical theatre. Consider this the Westfield of cabarets—something for everyone! We had our debut at last year’s Perth International Cabaret Festival, followed by sell-out seasons at Sydney Fringe, FringeWorld Perth and we went on to win an award at this year’s Adelaide Fringe, which was nice. Self-producing has been a pretty radical learning curve—I didn’t see budget spreadsheets taking up so much of my life a year ago. From here, I’d love to take the show to the fashion capitals of the world! And whatever style-adjacent outpost will have us.

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

Of course I’m going to plug some fellow Aussies! Although there are (of course) too many to mention them all. The House of Oz line-up this year is epic—I’ll be lining up to see Madelaine Nunn’s Flick and Michelle Pearson’s Skinny, while I can already vouch for the hilarious netball musical Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence. I am DESPERATE to see Wankernomics (by Charles Firth and James Schloeffel), a merciless satire of office culture—maybe I’ll get some pertinent spreadsheet tips? Also, Skank Sinatra, a quadruple threat in drag, and Breaking: The Musical, which has had a lot of press in Australia, just like a certain breakdancing compatriot did after her spot at the 2024 Olympics…

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Bedfringe 2025 Interview: Data & Doctor Doom

Posted in *Written Interviews, Bedfringe 2025 by

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“I’m from Peterborough, and Bedford always feels like an version of my hometown from a slightly nicer parallel universe.”

WHO: Mark Hibbett

WHAT: “Indie legend MJ Hibbett – the world’s leading (and only) academic expert on Doctor Doom uses songs, jokes, slides and a unified catalogue of transmedia character components to explain how all fictional characters can be understood with stats and why on earth you’d want to do that.”

WHERE: Quarry Theatre

WHEN: 25 July 2025 @ 21:00 (60mins)

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Is this your first time to Bedfringe?

This is my first time at Bedfringe but not my first time in Bedford, nor my first time at a Fringe, so it feels like the grand resolution of a cosmic Venn diagram. I’m particularly excited to be heading towards Bedford for two reasons – firstly because I’m from Peterborough, and Bedford always feels like an version of my hometown from a slightly nicer parallel universe, and secondly because I’ve heard of the mythical all-night trains back to London, so I’m keen to have a go on one.

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

The book that the show is based on came out in 2024 (and is still available – in fact, it’s very very available indeed, there is no shortage of copies) so since then I’ve been trying to convert a rigorously researched thesis on transmedia characters into a 55 minute musical extravaganza. The main lesson I’ve absorbed from that is that converting a rigorously researched thesis on transmedia characters into a 55 minute musical extravaganza is a lot harder than I thought, and probably explains why other people tend not to try it.

Tell us about your show.

It’s a musical adaptation of my book and PhD thesis which seeks to explain how all fictional characters work, using the Marvel comics supervillain Doctor Doom as a case study. I spent years working on the original research and wanted to talk about it to more people, so thought I’d have a go at turning it into a musical (I think this is how Jesus Christ Superstar got started). I’ve done various Fringe musicals in the past, but never one with a bibliography before!

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

I’m really keen to see Mitch Benn’s show “The Lehrer Effect”, partly because that sort of super clever loads-of-words-in-a-line type of songwriting is something I’m aiming for in my show, but mostly because I did a gig with him at the Brixton Windmill in 2005 and he lent me a guitar stand – in the rough and tumble world of rock and roll that stood out as a moment of general helpfulness which, two decades later, I still don’t think I’ve properly repaid!

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