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: Midnight Cowboy Radio

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“I’m constantly grappling with the state of reproductive rights in the US and what my role is in it.”

WHO: Ally Ibach

WHAT: “It’s Labor Day in Kentucky! Time for your favourite late-night-radio-talk-show host, to give you life advice on the air of Midnight Cowboy Radio, entertaining you for those long drives home. This show is written and performed by Ally Ibach and directed by Patricia Runcie-Rice. It has been awarded as a finalist at The Secret Theatre’s One-Act Festival (NYC, 2023), and has had shows at East 15 Acting School (UK, 2022), PBH Free Fringe (UK, 2022), Baltimore Center Stage’s Locally Grown Festival (Baltimore, 2023), Bread and Roses (London, 2023), Theatre Row (NYC 2023), and the Tank (NYC 2024).”

WHERE: theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall – Theatre 3 (Venue 53) 

WHEN: 22:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

So, fun fact, I actually did perform a 10 minute set with PBH Free Fringe back in 2022 that a whopping 5 people saw, and boy did they get a show!

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

This play (Midnight Cowboy Radio) has changed and evolved with as I and the political climate in the USA changes. I’m constantly grappling with the state of reproductive rights in the US and what my role is in it.

Tell us about your show.

Midnight Cowboy Radio is a play that follows a late-night conservative radio talk show host in Kentucky arranging an illegal abortion. I wrote it back in 2022 when Roe was overturned, and I was watching it happen from drama school in the UK. In 2023, I moved back to the US and found amazing creative collaborators including my director Patricia Runcie-Rice and who’s here with me! After Edinburgh, one of my goals is to get this play published so people can have access to this story all over the country!

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

You should see Katie Folger in GETTING IN BED WITH THE PIZZA MAN. We have to keep talking about reproductive rights in whatever way we can (including sexy fun stories about pizza men)!

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EdFringe Talk: Titi Lee: Good Girl Gone Baddie

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“Anytime I mention the festival to someone in America, they say “you’re going to love it, it’s beautiful” so there’s a lot of hype and I expect zero disappointment.”

WHO: Titi Lee

WHAT: “Lifelong goody-two-shoes Titi Lee is breaking all the rules, and you are invited. With heartfelt humor and incisive wit, they confront their experience growing up as a first-gen Taiwanese American in the heart of Silicon Valley during the tech boom including coming out to their immigrant parents as bisexual, and then non-binary, getting pandemic boobs, and renouncing their good girl ways. Good Girl Gone Baddie is an endearing take on trading in a desperate need to be good for the freedom of being yourself.”

WHERE: Just the Tonic at Cabaret Voltaire – Just the Liberty Room (Venue 338) 

WHEN: 12:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first time coming to Edinburgh Fringe Festival AND Edinburgh in general.

I first found out about the festival in 2014 through Alex Edelman, who I had gone to school with and knew as a very hard-working and talented comedian. He won the Best Newcomer Award for Comedy for his show Millennial at the festival that year, and at the time I remember from stateside seeing his updates about the festival and being mesmerized by the energy and excitement of it all. And I remember there being a lot of fanfare around all of it, and I just thought ‘I have to go there’. I had only been doing standup for a year at that time, so it went on my list to revisit in ten years, and here we are.

Anytime I mention the festival to someone in America, they say “you’re going to love it, it’s beautiful” so there’s a lot of hype and I expect zero disappointment. That’s not to say there isn’t a lot of anxiety and sleepless nights where I wake up thinking ‘what have I gotten myself into’ and ‘why did I think doing all this on my own while in credit card debt was a good idea’ but I have a good sense of what’s to come in that I expect both nothing and also everything.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

The biggest thing I’ve learned in preparing for the show is that you’re always going to feel like you’re not doing enough, but that just means you’re running as fast as you can, and that’s a good sign. I’ve been preparing for the trip all year, but I still feel like I don’t know anything, and every day I get a new panic attack, and apparently that’s just part of the process. I had a good chat with another comedian who’s going this year (shoutout Catherine McCafferty) who told me “just remember you are a performer first and foremost” and that set me right.

In preparing for the show, I have had to sharpen my toolbelt in other arenas that I’m not typically used to doing. Since I’m coming all myself with no team members, I’m in charge of social media, promotion, budgeting, booking, tech, etc… and well, I have to say, I have so much respect for the publicity and marketing side of things. In May I received a grant from California Cultural Institute to take a digital marketing class at UCLA, and I used that to put together a social media campaign to promote the show. Sometimes I feel silly pushing myself so hard, but then I remember that even the most successful and well-known artists have to do the same. I mean, Ariana Grande’s been dong podcasts to promote Wicked… like, I already know who you are and I AM going to watch Wicked… but it’s all part of the process.

Tell us about your show.

My show is called Titi Lee: Good Girl Gone Baddie, and it’s a solo comedy show of mostly standup, some storytelling, a smidge of drag and Kpop dance. I am a standup comedian first and foremost, but I grew up doing musical theater and studio dance, so I’m taking elements of that and infusing it into the standup of it all. It’s a culmination of ten years of material and to be honest, of me figuring out how to be who I am, in all my forms.

The tagline for the show is “be yourself, all of them” and the reality is I feel like I’ve danced around my true self for years (no pun intended), and this is a moment I’m finally comfortable existing in all my extremes, unapologetically and authentically, while also being entertaining to the audience. I want the audience to feel the same joy as I do that I’ve gone through this journey, and I think it will come across by the end of the hour that it’s okay to start as one thing and end up another, but that doesn’t mean those early versions of “you” aren’t always part of who you really are.

Edinburgh will be the official premiere of the show, I’ve previewed it in Los Angeles at a couple theaters, and just came off doing it at Berlin Fringe (which is in its second year and I highly recommend for Fringe performers to apply to for next year! Lisa is the best!) and that was a really wonderful experience, so I’m pretty amped. In terms of where I’m taking this after… that will be for you all to decide! I would absolutely love to take it all over the world, so you tell me where you want this Baddie to go.

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

There are so many amazing comedians I know at the festival, but I’m going to shoutout out my gays… Ashley Gavin, Catherine McCafferty, Anna Akana, Bianca Cristovao is a killer that you may already know but if you don’t, you will.

Plus – Jay Light has a real fun game show called Wrong! That he’s bringing over from The Comedy Store, and Mark Vigeant has ‘Mark Pleases You’ which is phenomenal and he is one of the hardest working goofballs with an inimitable raw energy you’ll just fall in love with.

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EdFringe Talk: Knowledge from the Future

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“We’re thrilled to introduce Taiwan’s culture through this play.”

WHO: Maria Pei / Jen Ting

WHAT: “Knowledge from the Future chronicles Jen’s odyssey through modern life’s complexities. Discovering latent fortune-telling talents amidst information overload, she navigates scepticism and intrigue. Jen’s quest for comprehension forces her to confront doubts and external pressures, challenging her rationality against mystical forces. Through encounters with sceptics and mentors, Jen learns to reconcile her mindset, unearthing insights about fate and wisdom. Ultimately, she realizes that true knowledge transcends belief, achievable only through genuine experience. This narrative invites reflection on truth, destiny and the perpetual journey of self-discovery in an evolving world, weaving together belief, scepticism and personal transformation.”

WHERE: Paradise in The Vault – The Vault (Venue 29) 

WHEN: 14:20 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

YES! This is our first Fringe and our first production!

Edfringe is the perfect place to share our original story, based on true events from Taiwan, and spread love to people around the world. It’s a fast-paced, safe, and open-minded festival where global artists and diverse cultures come together in appreciation.

We’re thrilled to introduce Taiwan’s culture through this play, which is about identity, self-awareness, and self-love. We all need more love, understanding, and acceptance.

Being part of this festival allows us to learn from experienced artists and gives us the courage to keep creating.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

This one-woman show is about self-identity, self-awareness, self-love, and self-healing. Maria Pei, the producer and writer, started writing scripts in 2023 to share messages she wanted to convey, hoping to heal others who have gone through similar experiences. But the biggest revelation for her was that “Completing this play also healed me. It became the best closure I could give myself.”

Jen Ting, the producer and performer, has been an actress for ten years and finally completed her solo performance this year, thanks to Maria’s script. As sisters, the greatest lesson we’ve learned over the past year is that working together with family and sharing each other’s stories is both precious and empowering. This experience has inspired us to continue telling more stories together.

Tell us about your show.

“Knowledge From The Future”

The show tells the story of the protagonist, Gwen, a young Taiwanese woman in her 30s, who returns to Taiwan after experiencing trauma while working abroad. Once again, she faces the challenge of leaving Taiwan to pursue further studies. In her struggle to avoid and accept the reality of her situation, she discovers she has psychic abilities. Will this newfound ability help her confront her trauma, or will she continue to avoid it? she embarks on a transformative journey of personal growth and healing.

The story is inspired by true events, set against the backdrop of the 2019 Hong Kong protests and her return to Taiwan in 2021. It weaves together elements of Taiwanese folk belief and the spiritual influence on the people.

We hope that this creation, based on true events and stories, will provide healing for those with similar experiences and help audiences unfamiliar with Taiwan to better understand its culture and background story.

Produced by Maria Pei and Jen Ting, written by Maria Pei, and performed by Jen Ting, with contributions from our friends: Director Brad Lewis Cannon , Sound Designer Eye Suriyanon, and Lighting Designer Tom Showell, who have all collaborated with us on this project.

We are an independent production team, “A Dream Come True.” The theme of Taiwanese folk belief in our play perfectly aligns with who we are, a pair of superstitious sisters! We make wishes every day. This is our first presentation, and we plan to perform in London and other countries in the near future to share Taiwanese culture with more people. We would also love to bring this play back to our hometown, Taiwan!

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

We highly recommend all the performances from Taiwan! Taiwanese productions are truly amazing. The four shows brought by Taiwan Season—Lost Connection, Little Drop of Rain, I Am The Boss, and Palingenesis—have all received high praise. Additionally, How To Become a Taiwanese: A Musical and Diary of a Magician World Tour are also Taiwanese productions, and we’ve made plans to support them as well.

As lovers of one-woman shows, we’re also excited to see Sell Me: I Am From North Korea and Gracie the Jellyfish. We highly recommend these to everyone!

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EdFringe Talk: 1954: Ella, Etta, Eartha

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“2024 marks an eight year gap since I’ve been able to get here and I am absolutely delighted to be back.”

WHO: Melissa Western

WHAT: “It’s the year 1954. Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James and Eartha Kitt are all at the dizzy heights of their careers. With swinging jazz, powerful soul and cheeky kitsch, these women broke new ground for all who followed. Award-winning singer/actor Melissa Western and her musicians pay tribute to this magnificent era in music and inspiring trio of pioneering singers. 50s style abounds. ‘Western is a force of nature… Great storyteller, feisty, highly enjoyable’ ***** (BroadwayBaby.com). ‘Absolutely brilliant… Her aptitude for music is vast and versatile’ ***** (ThreeWeeks). ‘Western’s gorgeous singing voice serves her well’ (TheAustralian.com.au).”

WHERE: Paradise in Augustines – The Studio (Venue 152) 

WHEN: 18:35 (45 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No, I first came in 2007 with a one-woman show. I’d visited (from Australia) the year before to get a sense of the festival and was blown away and knew I needed to be part of this wild ride. My first festival was exhilarating, enchanting, exhausting and extreme! I fell deeply in love with the city of Edinburgh and the sense of “coming home” to my performing arts family. I came out of that year with an official Sell Out status, some amazing reviews and onward UK touring – it was a dream. Since then I’ve been back regularly – stopping only to have kids and do Covid! This year is the eighth time I’ve brought a show to the Fringe.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I was booked to come to the Fringe in 2020 but then this little thing called Covid stopped the world and most certainly decimated any travel from Australia to the UK. 2024 marks an eight year gap since I’ve been able to get here and I am absolutely delighted to be back. We are on our way to having another sell out season and so far have 2 x 5 star reviews. I feel like the universe is telling me I made the right decision to come back!

Tell us about your show.

1954: Ella, Etta, Eartha is my love letter to three women who smashed barriers of race and gender, changing the world with music as their ammunition. The show is full of jazz, blues, cheeky kitsch and early rock n roll focussing on the year 1954 as Ella Fitzgerald, Eartha Kitt and Etta James are all at the dizzying heights of their careers. They all had to combat sanctioned racism throughout their careers and in 1954 at the very beginning of the civil rights movement in America it was singers, actors and entertainers who could push through the barriers. This show has toured Australia for the past two years and I’m really hoping to get some UK festival bookings after the Fringe.

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

One of my favourite things about coming to Edinburgh in August is that I get to catch up with some many wonderful performing arts friends from around the world.

I’m from Brisbane, Australia so my first shout outs are to my fellow BrisVegas friends. My astonishing friend Leah Shelton is absolutely smashing it with her show Batshit and just won a Fringe First award. Another Brisbane team, Swamplesque just increased their capacity from 500+ to 800+ per night and the crowds are loving it – as they should because it is ridiculously good fun! By far my favourite improv show at the Fringe is Showstopper, I can’t get enough of those outrageously talented folks. My final shout out is to Tim Benzie who I performed with a lifetime ago when at university – he now lives in London and his solve along Murder She Wrote is an absolute hoot!

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EdFringe Talk: Napoleon’s 100 Days

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“Like many artists, I live and breathe for doing my own shows.”

WHO: Andy D

WHAT: “Andy D tells the story of Little Boney’s second coming. Not recorded by history, he’s accompanied by his Mancunian friend and a dog called Fido. Napoleon once famously stated ‘I am the revolution’. And he was. Once. However, in 1814 he gets banished to the little island of Elba by European powers. There, not surprisingly, he gets howling at the moon bored. So he escapes, with a force of just over 1000 men! Along the Route Napoleon he is advised by his Mancunian friend. And protected by Fido. All three of whom will end up at Waterloo.”

WHERE: Paradise in The Vault – The Vault (Venue 29) 

WHEN: 19:45 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Originally, I’m from Manchester but have been based in Edinburgh since 2017. Since then I have done 4 Edinburgh Fringes. In 2018 we Sold Out with ‘Shackleton and his Stowaway’, which I both wrote and produced. This went on to play 4 weeks in Park Theatre London, which goes to show that Ed Fringe really can be a great platform. In 2022 it was ‘Tam O’Shanter, Tales & Whisky’, which went on to play The Gaiety, Brunton, and the Trav in Scotland. So once again, as long as the show comes together, it can have a future life!

Like many artists, I live and breathe for doing my own shows. But in 2019 and 2021 I just attended the Fringe as a spectator. Sometimes I can barely believe my luck having the world’s biggest Arts Festival, just a 20 minute bus ride away! Looking at shows as an outsider, but with a producer’s and a writer’s eye, can give you a really good feel for where you fit into the whole eco-system.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

2023 was my first year as a solo performer. It went pretty well and we had good audiences. The show was ‘Mark Twain’s Stolen White Elephant’. But as they say in Spain I was really getting my ‘tablas’ last year – getting stage experience. This year I feel far happier at playing on the stage, as opposed to just keeping the train on the tracks!

Napoleon’s 100 Days is a piece of comic storytelling, that does have some dark moments in it. I think this is another evolution for me, from last year’s absurdist piece.

Tell us about your show.

My show is Napoleon’s 100 Days. It’s actually a lockdown project. I love history and I read a lot back in 2020/21. Initially, I was going to write a show about the Duke of Wellington, but I find Napoleon a far more fascinating character. Having said that, it is a story still told from a kind of British perspective: Stanley, Napoleon’s sidekick, is from my home town of Stockport! The show is pretty comic, and throughout Stanley pokes some fun at ‘Little Boney’s’ megalomaniac/populist tendencies.

Napoleon was undoubtedly the biggest historical figure of the 19th century, and hugely divisive. In France, he remains so to this day. He was a populist and a master manipulator of the media. Undoubtedly, certain parallels can be drawn about his lust for power at any cost, and some modern day political figures.

In my show Stanley (and Fido) are often satirising him, hopefully pretty effectively!

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

Various history shows, as there are so many great historical stories: Boiler Room Six A Titanic Story – everyone knows The Story of the Titanic, but there are so many individual stories to tell. Tom Foreman has found a new angle with this one, it is the equivalent of the band playing on, but with the heroics going on in the foremost boiler room.

Chopped Liver and Onions – lots of parallels with the modern age with this one too, with its political themes of immigration, equal rights, and far-right demagoguery. About the life of the Unionist Sara Wesker. Pivotally, it builds up towards the Battle of Cable Street, which is when London as a city effectively rejected fascism.

The Last Bantam – Michael Hughes is a superb storyteller, and once again we have a unique angle on a famous historical event, World War I. The bantams were battalions of men, between 5ft and 5ft 3 inches in height. They were particularly effective at working in confined spaces underground. Hughes plays an Irish Bantam, which also adds the dimension of the Easter Rising of 1916. Several well-researched stories!

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EdFringe Talk: Long Distance

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“I’m constantly in awe of the perseverance and creativity of the artists I meet here.”

WHO: Eli Zuzovsky

WHAT: “Two young queers meet. They fall in love, have sex, fight, make up, and break up – and all through texts. These texts, like poetry, chart their unforgettable relationship. Long Distance dives into the empty space between us and our desperate attempts to fill it up. A funny, heart-breaking new play about intimacy, technology and the daily work of love.”

WHERE: ZOO Playground – Playground 1 (Venue 186) 

WHEN: 14:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’ve been to Edinburgh twice as a punter, but this is my first time coming to the Fringe with a show of my own. The levels of talent and passion that I see here every single day absolutely blow my mind. I thought that having a show at the festival would undo some of the magic of this place, but so far it’s only intensified it, if anything. Even just walking around the city is deeply energising and inspiring (especially if the sun happens to be out). Putting on a show here is no small feat, to say the least, and I’m constantly in awe of the perseverance and creativity of the artists I meet here.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Working on Long Distance has completely changed the way I think about writing and directing. Above all, it’s taught me a huge lesson on the importance of simplicity. The play has significantly changed since I wrote the first draft; I’ve had to kill too many darlings. Every day in the rehearsal room, Jonathan, Lewis and I asked ourselves: ‘Does this feel real? Does this feel true to the characters we’ve created and their unique relationship?’

We’ve stripped away bits of flowery language, jokes that only half-worked and moments that didn’t serve the play’s emotional arc, including ones we loved. The original idea was to do the whole play on treadmills, which we were all very excited about. However, after a few rehearsals, we gave up on the treadmills. We realised that they distracted us from the goal we set for ourselves when we embarked on this journey: to create a portrait of an unforgettable relationship that is propelled by honesty and empathy.

Tell us about your show.

Our show, which I wrote, directed and produced, is called Long Distance. It stars two amazing recent graduates of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), Jonathan Rubin and Lewis Merrylees (a Glaswegian!). The three of us had mutual friends, but we didn’t really know each other before we started working on the play. We did a quick reading of one scene together, which felt like love at first sight.

Long Distance follows two young queers who fall in love, have sex, fight, make up, and break up – and all through texting. Their texts, dramatised like poetry, paint a portrait of a tumultuous relationship. The play dives into the empty space between us and our desperate attempts to fill it up. It’s about the daily work of love, technological despair, and the long distance that exists in every relationship these days.

We had two sold-out previews at the Camden People’s Theatre in London in July, and we’re hoping to tour the show as much as possible after the Fringe.

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

We were fortunate enough to have developed the play through Soho Theatre Labs, which I highly recommend to anyone taking a show to the Fringe. We’ve already seen many of our friends’ shows and they’re all astonishing. To name a few: Gaby Foley’s Flicker, Temi Wilkey’s Main Character Energy, Sarah Cameron-West’s KAREN, Alexis Sakellaris’s A STAN IS BORN! Lil Wenker’s BANGTAIL, John and Christian’s Battle Counters!, Mirren Wilson’s PALS, Claire Parry’s Boorish Trumpson, and Tiggy Bayley’s Squidge. We’re so proud of them all—they’re amazing.

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EdFringe Talk: The Three Strangers

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“I love being here for the Fringe, it’s a wonderful atmosphere and the audiences are knowledgeable and supportive at the same time.”

WHO: Adrian Palmer

WHAT: “A fusion of storytelling and a one-person show, keeping as close as possible to the original text. Adrian Palmer performs his own adaptation of this mysterious but inspiring story. On a stormy night, three travellers arrive at an isolated cottage. Why is the first abroad so late? What’s the trade of the second that leaves a mark on his customers? And why is the third so terrified? A unique performance of a classic piece of literature from the incomparable Thomas Hardy. ‘An expressively superb Adrian Palmer, held the audience spellbound’ (Southern Daily Echo).”

WHERE: Paradise in Augustines – The Snug (Venue 152) 

WHEN: 12:45 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No I’ve been here before as a performer in other people’s shows. I first came in 1980 in a production of The Caretaker by Harold Pinter and then again in 2016 in The Trial by Franz Kafka. I love being here for the Fringe, it’s a wonderful atmosphere and the audiences are knowledgeable and supportive at the same time. There’s a great buzz among the creatives too. It’s competitive of course but there is a genuine interest in sharing work and ideas that you don’t get anywhere else.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I wasn’t here in 2023 but the main change for me came during lockdown when I no longer had any work as an actor and so spent my time reading stories online to friends, family and then wider groups – book clubs, charities and clubs. This gave me the confidence to adapt and perform my own work and the work of other writers who I admire. Of whom Thomas Hardy is one of my favourites.

Tell us about your show.

I adapted the show from the short story by Thomas Hardy – The Three Strangers. It’s a great story. The first time I read it I was overwhelmed by the skill of the telling, the forcefulness of the story and the twist at the end. I read it in a prepared version a few times and decided that along with Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by R L Stevenson, I would bring it to Edinburgh to see if audiences here would appreciate it as much as I did. I’m glad to say that they definitely seem to. I have been very pleased with the reaction I have had from the performances in Paradise at Augustines here and the very supportive comments I have had from audience reviewers.

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

I like flyering here. It’s a great way to meet your audience face to face. You get some rejections but many times people are interested in what you are doing and only too willing to stop and chat. I also stop and talk with other performers who are selling their wares and generally we swap flyers. I sort out the ones I am interested in and will try and see as many as possible in the course of the three weeks of the festival.

Three shows I have particularly enjoyed so far are –

Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act
A Balloon Will Pop
Zelda and Hadley: Together at Last

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EdFringe Talk: Sardines

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“You may have spotted us sprinting up and down the Mile dressed as giant fish.”

WHO: Joe Makarov

WHAT: “Have you ever wondered what would happen if your favourite poets from the 1800s got stuck in an inflatable life raft in the middle of the ocean with no nautical know-how and a fractured friendship? Join William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge in this absurdist comedy, one man in the midst of a mid-life crisis, the other obsessed with opium induced poetry, all the while battling a stagehand who threatens to deflate the show. Throw in a pirate, an albatross and positive reviews from Theatre Royal Bath’s Elevate Festival, and you have all the ingredients for a grand misadventure.”

WHERE: Paradise in The Vault – The Annexe (Venue 29) 

WHEN: 20:30 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Oh yes! This is our first visit to the Fringe, and for some of us, our first time in Scotland. We followed the sound of bagpipes as we swam upstream from Bristol and we are delighted to find such an incredible city filled with like minded creatives!

Something fishy is happening at the festival this year – it’s us! We are a relatively new company, having only established a couple of years ago and we were drawn to the festival due to the vast range of shows available to watch! We wanted to join in the medley and launch the Blank Slate Ensemble headfirst into the festival like launching a seal out of a cannon. You may have spotted us sprinting up and down the Mile dressed as giant fish.

As we reach the end of our first week of the Fringe, we realise how much of a special place this really is, and how art is well and truly alive here. We are honoured to be here and are relishing seeing so many brilliant artists at work!

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

1) A punctured life raft doesn’t float, and you shouldn’t try to swim to Edinburgh.
2) Share the love, even in the ocean.
3) It’s important to wash your costumes often, especially when crammed in like…Sardines!
4) Fish are friends, not food!

Tell us about your show.

Join Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth as they attempt to sail to German in an inflatable life raft. This previously unknown story (that we promise is almost 5% true) explores their ridiculous adventure as they battle storms, sharks, pirates and an ominous albatross. On top of all that, they have to combat a useless stagehand who is at risk of sinking the whole production.

This new writing has been written and developed by the Blank Slate Ensemble and has arrived in Edinburgh after a mini tour of the South West including Theatre Royal Bath’s Elevate Festival. Described as ‘joyously silly’ and ‘a surrealist treat of a play’ we aim to take you on a journey across the North Sea and welcome you to embrace the chaos with us.

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

Our Certified Fish® recommendations are Turbo Town, an absurd one woman show that had us in stitches start to finish, Triggerfish, the best ensemble piece we’ve seen at the Fringe, plus they’re also set at sea, Murder She Didn’t Write, brilliant improv done at its best, and finally The Antics Joke Show, a sketch show like no other, has to be seen!

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EdFringe Talk: Binocchio the Bisexual Liar

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“I actually attend and lead worship at Augustine United Church who host Paradise Green. So I’ve preached when the sanctuary is set up for a show. It feels almost like I’m performing when I do a service so I got the bug!”

WHO: Binocchio (real name Carol Joyner)

WHAT: “Lock up your garden chairs, dismantle your altar tables, nothing is safe around Binocchio the bisexual Christian! She’ll sleep with anything with legs – after Bible Study, naturally. Fresh from the mammogram cubicle in Tesco car park, Binocchio brings you 45 minutes of stand-up (she can’t be trusted with a chair), featuring subjects as diverse as fertility signalling, German toilets, Low Emission Zones and Elderflower Shloer. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to encounter this rarest of creatures, the bisexual Christian!”

WHERE: Paradise in Augustines – The Snug (Venue 152) 

WHEN: 18:55 (45 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my maiden Fringe. I actually attend and lead worship at Augustine United Church who host Paradise Green. So I’ve preached when the sanctuary is set up for a show. It feels almost like I’m performing when I do a service so I got the bug! I got chatting to the PG crew about my stand up and one thing led to another and here I am, complete with guitar and several pairs of spare trousers! I’m local so over been to several Fringe shows over the years. But this year is mad. I fully expect there to be pavement crush fatalities.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I’m new this year but I’ve already learnt that it’s highly inadvisable to rock up as a solo performer and producer without at least two committed sidekicks to help with social media and flyering. I got overwhelmed and exhausted on Day 1 and had to take a step back and put my mental health and family first – or there would be no show for my punters and my wife would be filing for divorce!

Tell us about your show.

I write and produce all of my observational stand up comedy and original songs. I trialled it at several LGBTQ/Christian open mic events earlier this year to positive acclaim. I’m currently looking at doing a show DARN SARF where I have many contacts, since I lived in Hampshire for over 30 years.

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

Go and see my fellow bi female comic, Anti-Heroine. And do go and see Around the World in 80 Days. Laurence Waring is a very talented man!

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EdFringe Talk: Stefania Licari: Trust Me, I’m a Comedian

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

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“Obviously, I belong to the category of those going to Edinburgh and my life now completely revolves around it.”

WHO: Stefania Licari

WHAT: “Following her hit show Medico, Stefania Licari returns with a brand-new stand-up hour. Drawing on her experience as an NHS doctor, first-generation migrant, comedian and sometime endurance runner, she explores the diverse roles of women in today’s world. From the operating theatre to the theatre stage, via an ultra-marathon through the Sahara, Stefania reflects on the big question: what are we running to and from? Multi award-winning Stefania sold out venues and earned rave reviews for Medico. Her follow-up promises to deliver her most personal, thought-provoking and side-splitting material yet.”

WHERE: Underbelly, Bristo Square – Dexter (Venue 302) 

WHEN: 16:15 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my third consecutive time at Edinburgh. It’s an interesting mixture of emotions.
It feels like the comedy world is divided between those comics going to Edinburgh and those not going. Obviously, I belong to the category of those going to Edinburgh and my life now completely revolves around it.

From the preparations to the moment the festival starts and ends it’s a rollercoaster of looking forward to playing this amazing venue to then waking up in the middle of the night questioning why I’m going instead of getting a suntan on holiday for considerably less money.

It’s a constant reminder of how much you’re investing and the sacrifices you’re making to be there. It also doesn’t take much to knock your confidence, as the festival gets closer. It’s like the day before your period starts. In fact, I’d describe the weeks before Edinburgh as a hormonal challenge!

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I tend to dive into things before I’m fully ready and every single Edinburgh has been like that so far. It’s like trying to run a marathon before you’re ready for a 10k. But it works!

I think that’s the way to go in life. If you wait for the right moment, then it might never happen.

Although it gives me a high-level of anxiety with the preparations and stress!

I think the universe rewards bravery. It’s tough, but in the grand scheme it works.

Tell us about your show.

I have a wonderful team. It’s myself as writer/perfomer. The director Chris Head and Nathan Cassidy who also helped with the writing. Production is by Ben Weaver-Hinks and publicity by Patrick Gough at Wilberforce PR.

My best friend Michael is also crucial. We have a tradition before every show that he tells me to ‘break a leg’. I don’t know any more if I want to hear that as encouragement or that I’m so freaking superstitious! I feel the show is landing with audiences in the way that we designed it. I wanted a show that made people stop and think.

Judging from the previews, I think we’ve achieved that. After the show, I’ve had both men and women telling me that the messages are powerful, and the narrative is so extraordinary that they’ve been moved by it. It’s encouraging and I wanted to do a stand-up show with layers of messages. It will be good if the show is funny as well!

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

It’s extremely heartwarming that many of my favourite comics are there. Definitely go and see my friends Nathan Cassidy and Elena Mazzon who both have fantastic shows. I’ve also just found out that the Australian comic Hannah Gadsby is performing near the same venue as me (Underbelly) next week. I’m such a fan and even by association, it’s so uplifting.

On a personal level, I have many friends who will be there, and we can support each other. It can be as simple as the right word, or a big hug and you get all the reassurance you need.

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