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: Michelle Brasier: Reform

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“Vinegar on chips is better than it sounds.”

WHO: Michelle Brasier

WHAT: “Winner: Directors’ Choice Award, Sydney Comedy Festival (2021). Nominee: Most Outstanding Show, Melbourne International Comedy Festival (2021). Reform is a cautionary tale of an online scam and the urge to empathise with, understand, and become the emergency contacts of those who have done us wrong. A theatrical hour of storytelling and music, backed musically by Tim Lancaster and Jordan White. Maybe the real Facebook Marketplace is the friends we make along the way. ‘Howlingly funny, emotionally generous and, ultimately, profound… A miracle of a show’ ***** (Sydney Morning Herald). ***** (Time Out). ***** (Chortle.co.uk).”

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

WHEN: 19:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’ve been to Edinburgh 5 or 6 times now. I just keep coming back. There’s something really magical about the city and the crowds. I think you become a better artist there. I always get back to Australia funnier and quicker and full of chips. A perfect way to be.

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

Eat fewer chips, the best chips are from the kebab shop that stays open really late, vinegar on chips is better than it sounds, stop having chips for lunch. No

Tell us about your show.

Reform is the unbelievably true story how I became the emergency contact for a stranger who tried to scam me when I tried to buy a Pilates machine online.

I wrote this show last year, it’s produced by Stamptown with my UK and Aus managers – PBJ and Century. I’ve got a really lovely team I’m lucky as hell. I did the show for the first time in Melbourne at the Comedy Festival. Melbourne Comedy Festival rules. I’m hoping to bring the show to London soon and maybe tour the UK. I really love UK audiences. So far they’ve really responded to the story which honestly is a relief – you never know what will be lost in translation.

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

Go and see Gillian Cosgriff, she directed my show Average Bear from last year and she’s brilliant. Her show is kind of a shared outing of her inner optimist and the audience is a part of that too, it’s so lovely. A gentle and hilarious show. Moses Storm, Stamptown, Lou Wall. There are so many good ones. I can’t even begin to narrow it down. These are front of mind. If you see a lineup show – see the 3rd best act on the lineup I guarantee you the third best 10 minutes will be the best hour. I don’t know why it’s just true.

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EdFringe Talk: Land Under Wave

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“Good stories cast enchantments, great stories break them.”

WHO: David Hughes

WHAT: “Three storytellers, trapped in the Otherworld, must perform their music and stories to earn their freedom. Which deserves to return to the human realm? The fair folk in the audience must decide! In this intimate and interactive show, the Young Edinburgh Storytellers (YES) Mark Borthwick, Ailsa Dixon and David Hughes navigate the mystery of emergence and becoming, blending their voices with music to explore queer identities and the rewilding of people and place. Modern Scotland’s living lands contrast with the ancient otherness of the Faeries’ Tír na nÓg (Land Under Wave). ‘Magnificent’ **** (ScotsGayArts.com).”

WHERE: Scottish Storytelling Centre – Netherbow Theatre (Venue 30) 

WHEN: 17:45 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

We are a local Edinburgh based company and this is our first Fringe show as a trio. We are all traditional storytellers in our own right but this is our first time navigating the fringe with a piece. The fringe is a great festival to try things out, to get better at performing. It’s high energy, it’s intense, you’ve got to bring your best self to each and every performance.

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

As a trio, we’ve been working with a couple of simple mantras;

  1. Less is more – we’ve tried to pare back elements of our performance, to make our message clearer to audience members without losing much of the dreamy quality of traditional storytelling.
  2. ‘Be surprising, but inevitable’ – this is a Sondheim quote. We’ve tried to do this in our show. To provide the audience with a journey, an experience they can join us on, to surprise them but deliver what they expect in an intriguing way.
  3. Good stories cast enchantments, great stories break them – we’ve been exploring how we tell stories that excite and entertain but also encourage people to think, to go away with questions and consider ‘what was that?’

We are learning as we go, but I feel we have done a good job in integrating some of these ideas into Land Under Wave!

Tell us about your show.

Land Under Wave is an experience of immersive traditional storytelling. The audience are encouraged to enter into the space and shed their human form and embrace their inner fairy. The fairies in Scotland were the spirits of nature and of place, they are intimately connected to the land, in a way that many humans have forgotten. We want people to reconsider their own conneciton to themselves and wide, wild nature. The audience join us at a traditional ceilidh (a gathering) in the court of the fairies, to hear tales of wildness and identity, all carrying truths needed for our times. The audience votes on which story they feel carries the best medicine for the human realm.

We are all storytellers on our own, we came together at a story share night and found we shared a lot in common and thought it’d be fun to join our voices together and work on a project. We produced a longer version of this show for the Scottish International Storytelling Festival in 2022, and refined it for the Edinburgh Fringe 2023. We hope to continue to work together and develop more storytelling that is interesting, engaging and unique, yet still rooted in tradition.

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

The Scottish Storytelling centre has a really great programme – it’s all curated and what they offer is some really interesting, heart centered and folky stuff.

No One Is Coming by Wandering Stories Theatre is an excellent piece of solo storytelling blending epic irish myths with deeply personal stories about living with a family member with challenging mental health issues.

Thunderstruck by David Colvin is another one man play about the life of Gordon Duncan, a bagpiper who had an immense impact on bagpipe music. It’s heartbreaking and electric all at once.

Pretty much anything at the Storytelling Centre is great!

We also highly recommend exploring the Free Fringe – there can be some really amazing productions there that don’t necessarily have a big budget like the main fringe scene, but the performers have huge hearts. Support the free fringe, enjoy the show, throw something in the bucket at the end.

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EdFringe Talk: Not Another Quiz Night

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“EdFringe is always a blast as a punter, soaking up the atmosphere and catching a bunch of shows, some planned, some spur of the moment, is the best.”

WHO: Jake Bhardwaj

WHAT: “Let’s get 100 people in a room for a quiz night like no other. This is an immersive quiz show that includes appearances from surprise characters, D-list celebs and interactive bonus games for everyone to play. We even have a DJ on the decks in between questions. Prizes range from the ridiculous to the wonderful, with a cash prize on offer for first place. Bring a team, or make friends on the night as this quiz soon derails into the big night out you’ve been searching for. Expect prizes, surprises and “celebs” in disguises.”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Teviot – Nightclub (Venue 14) 

WHEN: 23:30 (150 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our first Fringe as a performing group, but a few of us have been as punters in the past. We’re all comedy fans (obviously) and have experience working in the TV comedy world but this is a different beast…

EdFringe is always a blast as a punter, soaking up the atmosphere and catching a bunch of shows, some planned, some spur of the moment, is the best. Hopefully, we can still do plenty of that, but now we’ve got a pretty big show to worry about it’ll certainly be a new experience…something we’re all looking forward to!

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

We actually started the show, as it is in its current guise, just over a year ago – so we’ve definitely learned a lot since then. Mostly, to make sure we fact check the quiz answers.

And that a bad wig is sometimes better than a good wig. Come and see the show and see for yourself…

Tell us about your show.

The show is technically a pub quiz, but throwing out the stuffy format and making it bigger, more chaotic and (hopefully) more entertaining. With mystery guests, special bonus rounds, music and frankly bizarre prizes, it’s a fun show for everyone involved. Essentially, you don’t have to be brilliant at quizzes to have a good time!

I’ve been hosting pub quizzes for a while in London. When covid hit and the pubs closed, I took it onto zoom and it snowballed from there. More and more started to attend (virtually) – even Joe Lycett was a regular. From that point it became closer to that of a game show than a pub quiz, with character segments and mini games in between the questions. ‘Does Your Mother Know?’ where my actual mum would explain a TV show or film character and the players had to guess who she’s talking about, was and still is a particular highlight!

When lockdown ended, i took the new format back to the pubs, with a few friends joining the team, at first just to play a character or two, but then taking on more of the writing and production as the event grew bigger – and now we’re a team of seven!

From that moment on, Not Another Quiz Night in its current guise was born. And after over a year of putting on sell out shows in London, we’re bringing it to Edinburgh to give the late night crowd something to sing about…

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

In our downtime we’re hoping to see a load of comedians – some that we know of, and hopefully loads that we don’t. It’s always nice to see people you haven’t heard of but we’ll definitely be heading to see a few of our favourites. The likes of Rob Auton, Spencer Jones, Ania Magliano and Mary O’Connell are on our list. Rob is a big favourite – always reliable and it’s not often you come away from a stand up gig feeling as enlightened as his shows make you feel!

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EdFringe Talk: Dolly Diamond’s Rather Large Variety Night

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“Think big but be prepared to pivot…”

WHO: Dolly Diamond

WHAT: “An hour of sharp-tongued humour, risqué songs and jaw-dropping physical feats. It’s camp comedy, lip-syncing and burlesque at its best. Dolly Diamond ‘will make you laugh so hard your ribs hurt’ (BroadwayWorld.com). High on last year’s sell-out run, this UK-born Australian legend will be joined by Fringe icons and rising stars for a very limited run. ‘Dolly has superb comic skills and whisky-soaked vocal talents’ (WeekendNotes.com). Dolly Diamond is ‘Lorraine Kelly on Crystal meth’ (Julian Clary).”

WHERE: Just the Tonic at The Caves – Just Up the Road (Venue 88) 

WHEN: 18:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It’s my third time and I’m still wide eyed and full of excitement and nerves. I tend to thrive on that though. I was here in 2019 with Dolly Diamond’s Blankety Blanks and absolutely loved it. I’ve done a lot of Fringe Festivals, mainly in Australia and they’re pretty cool but Ed Fringe is a whole new kettle of fish. The entire city is engulfed in festival fever and there’s a willingness to really try and do and see as much as you can. A great festival for me has variety (pun not intended for a change). The choice of theatre, cabaret, comedy, mime and circus is second to absolutely nowhere.
Cheap tickets and accessibility are also fundamental and I know that the festival keeps an eye on that to make sure everyone gets a chance to enjoy what’s on offer.

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

Think big but be prepared to pivot…

I’m exactly the same In my love life. I’ve been performing for a long time but you should never stop learning more about your craft. I’m really enjoying working with other artists in the show as well. Stand up and touring can be a lonely old life and getting a team of people together for a variety show makes sharing the festival a lot more fun….well until they all start to gang up on me (hasn’t happened yet).

Tell us about your show.

It started in Melbourne and then went onto London and now we’re here in sunny Edinburgh. I’m working with a guy called Cimeon, he owns a venue in London called Social Connection and it’s really keen to help artists create and thrive in the comedy and cabaret world.
I’m not reinventing the wheel, I’m just making it spin faster. You can’t really write a show like this but it’s important it has great acts in it and that I’m there to guide the audience through the fast paced hour. I absolutely love getting into the audience and chatting with them, I thrive on improv and I’ve learnt how to pick on the audience but not destroy them (well not all of them).
I love the variety show format as it gives a whole range of acts the opportunity to shine..
Including me obviously.

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

I’m a big Reuben Kaye fan and I was at House of Oz last year and they have some great shows on again this year.

Also Myra Dubois is as funny as fark, so go and see her before she retires. I think it’s great when people choose some of the lesser known acts and just risk it. The tickets are cheap enough to have a lucky dip approach to choosing some shows.

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EdFringe Talk: Temporarily Yours

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“I have been here for over a week now and I’m still learning to navigate this magic ship.”

WHO: Greta Zamparini

WHAT: “A journey into sexuality and prostitution, encountering dynamics that connect more to our lives than we’d expect. Why does one sell their body nowadays? Is it out of constraint or out of choice? And does society help us to perceive our body as an object or as an integral part of ourselves? From two monologues by Concita De Gregorio (Ed Einaudi), created from the blog of an escort and by direct contact with trafficked women. A show about our bodies, our souls and our relationships. I behave like a whore, I am not a whore.”

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

WHEN: 13:15 (75 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my very first time at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, not only as a performer, but also as a spectator. My fellow actor friends and I call it “The Monster”. The Edinburgh Fringe festival is a huge, incredible, living creature that has its own rules, its own crazy rhythms, its own creative ways. Either you learn how to ride the beast, or it will ride you! I had never seen so many theatrical and entertainment offers all in one place at once. At every corner there is something great to watch, something new to eat and drink, some incredible performers and artists to meet and to share the experience with. I have been here for over a week now and I’m still learning to navigate this magic ship. I’d like to stay here for at least six months, in order to see all the shows I want to see!

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

I have learnt that If I have the guts to jump, the net will appear. Yes, I now have many bruises around my body, but still, I’m happy about it. I have learnt that nothing and no one is forever, and so I should enjoy each moment fully , even the most difficult ones. It is not always easy, so I breathe deeper, I have a good cry or two, call a good friend or three (those are very important to have!) and I go back being grateful for everything that I am still able to experience and learn.

Tell us about your show.

This show is about prostitution. It was created after my experience as a volunteer with the italian Onlus Fondazione Somaschi which helps women trafficked for prostitution in Italy. Some of the women are inspired by that experience. In the show there are also two characters extracted from the book “Malamore”by the journalist Concita De Gregorio (Ed. Einaudi): Cristina the sex worker, and Dalia, both translated by Margaret Rose. In the show I perform six different sex workers. The show has been produced and performed in Italy, in Milan and in Rome. I first asked actress and director Federica Bognetti to embark with me on this journey and after that we contacted Ms De Gregorio. At the beginning of 2023 I contacted producer Ines Wurth in order to bring Temporarily Yours to Edinburgh where I now perform it in english for the first time.

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

My audience should see all shows about sex and relationships. There are surely many of those at the Fringe Festival, but I can recommend the ones I have seen up to now:

“Asexuality! The solo musical” by Rebecca Mc Glynn; “Break up addict” by Paige Wilhide; Courtney Pauroso in “Vanessa 5000”; “Ask a stripper.The vip experience” by Stacey Clare and Gypsy Charms; Lisa Verlo in “Hollywoodn’t” and finally “Break up with your boyfriend”.

I also vividly recommend the incredible Joshua Welch in “Wildcat’s last waltz” and the brilliant Monia Baldini in “Be my Guest”

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‘Hebridean Fire presented by Elsa McTaggart’ (Venue 53, until AUG 26th)

Posted in *Written Interviews, 5*, EdFestivals 2023 by

“A vehicle for the kind of (mostly) good-natured squabbling that makes other people’s marriages so entertaining.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

Hands up, I’m not normally a music reviewer. But, as the chap who introduced Sandy Brechin to Ewan Wilkinson, I like to think I have sufficient skin in the game to say that Elsa Jean McTaggart’s one-woman show (co-starring her husband, Gary and younger sister, Irenie) is a delight. It’s an eclectic showcase of music and song drawn from the highlands and islands. It’s also a vehicle for the kind of (mostly) good-natured squabbling that makes other people’s marriages so entertaining as well as for that spoken-word storytelling which is as essential an accompaniment to traditional Scottish music as whisky sauce is to haggis.

The Fleming Theatre is big and it’s a full house yet this could be a cosy pub on a rainy night somewhere north of nowhere. Sitting right at the back, I lose nothing of the intimacy and charm, that spontaneity which takes so much practice and rehearsal. This is a show about people as much as it is about place. For all that it’s a powerful reminder of the skill and artistry required to journey in, let alone master, traditional music making, it’s McTaggart’s quiet confidence in her jaw-dropping brilliance that unleashes her sparkling on-stage persona like a bottle of bubbles hacked at with a cavalry sabre.

As we wend our way through an offering of cherished familiars, exciting new compositions, and less-remembered classics we find ourselves transported to a quieter, calmer way of living than is usually on offer in Edinburgh in August. No self-respecting North American reconnecting with their roots, no homesick exile all-too-briefly returned from South Britain, has any business not seeing this fabulous show.

Come for the music. Stay for the banter. Get your traditionally stretched Harris tweed coats on and go see this!

 

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EdFringe Talk: Lost in the Woods

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“I have done performances in the past in Hebrew, Italian and German and also some without words at all- but now it’s all in English and I’m very excited about it.”

WHO: Hila Meckier

WHAT: “‘Once upon a time, a little girl and a little boy were lost in the woods…’ That is usually how these things start. Only this time they are not just lost in the woods, but within their own story! An energetic and absurd comedy for all ages, Hawk and Hill bring a new twist to the fairy tales you know and love. With buckets-full of imagination and oodles of laughter, Arran Hawkins and Hila Meckier combine their decades of theatrical experience into a fun-filled, family-friendly theatrical comedy performance you don’t want to miss!”

WHERE: Gilded Balloon Teviot – Wine Bar (Venue 14) 

WHEN: 11:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes It is my first time and I absolutely love it! It is also my first theatre show I’m performing in English! I have done performances in the past in Hebrew, Italian and German and also some without words at all- but now it’s all in English and I’m very excited about it. I was visiting here in the past and absolutely fell in love with the city and got very inspired by the shows I’ve managed to see, but this time I am here with my own show with my colleague Arran Hawkins, that for him that will be the 4th time at the festival with his shows (“Black is the colour of my voice” and “The Snow Queen”). The atmosphere, the creativity, the nice and friendly people and the outstanding landscape makes the festival so special.

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

I have learned a lot this year like what actors in the UK are saying before a show to warm up their pronunciation muscles in the mouth like the tongue twister: “A Box Of Biscuits, A Box Of Mixed Biscuits, and a Biscuit Mixer”  …  and I have also learned to listen to my own gut but on the other hand don’t take myself so seriously and enjoy the moments! if it’s on stage or just generally in life…   I guess if I haven’t absorbed those things, I would not find myself answering these questions between my exciting shows in the most amazing fringe festival in the world… so… well done for that!

Tell us about your show.

My show is something I am incredibly proud of and looking forward every morning I wake up- to present it to the audience. “Lost In The Woods” is a funny family fairy tale that combines all the fairy tales you know and love in a fast paced and hilarious way, told from the point of view of middle aged Hansel and Gretel that got lost in all the other fairy tales…

Arran and myself wrote it together when we met in Berlin, after Arran attended a physical theatre workshop I was leading. Turned out that we both share a similar sense of humour and after being asked by Panda Theatre in Berlin to come up with a family show in English, we started some sessions of brain storming and improvisation and we clicked so well that, I know it might sound like a cliche, but the play basically wrote itself while we had so much fun!

We had a successful premiere in February 2020 and immediately we were invited to perform for the International school in Berlin BUT then… COVID hits and everything was shut down… We managed to perform a year after in Berlin and a few successful times in the UK but it feels like we were just waiting for the opportunity to bring it to the Edfringe festival. Hopefully, after the festival ends, we will tour with the show all over the UK.

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

I highly recommend these physical theatre shows that I saw and loved: The Clown Show- “Don Quixote” performed by the Red Nose Company. A brilliant and crafted clown show for adults- they combine the story of Don Quixote with their own experience of travelling and touring their show out side of Finland. Very funny and clever!

“Andre and Dorine”  performed by KULUNKA Teatro. A beautiful, sensitive peace of art! It’s a physical theatre show where the actors are wearing big makes. The story is funny and heartbreaking. I was amazed how much  the human body can be so expressive even without seeing the facial expressions of the actors… fantastic!

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EdFringe Talk: John Franklin: My Dad’s Advice

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“I was battling a hangover (and losing that battle, I should add) when an advertisement for Fringe popped up on my Instagram. I said to myself, “F*** it.”

WHO: John Franklin

WHAT: “A beautifully hilarious stand-up about the memories of his dad’s best stories, Netflix star John Franklin intends to keep you laughing as he weaves tales of his father’s life advice into his own experiences. Every topic your dad gave you advice about, John will talk about from the scope of his own dad. From advice on girls to how become a man, John’s stories will have you laughing and remembering the stories your own father used to tell you. You’ll be transported to a time when the funniest person you knew was your old man.”

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

WHEN: 20:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes, this is my first time in Edinburgh! I love it here. The culture is amazing and fascinating; the people are just wonderful. I will say that the city being so hilly is very helpful to toning my legs all day. I’ve always had a dream to perform at Edinburgh Fringe. There’s something so magical about it. It’s like the city turns into Disney World for performers for a whole month!

I just put out my first comedy special this year, and I wanted to do something special for my next big comedy venture. I was battling a hangover (and losing that battle, I should add) when an advertisement for Fringe popped up on my Instagram. I said to myself, “F*** it. If there was ever a time to do it, it’s now.” I’ve been in the process of writing a pilot script about my dad and I, so I decided to take that pilot and rewrite it into a storytelling standup special. That’s how I got here! The thing that makes a festival like this so great is meeting people. I’ve made friends with fellow performers from the UK, various places in the USA, and all around the world. That wouldn’t have happened if not for Fringe!

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

The biggest thing I’ve learned is that other people’s success is not your failure. In the era of social media, it’s so easy to compare yourself to your peers. If they do something big, you feel like a lesser person.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. Your train is on your track, and every train around you is on their own track. Some trains are moving faster than others, but it’s not a race. You’ll reach the destination of success that life intends for you, in the time that it takes to get there. Enjoy that ride. Embrace it. Because at the end of the day you only have so much time for these awesome experiences.

At this point in my career, I’m having fun. I’m not putting pressure on myself or anyone around me to get to the next step. I’m in Edinburgh performing a new hour set! That’s unbelievable! Do I feel pressure sometimes? Of course. I wouldn’t be human if I never felt pressure. But I am enjoying my life so much more by putting my mental health first and just embracing my first Fringe!

Tell us about your show.

My show, My Dad’s Advice, is written, produced, and performed by me. The show is debuting in Edinburgh, but I did three closed-door runs for some comedians in New Jersey to refine it before coming. The show is all about the things my dad taught me when I was a kid, and how he believed everything he said to be fact. Dads are seemingly all the same in that regard. Every person that has seen the show has come up to me and told me a story about the stories/lies/advice their dad used to tell them! It really has started to build a fun community. My goal after Edinburgh is to take this show on a tour of the Fringe Festivals in the United States. I’ve only performed the show in small rooms to create a cool, intimate, vibe. I want the audience to feel like they’re just at a friend’s house listening to stories. I want to take that vibe all over the USA (maybe even the world) and get back to writing the pilot with it.

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

I hope there isn’t a word count on this question! I’ve seen so many amazing shows so far, and I’ll happily tell you about a bunch of them.

Eigg the Musical: Before we even talk about how great this show is, I just have to mention that the cast is full of wonderful people. So down to earth and so talented! The show itself is AMAZING. The music is awesome, the story is lovely, and it’s chock full of humor, love, and strength. If you want to see a wonderful musical based on a true story, this is the one!

Mark Pleases You: This is the most chaotic one man show in the best way possible. Mark Vigeant is truly a master at the art of a one man show. It’s so relatable to all of us that went through that AWFUL teenage awkward phase. Mark’s energy fills the room and creates an amazing atmosphere.

Abbey’s Box: This one woman show is so relatable and honest. For anyone who dated during the pandemic, this is for you. It’s empowering to the introverts, and it teaches us to remember that all human beings are different. We handle things in different ways, and we have different opinions on things. This show is one of my favorites of the Fringe!

The Extras Strike Back: It’s Star Wars and it’s HILARIOUS. The whole show is a musical from the perspective of background characters from the beloved Star Wars series. I couldn’t stop laughing the whole time, and not to mention how catchy the music is! I’ve had the song about Admiral Ackbar and Mon Mothma stuck in my head since I left. Just BRILLIANT. Can’t say enough good things, just go SEE IT!

I’m Sexy and I Know It: Anna Friend is a brilliant writer, and it shines in this show. The beginning will have you rolling on the floor laughing, but by the end it’ll remind you to love yourself and embrace the change in your life. Anna has told me she intends it to be a comedy, but it’s so much more than that. You will leave this show smiling and reminding yourself that, even though you’ve been hard on yourself, you have to love yourself!

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EdFringe Talk: Crap Ballet

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“I feel lucky that people get to step into my brain for an hour each night.”

WHO: Lil Wenker (not a joke)

WHAT: “Chekhov’s Gum is making their Fringe debut with an all-new clown show, Crap Ballet! One’s big, the other’s small – both suited up and ready to strut, stretch, and shimmy for an hour of stupid. Join us!”

WHERE: theSpace @ Niddry St – Studio (Venue 9) 

WHEN: 18:20 (50 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

The first time I (Lil Wenker, not a joke) came to Edinburgh, I was 19, never kissed, and eager to see as much CULTURE as possible in my month. In the course of the festival, I saw 60 shows ranging from clown acts to a stand up show where a man made salad in a cement mixer.

Not it’s my first time brining a show up to the festival, and I feel a tremendous excitement that I’m contributing to its madness. Last night, a group of high schoolers came to our highly irreverent clown show, CRAP BALLET, and left happily scandalized. I’ve always loved theater because it opens a door into people’s imaginations for an hour or so. Here in Edinburgh, you can see into countless people’s wild creativity several times a day, every day. It’s intimacy on a large scale meets unbridled creativity that I fell in love with at 19, and now being back at 23 (yes, I’ve been kissed now), I feel lucky that people get to step into my brain for an hour each night.

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

Edinburgh is a hard but rewarding place! Being in a new country, no one knows us. We started by playing to tiny audiences. Though it could have felt discouraging, the average fringe show’s five person audience speaks to there being so many wonderful things to see this month! What a gift! We usually live in a world where art feels like a luxury, a rare indulgence to break up the monotony of life. But here, people stand in lines to get into shows, run across the cobblestone streets, stay up well past their bedtimes. So we feel grateful, always, to play to any audience.

Tell us about your show.

In 2019, Lil Wenker and David DeRuiter were fatefully cast in a puppet show for children. Lil constructed the puppets with cardboard she found on the side of the road, and David played a talking volcano.

Since then, they have been the best of friends, almost-lovers, and the co-founders of Chekhov’s Gum. They’re a new work theater and comedy production company that specializes in repurposing recyclable material, writing dick jokes, and packing audiences into spaces where performance of any kind could be considered a fire hazard.

CRAP BALLET was born when Lil and David were accepted into a start-up business program at Yale University. As the only arts venture, they found themselves immersed in the world of crypto bros, app developers, and venture capitalists. That summer, the members of their cohort inspired the characters CRAP BALLET. Each character in the show is based on a real person, all of whom have had the fun of seeing themselves depicted on stage!

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

(.)(.) It’s funny and SMART! These girls handle the audience like pros and control the space from the moment you walk in. There is never a second of boredom or uncertainty. They have us in the palm of their hands!

Furiozo: Piotr is a master storyteller. He combines a rare level of rowdiness with equal amounts of love and wonder. Something undeniably childlike always rises to the surface in his performance despite the energetic rock and roll beat that underscores the entire performance. Absolutely electric.

Trash Salad: Rosa Garland, aka trash salad, is becoming a cult classic at fringe and deserves every ounce of attention. She is witty and clever, wonderfully weird, and will give you a performance unlike any other. She has a great amount of sensitivity toward the audience, and she makes everyone feel a part of something bigger than themselves.

The Amazing Banana Brothers: The sheer amount of energy Bill exerts in the opening sequence, before the show even begins, is enough to humble most anyone. But the show has only just begun. He goes on to deliver a shocking, surprising, yet still hilarious performance. The show is smart and well written, but above all masterfully performed.

Knight, Knight: Madeleine is a clown from Minnesota ready to blow fringe out of the water. Though this is their first fringe, it surely will not be their last as they deliver, time and again, hilariously unmatched performances. They could do little more than walk across the stage and have everyone in stitches.

Jeremy Segway: I’ve seen the Duncan brothers countless times perform their beautiful hour of chaos, and I love it every time. You go to see a story about the man who created the segway, but you instead are greeted with hilarious disaster after disaster as the show inevitably goes wrong. The brothers play together masterfully.

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‘Apple of My Eye’ (Venue 29, until AUG 19th)

Posted in *Written Interviews, 5*, EdFestivals 2023, Rated: Outstanding by

“A tight and pacy insight into genius, spotlight with songs that even the most pompous and jaded critic of musical theatre as a legitimate genre cannot overly object to.”

Editorial Rating: 5 (Outstanding)

One year, and I’ve been telling myself this for a decade now, I’m going to spend a day at EdFringe at just one venue and see all the shows performed there from sunup to sundown. Doing so, I reckon, will be the best way to encounter great scripts and performances that I would otherwise miss. A trawler net in place of a fishing rod. If I ever do make good this plan, I hope the results will be as pleasantly surprising as ‘Apple of My Eye’ which I went into on my way out of the previous show at my favourite EdFringe venue.

Chances are that you’ve heard of Steve Jobs. The people untouched by this genius and innovator are now curiosities, clutching their Nokias like anyone would bother to steal them. Jobs rose and fell young then rose, phoenix-like, again before succumbing to a tragically early death. A true trailblazer he achieved astounding professional successes despite infamous personal shortcomings.

Early Mornings Productions is the vehicle for Joel Goodman and Jan Osborne’s musical mini masterpieces including their acclaimed biography of Alan Turning – and no, the Turing connection to the Apple logo is just a legend. What’s delivered in ‘Apple of My Eye’ is a tight and pacy insight into genius, spotlight with songs that even the most pompous and jaded critic of musical theatre as a legitimate genre cannot overly object to. The signature refrain ‘Abandoned, or Chosen’ roots this fine portraiture in the character and contradictions set in motion by Job’s adoption as a baby.

As Jobs, Stephen Smith owns the stage exuding a confidence and magnetism both authentic and essential. Smith is more reflective than apologetic, treading a fine line between ego and mania. Despite a technical glitch – one of the four auld iMacs used to amply Smith’s performance with AV is on the fritz – we are treated to a sense of just how much work has gone into doing justice to a life spent in pursuit of design simplicity. This is a show that sticks in the mind for all the right reasons.

Come for the portrait of a titan of our times. Stay for a production that hits all the high notes. Get your turtlenecks on and go see this!

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