Tag Archives: EdFringe

EdFringe Talk: Amy Mason: Free Mason

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

image of event

“I know it’s going to be tough, but as am much more used to playing to all kind of audiences – including ones who actively dislike me – I’m hoping things will be a bit better.”

WHO: Amy Mason

WHAT: “After an encounter with a wildlife enthusiast, the Funny Women Award finalist explores what it means to be a human animal (nightmare, tbh). Expect coming out in your 30s, rinsing homophobes and forming a coven with your kids. The debut stand-up hour from the ‘brilliant’ (Bridget Christie) comedian and writer. 11 million views on TikTok. Heard on BBC Radio 1, Radio 5, Radio 4. ‘Amy Mason is so good; I was laughing before she said anything’ (Bridget Christie). ‘So funny’ (Jessica Fostekew). ‘Absolutely enthralling’ **** (BroadwayBaby.com). ‘Charmingly poignant and funny’ (Herald). ***** (WhatsOnStage.com). **** (List).”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Cellar (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 20:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my debut comedy hour but I brought a theatre show up 10 years ago. It was tough, I was unprepared – I didn’t even really know what the Fringe was; our producer just suggested we come and so we did! I thought it was going to be this non-stop party and soon realised keeping sane is about the best you can hope for. This time I am much more prepared and have been working as a comedian since 2017 – with gaps to have my kids and for the pandemic. I know it’s going to be tough, but as am much more used to playing to all kind of audiences – including ones who actively dislike me – I’m hoping things will be a bit better. And I can’t wait to see all my friends’ shows. I am still banking on crying daily though.

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

I didn’t even visit in 2023, I was hunkering down knowing that I wanted to bring my show up this year. I managed to see lots of the shows I wanted to catch either on tour or at festivals. This year I’m excited to be in the right place to see shows as soon as people start talking about them.

Tell us about your show.

Free Mason is my debut comedy hour. It’s being produced by Queenie Miller and will on at Pleasance Courtyard at 8pm. The show’s about how I came out as a lesbian in my late 30s, while married to a man, and trying to find a place that I fit as both a parent and a queer person. It’s also about the wildlife in my garden, and my kids, and touches on me stopping drinking a few months ago. I’ve been doing work-in-progress shows all over the place these past few months, but it will be premiering in Edinburgh and then touring early next year (more details on that soon!)

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

I’m excited for Katie Norris’s show, she’s debuting this year and does this surreal musical comedy and I’m obsessed with her. Christopher Hall is going to be debuting too and is going to smash it – he’s brilliant. Harriet Dyer has one of my favourite comedy brains and I can’t wait to see what she’s been cooking up. You can’t go wrong with any of them!

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: Eleanor Morton: Haunted House

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

“When I was 7, I went to see a play called The Red Balloon, about a red balloon.”

WHO: Eleanor Morton

WHAT: “Have you ever seen a ghost? Comedian Eleanor Morton hasn’t… yet. Could today be the day? Let’s find out. Eleanor Morton is a Scottish stand-up, writer and actor. Notable recent gigs include tour support for Kevin James Thornton, appearances on Breaking the News and You’re Dead to Me. In 2022 her BBC Radio 4 one-off comedy special, The Rest of Us aired, in which she and comics Mary Flanigan and Esyllt Sears explored what it’s like to be British (but not English). ‘A nuanced and exceedingly funny hour’ **** (EdFestMag.com).”

WHERE: Monkey Barrel Comedy – Monkey Barrel 2 (Venue 515) 

WHEN: 12:05 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No – it’s my…14th? I started doing comedy in 2010 and I’m from Edinburgh, so I have free accommodation and no excuse not to be here for all of August.

Unless we mean my first EVER time, which was when I was 7, I went to see a play called The Red Balloon, about a red balloon.

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

I think what I’ve learned since last year (and every year) is that you really ought to back yourself. Don’t come in half arsed, come in whole arsed. Put everything you can into the show and the experience, and if it doesn’t work out, at least you know you did your best.

Tell us about your show.

My show is called Haunted House, it’s stand-up and it was written by me. It’s produced by me and my friend Julia Cloughley-Sneddon who is a behind-the-scenes mastermind and another Edinburgh native. She’s responsible for the show’s incredible special prop (no spoilers) and general hand-holding.

The show is about seeing ghosts (or not seeing them), growing up in the ‘most haunted city in the world’ and what else might haunt us. Its supposed to be a lot of spooky silly fun and I’m really excited about getting it out there.

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

You should definitely see everything else in my venue, Monkey Barrel, there’s not a dud show amongst them. See my pal Sooz Kempner and try and see Seymour Mace, who I think I’ve seen every year since I started, I love his comedy so much. See things you wouldn’t normally see, and see at least one thing you think you might hate. See shows that probably won’t tour or are one-offs. See something you don’t think you’re ‘clever enough’ to understand, and see something that looks so bad its got to be good.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: Rich Spalding: Gather Your Skeletons

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

image of event

“It feels like you’re at university – wandering around a big campus, constantly bumping into people you know, going out late, drinking too much, sleeping in late, ‘working’ for a couple of hours a day and then hanging out with your mates.”

WHO: Rich Spalding

WHAT: “We’re all alive and we’re all going to die. Let’s have a laugh with it, shall we? Join award-winning comedian Rich Spalding for his hotly anticipated debut hour. A stand-up show about fear and boredom, legacy and regret and, ultimately, the universal experience of working for a living and dying sometime after. Beat the Frog: World Series Panel Prize Winner 2022. Get Up Stand Up Runner Up 2018. Co-host of the Our Dads Died podcast. Tour support for Eshaan Akbar. Pleasance Reserve Shortlist 2020, 2023. ‘Razor-sharp, understated brilliance’ (Tom Ward). ‘My favourite comedian’ (Eshaan Akbar).”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Cellar (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 21:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my first full run at the Fringe, but I’ve been a few times before. Despite being a big comedy nerd, my first visit to the Fringe was in 2019, and it was exactly as I imagined it. Weird hours, weird shows, weird people – all in a really, really good way. There’s no such thing as normal at the festival, and I think that’s what keeps people coming back year after year. My theory is that comedians love it because it makes you feel young. It feels like you’re at university – wandering around a big campus, constantly bumping into people you know, going out late, drinking too much, sleeping in late, ‘working’ for a couple of hours a day and then hanging out with your mates. Of course there’s also the stress and the money and the regular ego deaths and the rain. But that’s all part of the package.

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

The main thing I learnt in 2023 was that I didn’t like my show and needed to write a new one. I was doing a work-in-progress of the show I was planning to bring up for a full run this year, but I realised that it wasn’t good enough. So I’ve spent this year writing that new show – one that’s more about what I want to talk about, and one I’m genuinely excited to do. So I have definitely absorbed that lesson. The other big lesson is that if you go to the same late night pizza place every single day around 2am the staff will start to worry about you even though you’re genuinely fine and just really like pizza. Whether I’ve absorbed that lesson or not, though, only time will tell. I fully expect to be concerning wait staff across Edinburgh once more this August.

Tell us about your show.

Oh, so, the show is called Gather Your Skeletons. It’s a stand-up show. It’s written by me and produced by me. The writing of it has been great fun. The producing of it has been quite stressful, truth be told. I didn’t know exactly what a producer did before I started, and now I still don’t but I do know it’s very hard. But the show itself is about, mainly, death. But don’t let that put you off! It’s about a theory I used to have about the afterlife – something I thought of decades ago and recently remembered, and how that idea has, in a small way, changed the way I live my life. I like it, the show. It’s quite hopeful and kind, I think. I’ve done as many previews as I can get people to attend, so far, and it’s been fun seeing it come together and finding I don’t hate it. Which is rare, for me. There’s loads of good jokes in it, and some funny stories, and, dare I say it, some poignancy. I’d like to think it’s got legs beyond this festival, I’d love to take it around to anywhere that’ll have me, but that depends on how well it’s received. So, if you want to come along and receive it well, that’d be very much appreciated. I’m very friendly and we’ll have a good time together, I really do believe.

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

Oh man, so many things. I could go on forever. First and foremost, my perennial plug, Alexandra Haddow. She’s a superb comedian doing her second show, called Third Party, at Monkey Barrel 2 at 10pm. She was also, until recently, my housemate, and for the duration of Edinburgh we’re getting the band back together (sharing a one bedroom flat where one of us sleeps on the living room floor)! I’ve seen a preview of her show and it’s already great and will continue to get better. She’s also the kind of comedian who sells lots of tickets, so you might want to buy in advance.

Hubert Mayr is another former housemate of mine doing a show this year. His is called Mr Uniworse and plots the course of his life against the course of the only Austrian more famous than him…Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hubert is an exceptional joke writer with a particularly dark view of the world, which makes him even funnier. He’s on at the quite jarring time of 11am at Brass Monkey. If you like perfectly written jokes and general (but very funny) malaise, he is a must see.

Then just loads of others. Sarah Roberts is one of my favourite comics, and she’s doing her debut Silkworm at George Square: The Box 10.35 every night. I’ve annoyingly not been able to see it yet, so I’m going to sprint over after my show finishes one night to catch it. If you see a sweaty man in her audience, panting like a dog, it could be me. It could also just be a pervert. I also was lucky enough to catch an early preview of Alex Kitson’s show Must I Paint You a Picture? and thought it was excellent. I’m very excited to see the final show. That’s on at 10.55 every night at Hoots@Potterrow, The Wee Yurt – which I think is an actual yurt, so that’s fun. Then, obviously, Mat Ewins. You probably know about Mat but if you don’t then be kind to yourself and see his show. It will be, almost certainly, the best thing you see.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: Girlhood

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

“Hopefully our show will sell so well that there will be HEAPS of time to see as much as we can.”

WHO: Sam James, Producer

WHAT: “‘My mother always said she wouldn’t make the same mistakes her mum did.’ Three parties. Three decades. Three life-changing decisions. Over the course of a New Year’s Eve, three women confront the idea of motherhood and how their relationship with their mother has defined most of their lives. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this exciting new play by Tiegan Byrne about the unique bond of female relationships and what our mothers have taught us. Directed by Cecilie Fray and with a cast of six amazing actors – see it first at the Fringe!”

WHERE: Greenside @ Riddles Court – Thistle Theatre (Venue 16) 

WHEN: 18:30 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

First time producing which is a WHOLE NEW WORLD!

In years gone by I have loved being both a punter & with my talent agent hat on looking for new clients. The creative buzz and variety of imagination and talent on show is phenomenal. Very much looking forward to seeing our show on stage this year and have developed a huge new respect for everyone involved with the fringe now I can see what’s actually involved. Hopefully our show will sell so well that there will be HEAPS of time to see as much as we can. Fingers crossed. Can’t wait!

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

In 2023 I was on a huge research mission as I knew I’d be producing for the first time this year. So I was looking at venues with our play Girlhood in mind – factoring in our cast of 6 and needing a reasonable size stage. Had to keep reminding myself that I was fact finding as there were so many fabulous shows taking my attention. I came back really fired up and excited to get started with making Girlhood a reality. I’d pretty much decided that a small cast would be key to make it work on the numbers but then I read Tiegan’s play Girlhood and fell in love with it- with a cast of six. So that’s made it a steeper hill to climb but also it is going to be just brilliant! So all worth it I hope.

Tell us about your show.

‘My mother always said she wouldn’t make the same mistakes her mum did.’
Three parties. Three decades. Three life-changing decisions.

Over the course of a New Year’s Eve, three women confront the idea of motherhood and how their relationship with their mother has defined most of their lives.

Girlhood is a really exciting new play by Tiegan Byrne about the unique bond of female relationships and what our mothers have taught us. This is Tiegan’s debut play. Directed by Offie-nominated Cecilie Fray and with a cast of six amazing actors and a superb creative team. The producer is pretty brilliant too 🙂

We’ve got a one night sold out preview at Theatre503 in London on 30th July then heading up to Edinburgh. Plans afterwards – who knows! It definitely deserves a future life!

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

Potty the Plant & their new show Fringe Musical too! Loved Potty last year (so much with my agent hat on that we signed brilliant Baden Burns!) – can’t wait to see both this year.

Juniper & Jules will be fabulous with lovely Carmella Brown & Megan Wilson

A Montage of Monet at Greenside

PALS looks like it’s going to be one not to miss!

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: Bangtail

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

“I’ve run the gamut of Ed Fringe jobs, starting with flyering for Baby Wants Candy in 2019—my first uni summer. I saw over 60 shows in the month and was hooked.”

WHO: Lil Wenker

WHAT: “A hell of a lot can happen in the time you await the results of a pregnancy test. This is the story of a woman staring down the barrel of motherhood, torn between her own ambivalence… and an uncontrollable urge to push. Award-winning Popelei burst out of isolation and onto your screens with their darkly comic theatre production, reimagined for film. Blistering honesty, exhilarating choreography, and one extremely knocked-up performer.”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Cellar (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 16:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No! I’ve run the gamut of Ed Fringe jobs, starting with flyering for Baby Wants Candy in 2019—my first uni summer. I saw over 60 shows in the month and was hooked. In 2022, I had the absolute pleasure of teching Rosa Garland’s TRASH SALAD and a few clown school friends’ late-night madness cabaret night, HOT BOYS BATH HOUSE, which began at 1:30 AM. I think that festival took a few years off my life.

Last year, I performed for the first time in a bouffon/ballet two-hander called CRAP BALLET. We were up for two weeks, and then I stuck around to watch shows for the last week. But this year is the first solo show/full month/performing madness all coming together at once. I’m so excited and already planning places I can take naps here and there …

I think a great festival really embraces the festival aspect of it all. My first year, I saw EVERYTHING. Circus, stand up, dance, children’s theatre, live music. I’m keen to do this again; the access to so many different genres is really one of the most unique parts of Ed Fringe. Also going to different genres and venues allows you to meet folks from all around the world, which is another hugely unique opportunity Ed Fringe provides.

I’ll say I have never experienced the festival fully as a punter, since I’ve always had SOME responsibility towards a show. However, I definitely feel so much more awareness of the festival at every stage this year as I am producing the full run. Cecily, my amazing director, and I have been in rehearsal since November and filling out applications since December. So the festival has become so much more than August to me, and it’s made me respect all the amazing people who have brought their shows up before me, especially all those who also self-produce. I bow down (and thank the many, many friends who have helped me along the way!!!)

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

Oof, have I absorbed my life lessons yet? I guess we’ll see come August!

But the biggest lesson I learned was the importance of having a really great team. Last year, I felt like I was learning the ropes for the first time, even though I had been to the festival before. Putting on your own show is just a completely different ball game than tech or flyering. There are so many decisions, and the days are exhilarating and exhausting. We performed some absolutely electric shows and then completely dead ones the day after. Having David, the co-performer and co-creator of CRAP BALLET and our company CHEKHOV’S GUM, kept me sane. When I had no energy, he picked me up and vice versa. We saw shows together, celebrated the highs together, ate ice cream when we wanted to think about anything other than bouffon ballet.

This year, David will be up a few days (YAY), and Cecily will be with me the entire festival. She is an absolute force. She always has energy and poise—it’s kind of remarkable. And she is the world’s best advocate and cheerleader. I already know she is going to be there for this pep-talks when I’m tired or nervous or having a bad day.

Tell us about your show.

BANGTAIL is a co-creation between Cecily and myself. It all began when I saw TROLL, the Norwegian clown show Cecily directed at fringe last year. I was just about to move to London from the US and was looking for a collaborator. So I sent her an Instagram DM inviting her to a gig and for a glass of Malbec.

During the drinks, I pulled out my notebook and pitched her the idea for BANGTAIL: a cowboy accountant. I told her about my dad, a Midwestern accountant, and about watching westerns with him as a girl.

It’s so crazy thinking now to our first few weeks of rehearsal—we didn’t know each other at all, but we got right to work on this show. The cowboy stuff all came pretty naturally. We watched some westerns and could see quite easily how to have fun with the movements and characters. The other bits took a lot more time. There are probably a hundred versions of the show out in the world that we created but never stuck with. We once had a version of the show where the main character stops being a cowboy to build the Empire State Building.

Though this is atypical for us both, most of our studio rehearsals were dedicated to talking about men, ideas around purpose, our fathers. Most of the real rehearsal work took place at gigs around London, where we would try 5-10 minute cuts of the show, basically various games at a time, for live audiences. I think I’ve done maybe 60-75 gigs where I’ve tested and refined BANGTAIL material. It’s a really long and delicate process, but it has been a real joy and helped me get to know so many comedy people in London.

We’ve toured the show in the US (NYC, Minneapolis, and Chicago) and are hoping to go back there post Ed Fringe! We would really love to go to LA this time, too! We have also performed at various festivals around the UK including Leicester, Brighton, and Peckham. We are finishing up previews in London over the next month or so with stops at SOHO, 7 Dials, and The Pleasance London. Right before Ed Fringe, we do a night at Creatures Comedy Festival in Manchester.

Post Ed, we’d love to do a more official UK tour. We did a few one-off nights in various cities this spring, but I’d love to settle down in a city for a week or so. More London dates! And the Australian fringes would be absolutely amazing!! Let’s see!!

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

So, so many!!!
Tom Fox: Frankenstein on a Budget
Piotr: Furiozo
TROLL
Rosalie Minnit: Clementine
Ozzy Algar: Speed Queen
Sophie Duker: But Daddy I Lover Her
Posey Mehta: Big Fat Cabaret
Luke Rollason: Let your hair down
Derek Mitchell: Goblin AND Double Dutch
Alex Franklin
Lorna Rose Treen: Skin Pigeon

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: Suggestions of the Unexpected: An Improvised Horror Anthology

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

“I have seen this city change and wither, regrow and remain the same. It is timeless, it is aged, it has new life and the long dead.”

WHO: Lewis Dunn

WHAT: “Out of the darkest corners of your mind comes an improvised comedy nightmare. Join us as we take you on a journey through the intangible, via the unknowable and into the unexpected. This darkly hilarious spectacle is brought to you via the Twilight Zone, spied in a Black Mirror and guaranteed to give you Goosebumps. From the creators of Any Suggestions, Doctor? The Improvised Doctor Who Parody – ***** (ScottishField.co.uk); ***** (One4Review.co.uk); ***** (MumbleComedy.net); **** (ThreeWeeks); **** (EdFestMag.com). Nominated for Best Improv Show, Leicester Comedy Festival 2023.”

WHERE: theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall – Theatre 1 (Venue 53) 

WHEN: 21:35 (50 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I have been in Edinburgh many, many times. To be honest with you, too many times. I have been coming to this festival since 2005, performing since 2012 and have only missed 3 years (due to global and local health crises). I know this city better than my home town these days. I can walk down every street and remember a story of what I did there over a decade ago. I have seen this city change and wither, regrow and remain the same. It is timeless, it is aged, it has new life and the long dead. I cannot seem to pull myself away, no matter how much it costs me in both finances and time. I feel bound to this city, to this festival. It makes me feel young, and forces my age upon me.

So no, it is not my first time.

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

I learned that I can’t stretch myself so thinly. Last year I was performing in 3 shows almost every day; at my busiest I performed 5 times in the same day. It was one of those wonderful but also crushing experiences. I’ve been coming to the Fringe for half of my life, so the realisation that I’ve changed dealt a bit of an unexpected blow. In the moment, on a stage, I felt alive and joyous, but when you’re flitting about between shows without proper sleep you’re basically borrowing happiness. Our show deals with some of these lessons- we’re really interested in the everyday horrors and how they might manifest, whether it’s realising that you’re late to a show or that you’re only halfway up the stairs from Waverley Station to Cockburn Street and no longer have the energy of your nineteen-year-old self.

So I’m just doing one show this year, and it’s this creepy one at 21:35 so I can eat a proper dinner and be home before 23:00 to get a good night’s sleep.

Tell us about your show.

The joy of improv is that we’re going on with a show that’s unwritten. All our shows are. We arrive with our skillset, our ability to adapt, and our joy of milking an audience to get a show that matches what they want to see. There is a form of preparation, but it is more like a ritual than a script.

We previously dabbled in space and time travel with our former show “Any Suggestions, Doctor? The Improvised Doctor Who Parody” but now we’re exploring realms less familiar to us; realms of spirit, and darkness. As a troupe we’ve been performing together for 8 years, so it’s good to try something new together.

Suggestions of the Unexpected had a limited run at the Fringe last year, but we’re back and spookier than ever. We’ve found the line between unsettling and funny and we’re excited to welcome people into that realm.

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

Some friends of ours teched our show years back and now their stars are both on the rise (I really need to tech our show), so I’d really recommend Ali Woods: At the Moment and Kate Butch: Wuthering Shites. Both are absolute talents who keep churning out fantastic material. Another friend of the troupe Caitlin Powell is in this year’s Chortle Award final and we’re pumped on Caitlin’s behalf!

I’m also looking forward to seeing Joz Norris, Tom Lawrinson, Sara Barron and Lauren Stone.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: Ted Hill: 110 Percent Normal

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

“I LOVE the Fringe, it’s such an amazing way to perform to new people, and the doing the same show every day at the same time in the same venue is so good for improving a show and developing as a comedian.”

WHO: Ted Hill

WHAT: “Ted Hill – ‘genuinely hilarious’ ***** (BroadwayBaby.com) – is weird. His clothes are weird. His vibes are weird. His comedy is weird. He’s always been a weird little ADHD weirdo. But now he must grow up and do some proper, traditional stand-up comedy. There will* be NO multimedia mayhem, definitely NO computer chaos and absolutely ZERO silliness. ‘Few comedians harness the frenetic activity of their minds quite as comprehensively as Ted Hill’ (Chortle.co.uk). ‘Hill’s childish energy belies the slickness of his tech and his irrepressible nerd’s fondness for graphs’ (Scotsman). *probably”

WHERE: Assembly George Square Studios – Studio Four (Venue 17) 

WHEN: 14:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my third show I’ve taken to the Fringe in the last 3 years. My first show was about every American President, my second was an attempt to fix climate change using powerpoint comedy. I LOVE the Fringe, it’s such an amazing way to perform to new people, and the doing the same show every day at the same time in the same venue is so good for improving a show and developing as a comedian.

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

The biggest thing I learned last year was that the work has to start early when creating a successful Fringe show; so this year I started working on this one on the train back from Edinburgh last year.

Tell us about your show.

My show is a multimedia comedy show about weirdness, asking the question “am I weird?”, and “what does it mean for comedy to be weird?”. There’s loads of videos, an attempt by me to build both an AI and a robot, and some of the silliest use of technology you’ve ever seen. I’ve done 10 previews of the show, so it’s in tip top shape. It’s definitely the best show I’ve ever made!

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

Go and see as much comedy that is going something different to traditional stand up as you can! Rosalie Minnitt, Alex Franklin, Will BF, Elf Lyons, Mat Ewins, Amelia Bayler, Joz Norris, Jon-Luke Roberts, Luke Rollason, Jordan Brooks, Jazz Emu, Huge Davies, Lou Wall, Rob Copland.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: Grubby Little Mitts: Eyes Closed, Mouths Open

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

“It’s a very special festival for artists, industry and audiences and we Brits are very lucky we don’t have to cross an ocean to be part of it!!”

WHO: Rosie Nicholls

WHAT: “Join sketch comics Grubby Little Mitts (Rosie Nicholls and Sullivan Brown) in their third magnum opus! Award-winning sketch duo Grubby Little Mitts amplifies the normal to chaotic extremes, using slapstick and absurdism to point the finger at the everyday. Their signature hyper-real style is embellished with rapid dialogue, musical interludes and an aggressively red aesthetic screaming from handmade props. Winners of the Amused Moose Comedy Award for Best Debut in 2022. ‘The White Stripes of comedy’ **** (TheReviewsHub.com). Will make you cry – sorry, laugh.”

WHERE: Assembly George Square Studios – Studio Five (Venue 17) 

WHEN: 16:35 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our third Edinburgh with Grubby Little Mitts, and our third time performing at Assembly! I think the best thing about the fringe is potential it offers acts at all stages of their careers, and that potential is also what keeps audiences coming back year on year. The fringe could easily launch you as a comedian or theatre maker and put on the map as an artist, or you could meet someone who becomes a key collaborator for the rest of your career, or you could discover a show which becomes of cornerstone of your taste in comedy or theatre etc. You also make friends for life at the fringe, and especially in comedy you meet so many comedians on mixed bills that really sets up your network when you’re starting out. It’s a very special festival for artists, industry and audiences and we Brits are very lucky we don’t have to cross an ocean to be part of it!!

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

The biggest lesson we’ve learned is even though there is a certain pressure to succeed that goes with appearing at the fringe, you have to remember that you’re an artist making work and it’s good to take creative risks, especially if you’re coming back to the fringe after performing before. It can be good to challenge the perception of you that’s already out there amongst the audience and the industry! This is our third show in three years, so we were in danger of falling into a pattern with our writing and themes. We’ve made two shows with a fairly traditional sketch show structure, which have both been well-reviewed and popular with audiences. We could easily have done that again – but then what would be the point of writing new work? We have to write for ourselves first and make something that reflects where we are creatively. Of course it really depends on what kind of act you are and you don’t want to tear down the things you have spend years building…!! But personally I feel it’s good to keep pushing the boundaries of your own thing. It’s a nice position to be in. No risk no reward!! I’m excited.

Tell us about your show.

Eyes Closed, Mouths Open is written by Grubby Little Mitts – that’s me and Sullivan Brown (No Rolls Barred). This year we are directed by Dominic Allen (Monopoly But Communist!, Belt Up Theatre) with movement direction for the third time from Lecoq’s finest Simon Maeder (Superbolt Theatre, The Dictator). We four have been friends for many years, with Sullivan, Dom and I training together at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and we met Simon through Dom at an artist-led clowning/improv workshop we used to run before the pandemic. We four are also in another sketch group called The Skin Show. I’m the lead producer for Grubby Little Mitts which I do around my job, and we have been supported this year by our incredible fans from around the world through a massive Kickstarter campaign; we are really proud to be the product of crowdfunding and incredibly grateful for the endorsement. This show had a WIP performance at Komedia Brighton, and we are previewing at the Rosemary Branch, Phoenix Arts Club and Greenwich Theatre – but the show is officially debuting at Edinburgh this summer. We hope to be able to tour our work round the country as we have done the last two years – as well as eventually going to Australia and America too! We love touring, we love meeting fans and we love performing our brand of sketch comedy. Additionally at the fringe this year, we are bringing up our mixed bill show Sketch Book, which has been running monthly for the last six months at the Rosemary Branch Theatre – it’s a compilation show dedicated to sketch, character and alternative comedy. At the fringe we will be featuring the best of the sketch comedy scene in Edinburgh on one of the biggest stages at Assembly. If you love sketch, musical, character and alternative comedy in general, you must not miss it.

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

After Eyes Closed, Mouths Open AND Sketch Book, you should definitely check out Rory Cargill’s Television One – Rory is one of the hardest working comics around and this show is going to be spectacular! Fellow Amused Moose 2022 Winner Chelsea Birkby is cooking up another show This Is Life (Cheeky Cheeky) – I love watching Chelsea who is so smart and so funny, I really can’t wait to see it. Thirdly I totally recommend Katie Pritchard’s I Kiss The Music which is a totally mad hour of musical comedy, possibly to most uplifting and silly thing you’ll see at Edinburgh this year because of Katie’s amazing energy!! A few honourable mentions for Tegan Verheul’s Chokeslame, Bryony Byrne’s Fan/Girl (I’ve done some work on the puppets for this), Piotr Sikora’s Furiozo and Josh Glanc’s Family Man.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: Barbara Fernandez Singing, Sagging and Shagging

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

“For me a great festival is one where you can see lots of different types of shows, but you also have quiet areas (like the courtyard at Bar 50 which is my ‘Edinburgh home’ during the Fringe) where you can sit with people to chill and recharge.”

WHO: Barbara Fernandez

WHAT: “This show is a cheeky, hilarious, mellifluous romp through one singer’s colourful (and true!) past of cult-loving husbands, vampiric record producers, jailbird exes, shaggable therapists and diverse pharmaceuticals, peppered with lusty vocals delivered in bra-busting style. From lilting pop vocals to classical trills and belting cabaret-style show tunes, this new show from a first-time Fringe artist is a unique mix of musical snippets and comedy quips. ‘Musical mayhem comedy. Barbara had the room singing and clapping along whilst also keeping them in hysterics’ (Kyle Wallace, G&B Comedy).”

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

WHEN: 21:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my first time bringing my own solo show to EdFringe, though my 3rd time up there – I just love it! The first time I went up to do spots on other shows and figure out how it all worked, as well as see lots of different shows, and the second time I did more spots, saw even more shows, and scouted venues for 2024. I adore EdFringe as a punter because I get to see wild things that you just wouldn’t see anywhere else (like Trash Salad – nuts! – and another one whose title I can’t remember but it started with a guy climbing out of a washing machine!). For me a great festival is one where you can see lots of different types of shows, but you also have quiet areas (like the courtyard at Bar 50 which is my ‘Edinburgh home’ during the Fringe) where you can sit with people to chill and recharge.

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

The biggest thing I’m learning now – bringing your own show up to EdFringe requires a LOT of work if you want to do your best. Having the money for top PR would make it easier, I guess, but that’s not my case so I’m learning how to do my own PR – actually Fringe Connect has been invaluable with their free webinars on all things Fringe to help us producers/performers, including info on funding like Keep It Fringe, which I’m lucky enough to have received this year. I’m sure I’ll have a LOT to learn once I’m there doing my own show for the full run so am trying not to panic ha!

Tell us about your show.

I wrote my show out of trying to make the crazy things that have happened in my life funny. It’s a collection of stuff I’ve tested in comedy clubs which I later realized can come together to form a story. I think apart from therapy (which for me is done and dusted), joking (and singing) about difficult and even tramatic events is cathartic but in a fun way and it can bring people together so that we can laugh and be like ‘yeah life is weird, right?’. Also I really want to raise awareness around the awful stigma that people face who have what I do (I won’t say it here, come see the show and find out!) By the time Edinburgh comes I’ll have done a handful of previews, and my hope is that I’ll have honed the show to then tour it afterwards – first in the UK and then abroad.

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

Ooooohhh there are SO many! Pam Ford AKA SPAM Ford (Aussie true life stories), Sallyann Fellowes SALIEN (pure neurodiverse madness), Kimberly Policella and Kim Hope’s Is That Not Normal (ladies who lunch vibe), Jessica Fostekew’s METTLE (just very funny), Edinbra Fringe Comedy (compilation of funny ladies hosted by Rachel Morton-Young, also see her show Dutch Courage).

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!

EdFringe Talk: Chanel Ali: Break Up With Your Dad

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2024 by

“I’ve learned to lean into the weird things about me. I took a deep dive into the trauma, the pain, the reality of life and found intense humility on the other side.”

WHO: Chanel Ali

WHAT: “If you can break up with your dad, you can break up with anyone. Star of the NYC comedy scene teaches you how to fight everyone – and win. You might recognise Chanel from her two Comedy Central specials, and the hit Netflix series Dash and Lily. Catch her at the Fringe as your silly and hilarious relationship expert who’ll make you feel fantastic about living your best life. Don’t miss this, your chance to catch one of the USA’s hottest comedy exports for a limited run this Fringe.”

WHERE: Just the Tonic at The Mash House – Just the Snifter Room (Venue 288) 

WHEN: 19:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my second time at Fringe, my first time with a concept show. This festival is comedy magic to me. There’s a spirit that overtakes the city and I felt immense growth performing in front of Fringe audiences last year. The audiences give you space to try your most outlandish ideas, outrageous crowdwork, to simply burst into a funny song. Being a comedian from the states, the Scottish accent was hard to decipher at first but I firmly believe that if you can get an old Scottish man to GET YOU, you can win anyone over.

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

I learned that the world has not conditioned us to be the best artist we can be. Everything from our jobs, to school, to our families has constantly downplayed what makes us an individual and therefore what makes us an artist. I’ve learned to lean into the weird things about me. I took a deep dive into the trauma, the pain, the reality of life and found intense humility on the other side. I feel confident that I’ve done the best writing of my career in these last few months and I’m so excited to be ready to share it with the Fringe audiences to hopefully invite them to match my stride.

Tell us about your show.

My one woman show entitled Break Up With Your Dad is a true story about how I booked a tv commercial via Kevin Hart’s production company in 2023 that tested my DNA and told me that I had a brother whom I had never heard of. When I confront my police officer father with the news, and the DNA results, he denied it. A cop, denying DNA evidence? Well, that became funny to me. I didn’t just write this show, I vomited it. I’ve premiered it in the states a few times and I hope after Edinburgh I can take it to more theaters. An Emmy nominated director just signed on to the project and I believe this work of art will heal so many. If you’ve ever been lied to, gaslit, manipulated, I’m here to tell you my silly story and invite you to find the silly in yours too.

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

PG Hits is a kid friendly comedy show that packs a punch. I performed on this showcase at my first Fringe run and I credit it with some of the funniest moments in my comedy career. Kids remind us why we need to play. Why we should pick up a rock and pretend it’s anything other than a rock. Get back to your younger, braver, more honest self by laughing with these kids, their parents, their friends, and comedians who are ready to keep it PG.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!