Tag Archives: EdFringe

EdFringe Talk: Lion

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“Edfringe is best and the most brutal way to find out if your show is rubbish or not.”

WHO: Marc-Fredrik Gassot

WHAT: “Lion – The Weird and Magical Abracadabra Circus Show is an hour of pleasure, skills and a bit of thrilling fear led by a one-man circus crew. The performance honours the history of traditional circus with a touch of the splatter of horror films. This physical comedy is mixing magnificent mime, entertaining circus, surprising illusions and playful horror – wrapped in superb live music. Lion is a curious joyride for young people and adults alike. Welcome to our skewed circus!”

WHERE: Assembly Rooms – Ballroom (Venue 20) 

WHEN: 16:40 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

What can I say? Edfringe is biggest festival in the world and we Finns we like big things. Edfringe is best and the most brutal way to find out if your show is rubbish or not.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

This is my third time in this Edfringe madness so obviously I haven’t learn anything.

Tell us about your show.

Lion is best dark physical comedy at the fringe (and probably the only one)! The show mixes together circus, magic, live music and horror in a very stupid and funny way. It’s the best show that I have ever done.

I got the idea for it while I was lying in the aftermath of mole fever in a hotel room in Camden.

After the Edinburgh I’m hope to get more gigs than ever and to get a hero’s welcome when I return to Finland!

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

You should go and see all the others shows from Finland: Johnny Got His Gun, Raging Mother, Receptionists and Kvartetto. You should also see Julia Masli’s show Choosh and Viggo Venn’s show Club Comedian which are both really funny.

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EdFringe Talk: Tom Mayhew: Trash Rich

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2022 by

“I have learned that I only need to eat a medium Domino’s Pizza, and that ordering a large one is capitalism tricking me. But that doesn’t stop me from occasionally ordering a large one, like a fool.”

WHO: Tom Mayhew

WHAT: “Fresh from BBC Radio 4 (Tom Mayhew is Benefit Scum), critically acclaimed comedian Tom was planning to write a show that’s less frustrated, less political… the cost of living crisis screwed that. ‘It is genuine, powerful, political stuff. These are four stars for a voice that should be heard more. Four stars for comedy shining a light on some grim, unjust places.’ **** (Scotsman). ‘Mayhew is passionate, articulate and – above all else – hilarious. His jokes are punchy, sharp and forthcoming. Despite the often weighty subject matter, laughs are never too far apart’ **** (Skinny).”

WHERE: The Stand Comedy Club 2 – Stand 2 (Venue 5) 

WHEN: 21:20 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No, I came to Edinburgh for the first time 10 years ago! It was a festival I had dreamed of coming to purely by hearing how highly so many comedians spoke of it, and as soon as I came for the first time back in 2012, I was hooked. It’s one of my favourite months of every single year, as you see all your mates, get to see lots of shows, and you are in a beautiful city. If I didn’t have to worry about ticket sales, it would be the dream month for me!

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I have learned that I only need to eat a medium Domino’s Pizza, and that ordering a large one is capitalism tricking me. But that doesn’t stop me from occasionally ordering a large one, like a fool.

Tell us about your show.

It’s written by me and produced by Objectively Funny, and it has been previewed all over the country before Edinburgh. Whether it goes elsewhere will depend on how well the Edinburgh run goes, to be honest! But I’m hopeful we might be able to tour it.

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

Laura Davis should already be on their list of shows to see. She has been consistently excellent for years, if there’s any justice then she’ll sell out, so get your tickets quick.

Sian Davies is doing her debut show, and it is incredible. There is so much heart and proper laughs in there, I can’t recommend it enough.

Finally, Adele Cliff has been one of the best joke-writers at the Fringe for years, and she’s put together a fantastic show for 2022. It’s jam-packed with great jokes and astute observations, and it’s pretty much a guarantee nowadays that you will see one of the “Dave’s Top 10 Jokes of the Fringe” nominees in there!

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EdFringe Talk: Nick Everritt: Quiet

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“I’m a big fan of the Fringe. I love the hustle, and indeed the bustle. It’s one great big orgy of arts.”

WHO: Nick Everritt

WHAT: “Watch in awe as quiet man Nick Everritt establishes a comedic persona and performs a series of jokes. Featuring perfunctory crowd-work, a series of ice-breaking gags relating to his physical appearance, a lengthy Tinder bit and an obligatory emotionally resonant finale. ‘Those in search of the truly alternative, look no further’ **** (One4Review.co.uk). ‘A droll, witty and very self-conscious deconstruction of comedy… Expect to see more of him’ (Chortle.co.uk). 3rd place, South Coast Comedian of the Year 2020/21. Finalist: Max Turner Prize 2020, Sketch Off! 2019, Get Up Stand Up 2019, Laughing Horse New Act 2018.”

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

WHEN: 15:45(60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my third Edinburgh run. I did a split bill in 2018 and my first hour in 2019. It was at the 2019 Fringe that I learned that performing an hour of niche meta anti-comedy to an audience of 3 in a sweltering cave isn’t always a recipe of success. I’ve therefore designed my current show to be more accessible by featuring more so-called ‘jokes’. I hope to achieve a lower walk-out rate this time around. (It was 9% in 2019).

I’m a big fan of the Fringe. I love the hustle, and indeed the bustle. It’s one great big orgy of arts. You get to rub shoulders with so many aspiring young artists and creatives and you can practically smell the debt in the air. What better way to spend all your savings and annual leave?

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Since the pandemic I’ve learned that nothing is permanent, save for the indelible truth of the statement “nothing is permanent”, which is indeed permanent. I’ve learned that you have to live life to the full each and every day, but doing so is difficult in practical terms due to work, responsibilities, the cost of living, global events over which you have no control, and the paralysing pressuring of feeling like you have to live life to the full each and every day.

Tell us about your show.

Nick Everritt: Quiet is a parody of an Edinburgh hour. On paper the show is about shyness and how I’m trying to overcome it through comedy, but in truth the theme of shyness is only there to provide the illusion of structure and dramatic heft. In the show I establish a shy and creepy comedic persona and then perform a series of jokes. These jokes alternate between conventional jokes which are good because they’re funny, and jokes which are so bad they’re good because they’re not funny, but that’s what makes them funny.

Is the show good? I don’t know because nobody came to my previews. But each joke has worked on multiple occasions in the mics, pubs and clubs of Greater London and rural Kent.

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

Ted Hill: All The Presidents Man. I normally have a visceral hatred of PowerPoint shows but this one’s really good. Aside from that you should seek out the weirdest shows you can. Watch the one-woman King Lear where she’s dressed as a flightless cormorant for no reason. Seek out the mentally ill out of work actor trying to convince a Chinese tourist in the audience to eat cress out of the small of his back. The golden rule is this: the worse the show, the better the anecdote.

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EdFringe Talk: Self Service

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” My approach was to flick through the brochure, pause on any image that caught my eye, read the blurb and if it hooked me, I’d see it – a lucky dip.”

WHO: Anne Rabbitt

WHAT: “Breaking down? Lost the manual? Book in for this funny (meta)physical dive into how to keep going. Based on a complete strip-down and rebuild of the 1962 Rabbitt model. This 21,000-day service includes a troubleshooting guide and FAQs fielded by experts such as philosophers, physicists, poets and the manufacturers: Mum and Dad. Learn to laugh at built-in obsolescence and override factory settings. Lost your feeler gauge? Find it here. Warning: may contain candour. When life needs a service, rummage under the bonnet with the award-winning Anne Rabbitt – ‘reinventing her work with wonderful results!’ (FringeReview, 2021).”

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

WHEN: 19:15 (50 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Well, as punter or performer? They’re very different experiences. As a performer, this is my second time at the festival, the first being in 1986 (yes, 36 years ago) with my then double act partner, Doon Mackichan. I stayed in a single bed in the box room of an empty house, rented by students during term time (my dad wrangled it – the Catholic mafia at work). I was woken early one morning by the woman who owned/ran the house showing a potential student the room (“Here is table. Here is bed”…I pointed out that I wasn’t part of the deal.) As a punter I went a couple of years on the trot when my daughter was a student here (she wasn’t thrilled by my snoring). Edinburgh’s a wonderful city for a festival, not only beautiful but small enough to get around on foot/bike. My approach was to flick through the brochure, pause on any image that caught my eye, read the blurb and if it hooked me, I’d see it – a lucky dip. The late great Peter Brook could have been talking about the festival when he said, “A man walks across this empty space whilst someone else is watching him, and this is all that’s needed for an act of theatre to be engaged.”

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Human beings need to go out to play. No one cares/Some people care. Paprika crisps are the best in the world. “Missing out is what makes our choices meaningful in the first place,” wrote Olive Burkman; and, “To remember how little you matter on a cosmic timescale, can feel like putting down a heavy burden…” followed by Joe Moran’s “Your failure was like billions of other failures except that it was yours. And like those billions of other failures…it was a heroic and heartening thing.” You can judge if I’ve absorbed the lesson(s) by coming to see my show!

Tell us about your show.

Self Service was meant to premiere back in 2020, so it’s only two years late. And after 15 years away from performing, what’s another two years? (A lot! I’m not getting any younger you know!) I’m not only the creator/performer but everything else – producer, costume, props, sound design – though I’ve shamelessly asked for help from wonderful friends and family. The show draws on my background in dance, physical theatre, comedy and propensity for introspection. As another friend said, it will make you laugh and break your heart.

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

PUSH (Popelei) at The Pleasance Courtyard. I saw this at the Vault Festival (London) in 2019 and loved it. Another solo show about motherhood from the other end of the telescope (to bear a child or not…) It’s funny and physical and brilliantly performed.

Also, I must recommend my fellow flat mates, stand-up Charmian Hughes: She! Immortal Horror Queen’s Guide to Life. Charmian was on the cabaret circuit when I was doing my double-act Rabbitt & Doon (with Doon Mackichan) in the 1980s and unlike me, has never stopped. She’s a cracker, and Maureen Langan, who I don’t know, who’s coming all the way from the States with her show, Don’t Make Me Hate You.

Finally, I must plug a talk at the International Book Festival (come on, it’s the same city) by my friend and writer, Vanessa Onwuemezi. Following her debut collection of stories, Dark Neighbourhood, she’s discussing ‘Landscapes on the Edge’ at Northside Theatre on 17 August.

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EdFringe Talk: Made in India/Britain

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“I had an opportunity to go over things what I wanted to do in my future; It was a period that really shaped my current work.”

WHO: Rinkoo Barpaga

WHAT: “Since leaving home in Birmingham, Rinkoo Barpaga has been determined to find somewhere to settle. Along the way he’s encountered racism, discrimination and has begun asking himself: ‘Where do I belong?’ Join him as he delves deep into past experiences in order to discover his true self and a place he can finally call home. Performed by Rinkoo in British Sign Language, with live voiceover provided by an actor. Supported by the Pleasance’s Generate Fund. Directed by Tyrone Huggins.”

WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Pleasance Two (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 13:40 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It’s my first time going to a fringe and performing in one – I feel like I’m going to the World Cup! You want to do your best and I want to showcase the best of what I can do. It’ll be a very interesting experience for me because I have had to use my physical performance skills a lot growing up in the deaf community. I’ve relied a lot on body movements and facial expressions. Having the chance to perform using aspects of languages has been very informative for me.

In terms of what makes a great festival, this feels like a bit of a trick question.

For me accessibility, is a huge thing. BSL isn’t a foreign language and I think it’s a shame it gets treated like one by not getting taught in mainstream schools.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I think the biggest thing I’ve learnt was in lockdown, as it gave me the chance to reflect. It gave me a lot of time to look back on my life, on everything that I’ve done, what my thoughts were about the past and what they are now. I had an opportunity to go over things what I wanted to do in my future; It was a period that really shaped my current work.

Tell us about your show.

The show is about finding a home that I still haven’t found. I have an amazing team that helped me write this performance all based on my life story.

Daniel Bailey is the dramaturge and original director of the show. Tyrone Higgins is the current director of the show. Mathias Andre is assistant director and my voice over. I can’t forget Deaf Explorer who I became involved with in 2016 and are producing the shows.

It started coming together when I was at Birmingham Rep doing a one year foundry course. You learn to develop your work about theatre making everything to do with performance. I performed an iteration of the show at The Rep, The Midlands Art Theatre, Camden People Theatre and Crystal Palace Festival.

I have no clue what will happen afterwards but I would really like to perform around the UK. Here, compared to abroad, we have a lot of great deaf actors. We’ve got a lot of good stuff and I would like to be able to perform abroad and show deaf people in other countries what they can do.

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

Block’d Off because like my show it’s based on real stories and real lives, exposing what it’s like to be working-class in London today. Rapsody is also one to look out for because it’s a young Birmingham based company that’s bringing rap, trap and drill music to the main stage. Looking at the programme at Summerhall and Pleasance My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored and Rajesh and Naresh have also caught my eye.

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EdFringe Talk: How to Build a Wax Figure

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“Whenever we tell people we’re going up, they respond by either literally squealing with excitement, an involuntary shudder, telling us to pack a bag full of vitamins, or unveiling a parchment scroll of their favourite street corners.”

WHO: Isabella Waldron: Playwright

WHAT: “Girl meets anatomical wax sculptor. Anatomical wax sculptor meets girl. They fall in love. Or something like that. Bea’s older neighbour was her first love, her first cigarette, her first prosthetic eye. When Bea is invited to the Wellcome Collection to speak about her expertise making glass eyes, she finds herself unable to untie Margot from all that she does. As she tries to unpack her mentor’s effect on her work, Bea must dissect for herself what love really looks like.”

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

WHEN: 12:55 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes, this will be the first time in Edinburgh for both Nell and me. We’re really excited to be up there, and get to experience firsthand all the Edinburgh lore. Whenever we tell people we’re going up, they respond by either literally squealing with excitement, an involuntary shudder, telling us to pack a bag full of vitamins, or unveiling a parchment scroll of their favourite street corners. We’re really excited that we will soon be a part of that now.

Also, my Scottish grandmother is absolutely thrilled and convinced that I’ll be converted by the charms of Edinburgh and move out of England.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I was supposed to take a show to the Fringe in 2020 that was obviously derailed due to pandemic. Since then I’ve learned that bringing twelve enormous moth puppets from the States to Edinburgh Fringe was probably not my best, nor cost-effective, idea.

Alright, but really, I feel like a big learning over the last few years has been accepting that things probably won’t go to plan, and that that is just part of the process. That one has been harder to learn, but important.

Tell us about your show.

This play is really about how we mould each other (ha ha – wax sculpting, get it?); that people in our lives sometimes weave in and out, leaving behind these huge impacts on who we are. And I think maybe that’s not such a horrible thing.

Through our first staged reading at the Golden Goose in London, to the sadly cancelled VAULT festival, to restaging for a preview run up at the Pleasance, this play has been shaped by so many incredible creatives.

Writing the first draft in deep, dark Covid times in Oregon, I could never have imagined the incredible people this play would bring into my life. I met our brilliant, sensitive director Nell from a mutual friend on Zoom. We both moved to London amid pandemic, and decided to workshop ‘wax figure’ a bit. Now, here we are.

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

Y’all. I don’t know how people do this. The list of incredible shows I want to see is so long. Does anyone blink, let alone sleep, for the entire month of August?

Theatre-wise, I’m really excited to see ‘Hungry’ at Roundabout, ‘Caste-ing’ with Nouveau Riche, ‘Speed Dial’ from Spies Like Us, ‘Happy Meal’ by lovely Tabby Lamb, and so many more. Also, I’m pumped to see the wonderful comics who performed at our big cabaret fundraiser in June — Jo Griffin, Diane Chorley, and Celya AB. Just fabulous people (and the cherry on top is they’re all incredibly talented).

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EdFringe Talk: Aidan Sadler: Tropicana

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“Keep an eye out for performers out on the street without huge gimmicks, big casts. Those are usually the hidden gems of the Fringe.”

WHO: Aidan Sadler

WHAT: “Join queer cabaret icon Aidan Sadler as they take you on the award-winning journey to Tropicana! Nothing is safe from ridicule so be led on an exploration of body image, heteronormativity and sometimes wearing a dress round the house on a muggy day. Here, you’ll experience belting 80’s synth-pop nostalgia punctuated with world class stand-up comedy. Featuring electrifying 80’s hits from Spandau Ballet to ABC, Tropicana returns to Fringe from its sell-out, extended run in 2021 to explore, bend and abuse the gender binary.”

WHERE: Assembly George Square – The Blue Room (Venue 8) 

WHEN: 22:20 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be Tropicana’s second go at the Edinburgh Fringe and my god is it a different year to last! The festival last year created so many magical connections – I still see all of the people I met on a regular basis, how crazy is that?! I feel like in the real world that never happens! We all have this joint experience (or trauma depending on the season) and we use it to connect and bond.

A great festival happens about half way through when the collective, city-wide burnout kicks in. That’s when the real fun begins and the insanity starts to unfold and everyone begins to come together to just… Make it happen! You need a toilet roll delivered to half way down the royal mile? A message is sent into the ether and there, in front of you it appears! It’s all great fun, god I’ve missed it.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Don’t take anything for granted! Your entire life can be snatched away from you in a heart beat, and the powers that you think have it all figured out probably don’t! The reality of society is anarchy! Pure chaos! I’m rejecting all of the lessons I learned pre pandemic and embracing the new ones. How many apocalypses (apocali?) will we collectively experience? Let’s go crazy, write that show you’ve always wanted to write, make a move on the guy you’ve been flirting with for the last year, record a cover of your favourite song! Oh, and book tickets to Tropicana (duh).

Tell us about your show.

I wrote this silly little thing over the pandemic when I was in quite a dark place (no spoilers!) and since debuting last year at the fringe it has spiralled into this gargantuan creature that has toured the UK, performed an off-west end run and rocked Brighton Fringe, it’s just been insane. I have to perpetually pinch myself that this is just what I do now. From nothing to… something!

The company was created out of a handful of my friends who were made redundant over the pandemic who had also gone freelance. This was our opportunity to get out of our funk, and boy has Tropicana got us out of it! None of us had ever done anything like this before so it was an awesome (and sometimes soul destroying) journey. I feel like we’re now a gorgeous sexy dysfunctional unit, working together to make a very professional looking grassroots show happen.

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

Keep an eye out for performers out on the street without huge gimmicks, big casts. Those are usually the hidden gems of the Fringe. And my god, is it lonely to try and plug and sell your wares to the general public.

My biggest recommendation is Hummus: After Dark. It’s a surrealist stand-up, monologue-y, music-y thing that is offensive, silly and will make you look at Hummus differently for the rest of your life. Some other friends – PotatoHead (bonkers), I Am Not A Gorilla (insane), Laurie Black (punky) Clementine (unhinged). For a cabaret person I sure am recommending a lot of character comedy!!!! Being on the road a lot I’ve had the joy of seeing so many awesome acts, sorry if I missed you out!

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EdFringe Talk: Mrs Roosevelt Flies to London

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“The Fringe is special because it’s in beautiful atmospheric Edinburgh; it offers an amazing range of global live performance, it’s been at it for a few years, and there’s always a mood of celebration and kindliness, I’ve found, which makes it about coming together and celebrating talent, and difference.”

WHO: Alison Skilbeck

WHAT: “Returning to Edinburgh following a near sell-out 2016 Assembly season, Alison Skilbeck’s critically acclaimed one-woman show reveals the public and private life of one of the most extraordinary women of the 20th Century, Eleanor Roosevelt, from her daring trip to wartime Britain to her unconventional partnership with President Roosevelt. Granted special permission to use Eleanor’s diary and daily newspaper columns, this is the story of a passionate humanitarian, a woman beset by deep personal insecurities and tragedy, but one who never lost her passionate belief in the strength of the human spirit.”

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

WHEN: 10:25 (75 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No. I was first here as a student in the Oxford Revue, in 1967. Then not until 2008 for just a week with my first show ARE THERE MORE OF YOU, then I and the wonderful Jacqui brought that show again in 2011, then Mrs Roosevelt in 2016 ( near sell out!) then THE POWER BEHIND THECRONE in 2017, celebrating Shakespeare’s older women, then in 2018 ARE THERE MORE OF YOU again, a very very near sell-out! The Fringe is special because it’s in beautiful atmospheric Edinburgh; it offers an amazing range of global live performance, it’s been at it for a few years, and there’s always a mood of celebration and kindliness, I’ve found, which makes it about coming together and celebrating talent, and difference. These are the qualities that make for a great festival – taking time to experience it all being curious, being surprised, being afraid in a good challenging way.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Since 2019 and the lockdown I’ve learnt how crucial live performance is to our human health. We need it. We need same time, same place communication, communion, and are poor without it. I just premiered a new show ( set during the pandemic) at the Buxton Festival, and the feeling of sharing something again was wonderful. I’ve also learnt to keep at the creativity, and have written two shows. I’ve learnt that as an artist , as an actress, you have to find ways to practise in the way painters and musicians do. I teach actors and non-actors, but most of all I develop my own stuff. I suppose it’s never give up, and don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. No idea if this is what ‘you’ wanted?!

Tell us about your show.

After my first show pure imagination – I wanted to write about someone famous, and it had to be someone I sympathised with. Eleanor Roosevelt, life long campaigner for peace, democracy, and human rights equality, was the one. I researched and wrote at the British Library, visited the Roosevelt Library in the US and was much helped, got permission to use her writings from her grand-daughter, and premiered it at the RADA festival in 2013. My wonderful producer Jacqui garbett of Hint of Lime ever at the helm. I toured Ireland, had a run at the king’s Head in 2015 with discussions after with Dame Helena Kennedy among others, and then brought it to Edinburgh in 2016 for its near sell-out run. I’ve toured the UK and also taken it to France. No idea where it might go after this time… It’s not all serious; tells her life story through her trip to London in 1942, and I play a total of 27 characters, some very funny, like the posh Mrs Egereton Warburton of the Cheshire WVS.

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

I’m sure there’s loads I don’t yet know about but friends shows, well, do see SPOONS at Gilded Balloon, MULAN and WAR OF THE WORLDS at same venue; HANDS AND FLOWERS by some terrific Oxford students, are Surgeons Hall, and BLOODY DIFFICULT WOMEN at Assembly. Oh and the one woman THIS IS PARADISE at Traverse.

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EdFringe Talk: Eme Essien: Flat Shoes In The Club

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“Having gone to the Fringe for many years prior to now performing, I have a sense of what audiences expect, what keeps them engaged and what can really stand out in a sea of posters that get lost amongst the noise.”

WHO: Eme Essien

WHAT: “Ever wondered what takes a girl so long to get ready on a night out? It’s Saturday night, the big girls’ night out and this girl is trying to get ready on time. Unfortunately, people won’t stop interrupting her. Delve into her world as she figures out what to wear, how to do her hair and what to do when she gets there. Uncensored, dishevelled and sincere, this is the internal conflict of a woman trying to achieve modern ideals and aspirations, in an hour of character comedy from award winner Eme Essien.”

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

WHEN: 15:45 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I have been going to the Fringe for years as an audience member. It is an experience like no other and I love the experience. There are a lot of shows to filter through and the experience can be quite overwhelming, particularly as I am a solo traveller. I think that what is so unique about Ed Fringe is the mix of seasoned artists and performers and newcomers who are showcasing new material and everything in between. All this within walking distance (mostly) and every year, I found a gem that would get me super fired up and eager to showcase my own work. I really love how engaged the audiences are and for the most part, they are truly willing you to succeed and ready to be entertained.

Having gone to the Fringe for many years prior to now performing, I have a sense of what audiences expect, what keeps them engaged and what can really stand out in a sea of posters that get lost amongst the noise.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Wheeew that was a year for me! It was a lot. I had so many unexpected things thrown my way around the time of my solo sketch show, ‘You’re Definitely invited.’ I really came out of it feeling so empowered battling through my anxiety condition and learning not to take myself so seriously. I am a classic overthinker and perfectionist and so letting those habits go and just doing, trying, experimenting has been a joy this time around.

Tell us about your show.

‘Flat Shoes in the Club??’ is a comedy theatre show watching this “Girl” get ready for this big night out. There is dance and music and a lot of high energy but also a real sense of intimacy in that you are watching a young woman in her private space with all her thoughts uncensored. Told through the voice of a young Black woman, it’s a bit silly, a bit deep and just generally upbeat.

The show is written and completely self-produced by me. I did an earlier work in progress back in 2016 and so this is it all fleshed out. I hope to tour it after Edinburgh and have some plans for some screen content as well!

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

Go and see “Soulful Magic” by Magical Bones @ The Assembly. The show is going to be sick! He is an extraordinary talent and engaging Magician with great Hip Hop flair. He is also my brother and did not pay me to say this!

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EdFringe Talk: Hiya Dolly!

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2022 by

“The state of Louisiana has provided much of the funding for the play’s production in Edinburgh – not the most obvious guess one might make about who would back a play about Dolly the Sheep, but it underlines the universality of the goal of bridging art and science.”

WHO: Vince LiCata: Writer

WHAT: “The true story of how a cute, attention-seeking lamb became the most famous sheep in history – the world’s first cloned mammal. Lab created and born at the Roslin Institute outside Edinburgh, Dolly lived the good life. A worldwide celebrity who never left her farm. Mother to six lovely lambs. She changed biology forever and irrevocably changed the lives of all her human parents. Who were they? How did they do it? Where are they now? Come find out how to clone a sheep in this new play laced with ‘Dollified’ Scottish tunes and plenty of woolly humour.”

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

WHEN: 20:00 (70 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’ve been to the Fringe 6 times before. I’ve always been impressed by the quality of the theatre work. The Fringe seems like many different worlds/realities simultaneously overlapping, which is what makes it so exciting. Only a small portion of it is real theatre by any expanded definition of that word, but having it alongside the acrobatics and the camp and the stand up comedy and the performance art is dizzyingly exciting. The DIY aesthetic of Fringe theatre shows I find especially attractive. I’ve always liked “work in progress” more than a full polished show- it’s the theatrical risk taking that is thrilling. One reason I deliberately mixed up so many different theatrical styles in HIYA DOLLY! – like placing real cell biology alongside comic parody songs – was to take a bunch of theatrical risks and to hopefully make something that no one has really seen before.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2019 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

A big thing I learned from the pandemic is that science literacy in the general public is so bad that a virus that was stoppable by two months of mask wearing instead went on for years and killed many millions totally needlessly. Why won’t people learn a little science? Especially politicians? Are they afraid of it? Are they afraid that it steals away some of their personal agency? I teach science and am haunted by this question. Another reason I wrote HIYA DOLLY! was to do an experiment – to ask: would people enjoy learning about the process of nucleus transfer if you made it into a musical with a talking sheep? If we don’t get a higher percentage of the human population to at least “like” science and try to follow its findings, then our planet is truly in it’s third act – and it’s not going to have a happy ending.

Tell us about your show.

HIYA DOLLY! is a next play in a series of plays that ask the question: how much science can you cram into a play and still have it be a play – an entertaining, dramatic, comedic, engaging story with real characters who solve real, but scientific problems? The state of Louisiana has provided much of the funding for the play’s production in Edinburgh – not the most obvious guess one might make about who would back a play about Dolly the Sheep, but it underlines the universality of the goal of bridging art and science. That’s a goal that spans across countries and cultures and art forms and languages – in this instance spanning from the swamps of Louisiana to the moors of Scotland with the goal of telling the scientific and human story of the making of Dolly the Sheep.

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

Hiya Dolly! is being produced by Andy Jordan. He is also presenting Leaving Vietnam in the same venue- a gripping solo play by the award-winning actor-playwright Richard Vergette. It links the disillusion and frustration of veterans with Trump’s rise to become US president. Andy says Richard is an excellent storyteller and master of surprise revelations.

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