“I’d say the main difference in coming as a stage manager vs as a performer is that as a stage manager I get my accommodation paid for!”
WHO: Bryony Byrne
WHAT: “Sparked by a conversation with a childhood friend that unearthed a long-forgotten obsession with football, Bryony wondered why all the girls she knew stopped playing football in their teens. It’s 1998: Geri Halliwell is leaving the Spice Girls, David Beckham is wearing a sarong, and somewhere in England a 10-year-old Bryony is pretending to be Eric Cantona. An absurd and tongue-in-cheek ride through British adolescence set against a backdrop of 90s football and pop. Directed by Fringe First winner Ben Target and packed to the brim with playful audience interaction, 90s bangers, clown comedy and drag.”
WHERE: Summerhall – Demonstration Room (Venue 26)
WHEN: 12:10 (60 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
This will be my third time as a performer, although I’ve been before as a stage manager as well. Fringe is so special because you never know who is going to be in your audience. When you do a show elsewhere, you often rely on your own network to bring audience in – but at the Fringe anyone can find you, which is what makes it so brilliant. It’s also just such a great place to meet other artists and feel inspired. I’d say the main difference in coming as a stage manager vs as a performer is that as a stage manager I get my accommodation paid for!
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
This will be my third time as a performer, although I’ve been before as a stage manager as well. Fringe is so special because you never know who is going to be in your audience. When you do a show elsewhere, you often rely on your own network to bring audience in – but at the Fringe anyone can find you, which is what makes it so brilliant. It’s also just such a great place to meet other artists and feel inspired. I’d say the main difference in coming as a stage manager vs as a performer is that as a stage manager I get my accommodation paid for!
Tell us about your show.
The show is based on my own experiences growing up playing football and then being prevented from playing it at secondary school. It’s a tongue-in-cheek ride through a 90s adolescence. It’s very funny and uses a lot of (nice) audience interaction to make us all feel like we’re playing together. I wrote it and I’m self-producing it. It was directed by Ben Target, who I met on a Lab at Soho Theatre. We got Arts Council funding to make the early version of the show, which went to the Fringe in 2022 and also went on a small tour around the US and the UK. It’s since been tweaked and changed and it returns in a slightly new form! I’d love to translate the show, particularly into French and tour it in France and I’m working on a television adaptation as we speak.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
There are SO many great artists to see at Edinburgh this year. Polish clown Piotr Sikora has an amazing show called Furiozo – do not miss it. Lewys Holt is bringing their absurdist standup to the Free Fringe and they’re so charming you’ll be laughing all day. I’m hyped to see Show Pony, about a trio of female circus artists and what happens after 40; I can’t wait to see Katie Greenall’s new show – Katie is an incredible performer. I want to see Revenge: After the Levoyah and Nation and in dance go and see The Passion of Andrea 2 which is like nothing you’ve seen before.
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