“Every performer who steps on stage is doing something deeply generous; it’s a real act of love.”
WHO: Nadia P. Manzoor
WHAT: “A British Pakistani mother would like to tell you the story of her abusive relationship with an American man (yawn). And how her family psychologically set her up for it (double yawn). Featuring Ramadan, Jessica Alba, and a 5-foot-long female ball python, writer-performer Nadia Manzoor takes on multiple characters, the four elements of hip-hop and a tidy victim narrative that refuses to behave. Also: an alarming number of jerk offs. Jerk Off! is a ferociously funny show about grief, lust, and what happens when the story you’ve been telling yourself starts breaking apart in front of an audience.”
WHERE: Dairy Room at Underbelly, Bristo Square (Venue 302)
WHEN: 11:35 (75 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
Yes — my very first time, and I’m thrilled, bringing my whole family with two young kids in tow. I’d honestly never considered Edinburgh before because I didn’t really understand it until quite recently. But the idea of that much creative talent packed into one small place—how can it not be magical, just energetically? I’m excited to see and be inspired by so many shows, and to be in that space of pure artistry. Every performer who steps on stage is doing something deeply generous; it’s a real act of love. I can’t wait to give that generosity and receive it from others.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2025 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
Two big ones. First: in any professional relationship—even one full of friendship and love—structure first. Sort out the nitty-gritty, the hard conversations, ownership, fees, and what happens if it all collapses, as early as possible. As a producer, if you’re paying for it, you hold the bottom line, and if someone can’t make that work, they’re not the right person for the job. Second, and bigger for me: I’ve spent a lot of my life putting collaborators on a pedestal, and I’ve learned that when you do that, you diminish your own artistry. So now when an incredible collaborator comes onto my project, I understand it’s because the project is incredible — because what I’m doing is worth their time. For someone who’s wrestled with self-worth most of her life, that’s been a real shift. And yes, I’m absorbing it — slowly, in real time.
Tell us about your show.
Jerk Off! is a solo show — I wrote it, I produce it, I perform it, and I play all the characters, with dance woven through it (hip-hop, specifically). It’s about the time in my twenties when my mother died of cancer at 42, and how that loss made my whole family disintegrate. I ended up in Boston, where I met a hip-hop dancer from the Bronx who pulled me into the underground world of street battling — who taught me to unleash my anger and inhabit my sexuality in ways I never had, and with whom I fell into a relationship that turned violent and toxic. For the first time, I’m telling this story not from a victim’s perspective, but from one where I reckon with the violence I inherited and how I have to take responsibility for, as a mother of two choosing to raise her children differently. It hasn’t premiered before Edinburgh, though we’re doing a preview at EdFest, a Brooklyn festival supporting New Yorkers heading to the Fringe. After Edinburgh, I’d love to take it to a beautiful theatre in London, tour the UK, and bring it home for a proper run in the right New York theatre.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
Other solo shows tackling big, important subjects in a bold, fun, exciting way. Top of my list is Lizzy Sunshine by Liz Coin (Gilded Balloon Patter House) — a chaotic, five-star clown show about loving someone through addiction that’s hilarious and quietly devastating. Liz is a fellow Brooklynite who came up through the same improv world I did, and I can’t wait to cheer her on. And honestly: any and all clown shows. I’m endlessly fascinated by the art of clowning right now, so go find the clowns, give them your love, and let them break your heart a little.
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