“I learnt that you can get mould out of grouting using just paper towels and bleach, but sadly I’ve not found a potential use for that knowledge at the Edinburgh Fringe festival yet.”
WHO: Louise Atkinson
WHAT: “You can’t complete a night out with your friends unless someone has cried over their ex, you’ve made a new best friend in the toilets that you’ll never see again, and you’ve done three laps of the bar looking for Lisa. Seriously though, where is she? Our friends are our chosen family. From the happiest times to breaking up with friends, grab a pint (of wine) and Louise will recount some of her funniest memories. Hopefully we find Lisa.”
WHERE: Gilded Balloon Teviot – Wee Room (Venue 14)
WHEN: 15:20 (60 min)
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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
No, I’ve been a few times now. I wouldn’t say I’m a veteran but I know my way through the trenches to the mess house. It’s weird, as you almost have some sort of Edinburgh fringe muscle memory; once you get there every bit of knowledge of each secret passage to avoid the most tourists comes flooding back to you.
I’ve been as a punter and a performer and I think the best way to describe the difference is one is a marathon and one is a sprint. So going as a punter you’ll be there for a short while, like a sprint, so you can fuel up on rubbish and rely on adrenalin to just carry you through, whereas performing for the whole thing is much more like a marathon in that you’ll be wanting to be careful to not use all your energy at the start, you are going to hit a wall that you’ll need to push through and if someone could just be handing me snacks at certain stages, it’s very much appreciated.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
I learnt that you can get mould out of grouting using just paper towels and bleach, but sadly I’ve not found a potential use for that knowledge at the Edinburgh Fringe festival yet.
I think the main thing I’ve learnt from doing previous fringes is that you really need to strike a balance of work vs play. Some years I’ve just gone out on the piss too much and it’s made doing the job harder, some years I only concentrated on the job side of it and forgot I needed to have fun to let off steam, so this year I’m hoping I should be able to get things just right – a skill I learnt from a blonde woman and three bears I came across once.
Tell us about your show.
It’s a stand up comedy show all about friendships; the types of friends we have, that we should regard friendships in the same way we regard other relationships, why none of us talk about friendship break ups, there is also a bit about fried chicken – I feel I’ve covered all bases.
In terms of who wrote it, produced it and made the tea during it: It’s me, hi, I’m all the above, it’s me. I would also sadly never describe myself as having ‘come together’, think my 2 brain cells crash into each other occasionally, but other than that I’m very much the stereotype of a comedian being all over the place.
I’ve done some previews of the show at other arts festivals and my hope is to take it on a little tour after the fringe, but I haven’t quite figured out all the logistics yet. My main focus come September is very much sitting in my Star Wars pyjamas, eating cheese and not having to perform for at least a week, so, after I’ve enjoyed that, future Louise can crack on with some admin for future performances of the show. I like future me, she’s so much better then past me who continues to just plonk stuff to do on me all the time.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
I honestly could write so many recommendations here as so many great acts are going up but I’ll try and give some highlights
Josh Baulf – It’s impossible for him to not be funny. Honestly, he could stand on stage and adjust his hair for an hour and still be hilarious. Fortunately, I know he works really hard to make sure every joke he delivers is the funniest it can be. You’re in for a real treat with Josh’s show.
Kathryn Mather – Kathryn has some of the best timing and delivery I’ve seen. She has this exceptional deadpan persona and uses it to just deliver belter after belter of a joke. She’s absolutely great.
Fiona Ridgewell – I refuse to believe you could watch this woman perform and not laugh and enjoy yourself. She’s so lovely and hilarious and has managed to put together the most delightfully fun and silly show.
Kuan wen Huang – Kuan just has to smile and I already feel like I’m enjoying myself, he’s just so naturally affable. Nevertheless, he can write and craft some absolutely superb jokes that are clever and delightfully silly at the same time.
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