“I’m loving this new approach of putting up the beacon for queer and autistic people to come and see the show because it’s proven extremely effective.”
WHO: Cerys Bradley
WHAT: “You find a mysterious door that you have never seen before. Do you open it? If yes – buy a ticket to see this show. If not – why not? Join Cerys Bradley (Actually Autistic Excellence Award 2022, as seen on Comedy Central, UKTV, BBC One Wales) for their wonderful, expansive, interactive choose-your-own-story comedy show. ‘AUTISM!’ ***** (NeurodiverseReview.co.uk). ‘A great storyteller’ (Guardian).”
WHERE: Daisy at Underbelly, Bristo Square (Venue 302)
WHEN: 14:45 (60 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
This is my ninth Edinburgh Fringe.
I first went when I was 17. When people in my school were planning their summer trips down to Newquay or post exams parties in Ibiza etc, I made all of my friends get an overnight bus from South Gloucestershire and marched them back and forth across the city so we could make 10ish shows a day. We were broke kids so we saw as much of PBH’s free fringe as we could and underage so we had blag our way into a fair few venues.
I first came to Edinburgh as a performer in 2017 on an improv science comedy show and then did my first solo show in 2022.
My favourite fringe was last year’s. I was doing a work in progress and only performed 8 shows so it was much chiller than usual and I could focus on experimenting. I also had a lot more time to see things and get excited by other people’s work.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
Last year I marketed the show slightly differently to my previous shows. It was a work in progress version of the show I am performing this year, Queer Tales for Autistic Folk, and we decided just to use the title to describe the audience we wanted.
I know that seems very obvious but I felt really strongly that my previous shows, Sportsperson and Not Overthinking Things 2019, should have their names because I really liked their names. I also really like selling tickets and performing to full rooms though so I’m loving this new approach of putting up the beacon for queer and autistic people to come and see the show because it’s proven extremely effective.
Tell us about your show.
Queer Tales for Autistic Folk is a semi-improvised, interactive, choose your own story-telling show. It has been written by myself and all of its previous audiences. In each performance, we collectively tell a story together which makes each show unique.
The creation of the show has been very collaborative also. It’s produced by Ingenious Fools who have worked with and supported me for many years now. I’ve also had input, advice, direction, and all manner of other help from lots of incredible artists including Amy Greaves, Edy Hurst, Beth Watson, Steffan Alun, Adam Larter, and Mikey Bligh-Smith.
The show was first performed at Machynlleth Comedy Festival in May of 2024 and has been performed all over the UK since including, most recently, in Brighton where it was nominated for a neurodiverse performance award. It’s changed significantly since its very first outing so, if you’ve seen it before, you can definitely come and see it again and see a whole new show.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
Ok. I am going to try and limit myself in my recommendations here because there’s so much incredible stuff at the fringe but I really think that you should go and see:
Su Mi (it’s her debut hour and I guarantee you will have never experienced anything like her show)
Edy Hurst (who is wonderful and has a really fun show about ADHD, the Venga Boys, and witches)
Leila Navabi (their debut show from two years ago remains one of my all time favourite shows and I am so excited she is back with new work)
Lorna Rose Treen (has an incredible concept for a show)
Pat Cahill (what a mind, what a performer)
Katie Mitchell (she has an amazing story to tell and is telling it in such a cool and inventive way)
And then, because it’s fringe, you should go and see some work in progresses and not quite finished work as well (Mikey Bligh-Smith is doing a WIP for example).
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