“After our run, the theatre went into liquidation, and we lost £6.5k… So I suppose the big thing I learned over the past 12 months is that even if you do a really successful show at Edinburgh and get a transfer, you can still lose thousands and thousands of pounds.”
WHO: Dan Bishop
WHAT: “A TV production company gets word from Whitehall that they must adapt their programming to align with the government’s new policy to rapidly prepare the country for war. Panicked, the producers offer writer Tobias an exorbitant amount of money to pen a ‘pro-weapons sitcom’, forcing him to choose between his morals and his mortgage. Comedy play from Dan Bishop, writer of smash hit Brainsluts. Previous praise: ‘Bishop writes so well’ **** (Guardian). ‘Laughs come fast and furious’ **** (Stage). ‘Bishop’s witty play could easily be the pilot for a sitcom’ **** (Times).”
WHERE: Above at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33)
WHEN: 16:50 (70 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
I’ve actually been to quite a few Edinburgh Fringes and this is my second year on the trot. Last year, I brought up my comedy play Brainsluts and as soon as I got home I knew I had to go back. The adrenaline is so addictive. Last year I was performing in the show too, but this year I’m quite glad to be more behind the scenes.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2025 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
Well, last year we were successful enough at Edinburgh that we managed to secure a London transfer! However, after our run, the theatre went into liquidation, and we lost £6.5k… So I suppose the big thing I learned over the past 12 months is that even if you do a really successful show at Edinburgh and get a transfer, you can still lose thousands and thousands of pounds. But something that awful can’t happen two years in a row… can it?
Tell us about your show.
So, Target Audience is a new comedy play about a TV production company which is owned by a tech company with links to a weapons manufacturer. The producers are then tasked with developing a ‘pro-weapons sitcom’ in an attempt to sanitise the image of the defence sector.
The show was inspired by the current domination of big tech companies who seem to have infiltrated all aspects of our lives, particularly our media landscapes and the military industrial complex. Take Amazon for example, they are simultaneously a huge movie studio whilst also owning a platform that hosts AI software used in drone warfare. I find all of this confusing and weird, so I thought I’d try to make it funny.
The cast is composed of four actors who I just find really, really funny. One of them, Molly Windust, is actually my comedy partner – we do a sketch act together called Mudfish. Our venue, Pleasance, are helping produce the show and we really couldn’t have done it without them. Edinburgh will be the show’s debut, but after Fringe, we’re hoping to tour it around the UK and possibly the world.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
SEE EVERYTHING! This is a chance to experience many of the plethora of shows of the Fringe in a more accessible and affordable online format. Our wonderful friends The Wardrobe Ensemble are presenting The Great Gatsby which has taken on a digital life after live shows were cancelled in January, and which Tamsin from Popelei happens to also star in. Patricia Gets Ready (for a date with a man that used to hit her) also looks incredible. We were lucky enough to see the brilliant Gobby live and we will certainly be re-watching on the sofa with a bag of popcorn.
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