Interviews

Al Samuels: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

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Thrones! © George Eckart
Who? Al Samuels
What? Baby Wants Candy/Thrones!
Where? Assembly George Square Studios/Assembly George Square – Gordon Aikman Theatre (Venue 17/8)
When? 20:00/22:30

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

Nervexcithuasted. That’s a portmanteau of nervous, excited and exhausted.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

We have two:

  1. Thrones! a musical parody of Game of Thrones. This will be our fifth time at Fringe with Thrones, and we update the show each series, including the 8th and final (and controversial) season. We just finished a month long run at the Sydney Opera House and the audiences there seemed to really enjoy it and the ways in which we beat up the last season.
  2. Baby Wants Candy, a completely improvised musical with a full band (that’s mostly Scottish!). This will be our 14th Fringe, and I just love performing this show. We take a bunch of titles from the audience of a musical that’s never been written and performed. The audience votes on what they want to see that night, and we make it up in front of their eyes. Some of my favourite titles in recent years from Fringe have been Kanye West Side Story, Mary Poppins has Ebola and of course, I F*cked Your Mom. Fringe audiences are pretty high brow. What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

Money. It costs a lot to bring shows from overseas to Fringe.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

Hmmm. I think I just like it more and more every year. One of my favourite things to do ever.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Catherine Cohen and Zach Zimmerman. Both hilarious and wonderful.

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

Getting ready for Edinburgh Fringe 2020 and hopefully toasting that Trump got arrested before the election.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR ‘THRONES!‘ HERE AND ‘BABY WANTS CANDY’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Alex Kealy: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

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Ed Moore
Who? Alex Kealy
What? Rationale
Where? Just the Tonic at The Caves – Just Up the Road (Venue 88)
When? 18:40

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

Good! It’s late July and I’ve had the utter terror do-I-have-a-show-fuck-shit-fuck-if-I-were-a-full-time-teacher-I’d-be-on-holiday-now of early July but I now in fact do have a Good Show.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

We’re not rational – we come to most of our decisions because of emotion, instinct, family ties, group identification and our bodies. We then use rationales after the fact to intellectually justify our positions, but that’s not how we got there.

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

Making the show flow and the argument weave through relatable examples that keep the gag rate up.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

Not really? I’ve been very excited to go up each of the past four years I’ve done solo shows and all of them have been basically fun to do. I think this is my best one and I’d love for lots of people to see it TB quite H.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Olga Koch, Sarah Kendall, Ivo Graham, Stuart Laws, Alfie Brown, Ian Smith, Heidi Regan, Ahir Shah, Josie Long, Bryony Kimmings’ “I’m A Phoenix, Bitch”, Portobello beach.

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

Doing lots of comedy and increasingly making a living solely from that.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR ALEX KEALY: ‘RATIONALE’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

James Bran: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

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© Yan Logeswaran
Who? James Bran
What? Hack
Where? Just the Tonic at The Caves – Just Out of the Box (Venue 88)
When? 18:00

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

I have taken a few years off from the Edinburgh Fringe so I’m amped up and raring to get stuck back in. If my memory serves me correctly that feeling will last about six days after which I will be continuously exhausted, hung over and damp. 

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

The premise of the show is this – in comedy taking shortcuts, or the path of least resistance is considered being a hack. This is bad. In computing – taking that same shortest path is considered preferable. As the tech industry sets about dominating the world this short-cut culture is affecting all of our lives. 

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

The topic of big tech fears is slowly moving into mainstream news, but back when I started writing the show lots of the info existed in academic books and sources which are a bloody nightmare to read. That’s sort of the point, to relay in an amusing way the fears I (and I would argue we all should) have about the rise of Silicon Valley. 

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

When I was younger it was just an exciting place to be – swimming in an ocean of creative and talented people pushing the boundaries of the arts. It is still all of those things, but eight years on I now make money doing stand-up around the country, and so I do feel more pressure to put on a really good show.  

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

John Kearns and Pat Cahill are doing a show that will obviously be amazing and chaotic in equal measure. Jake Baker is my unsung hero of comedy and he is performing a short run at the end of the festival. Go see ’em. Oh and if you like physical comedy for the whole family, the Kagools have a new show I’m excited to see. 

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

In the little room on the top floor of the Soho Theatre doing this show. 

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR JAMES BRAN: ‘HACK’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Tami Stone: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

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© Chloe Jones Photography
Who? Tami Stone
What? My Funny Bits
Where? theSpace @ Surgeons Hall – Theatre 3 (Venue 53)
When? 20:15

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

Mainly excitement…with just a tiny bit of pooing my pants. I can’t wait to start performing the show to an audience now. Me and my writer, Andrew Ludlam, were so pleased with how the preview went, there were plenty of lols from the audience which is all we wanted (and I was also just happy that I made all my quick changes and remembered my lines!). We’re also really looking forward to meeting people and seeing some of the other shows at the fringe, although our list is about ten meters long at the moment but we’re going to do our best to see as many as humanly possible.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh Show this year?

It’s a pick ‘n’ mix of quirky oddball characters performed by one woman and her bits. It’s our debut show and some of the characters include a gangster x factor reject with more attitude than talent and a serial dater called Dawn who likes to put pictures of her dates online for her friends to vote on. We hope our show will provide plenty of variety to appeal to all ages and to bring female character comedy firmly back on the map…although written by a man.

What is the biggest obstacle you faced while putting this show together?

We’ve had a pretty smooth ride really. No humungous obstacles! Luckily me and Andrew are too laid back to have any disagreements and most of the time we’re on the same page anyway which makes for a very easy life which we like. The only thing I can think of is that we did find that our show was too long near the start so we had to cut a sketch. So then we had to decide what sketch to cut which was quite hard saying goodbye to one of the characters but really pleased with the ones we’ve got left.

Has your attitude towards the fringe changed at all in recent years?

Definitely, I attended the Fringe for the first time last year and was blown away by the atmosphere up there. It’s unbelievable how many shows there are and I just loved how much variety there was. Also I’ve seen the other side of things this year, actually putting on a show myself with Andrew has really opened my eyes to how much work goes into it. As well as all the actual writing and performing side of putting on a show you’ve got all the behind the scenes things like venue, costume, props etc. and then there’s all the promoting and media side which I’ve never experienced before. You need endless amount of time and money (the bank balance is rather sore!) but I have to say the support has been amazing both from the fringe, my venue as well as other performers. It’s been such a great experience already.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Yes I have to recommend 2Elfth Night as they have been so so supportive of our show and it looks like an absolute corker of a show. Also I’ve seen Purple Doors Production The Art of Skipping perform some of their songs and they were just beautiful and I can’t wait to see more. Finally Showstoppers I saw it twice last year and was just blown away by them, so impressive how they improvise a whole new show every night. Mind blown!

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

The dream is to either be in a TV sitcom or to be touring My Funny Bits anywhere that wants me. Anything to be honest though I’m not fussy I just love performing comedy, you can’t beat the feeling you get when you make people laugh.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR TAMI STONE: ‘MY FUNNY BITS’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Bad Aunts: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

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Who/What? Bad Aunts 
Where? Gilded Balloon at Old Tolbooth Market – Bottom (Venue 98)
When? 18:30

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

Anticipation, elation, trepidation – excitement!

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

Bad Aunts is a sitcom chat show starring three women over 50. It’s got audience participation and even a surprise stand-up comedian every night! It’s the perfect mixture of going out and staying in.

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

As with building any show on the Fringe, the difficulty is generally the limited hands you have to mount the production. The rehearsal room itself has been very collaborative, which has helped the project overall!

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

The Fringe has continued to grow and Edinburgh is always heaving during the festival. It’s thrilling because there’s so much art being made which people can access, but there are difficulties which come with the city being so saturated – the main one being expense! To be part of such a large festival is such a privilege and we hope that the affordable price of our show and the Pay What You Want model will attract a wide range of audiences.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Isa Bonachera, Archie Henderson, Harriet Braine and Tami Stone! We’re really excited to see Black Is The Colour of My Voice, too. And, of course, the Fringe wouldn’t be the Fringe without those chance encounters with gems of shows which you wouldn’t have known about.

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

We would like Bad Aunts to tour. We sold out our Brighton and London productions, so we’re looking forward to getting the show in front of a Fringe audience. We hope the show will have a future life!

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR ‘BAD AUNTS’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Simon Caine: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

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© Bella Noell
Who? Simon Caine
What? Every Room Becomes A Panic Room When You Overthink Enough
Where? Sweet Grassmarket – Grassmarket 4 (Venue 18)
When? 20:35

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

Excited but nervous. As always. I’ve got the funniest show I’ve ever had, but I had an idea about a month ago to expand it into an immersive, interactive comedy play which I hope to bring up in 2020. So I’ll be playing around with the format and trying things out daily. Which is exciting as an idea, but worrying as industry might be in.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

It’s about overthinking, anxiety and sex. To a lesser/greater extent, I find the one time I don’t overthink everything. So I’ve written a show that shows how we all (most) of us think too much about life in general. Even the emotionally stable who have come have enjoyed it… except for six therapists who came on a work outing on the first preview months ago. Two of them gave me a card after. I guess if you’re going to scout for work, a show like mine is the best place to start.

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

I overshare a fair amount and I don’t notice it anymore. So it’s coming up with ways that will allow me to describe true things without being too graphic. Also I thought the show was about social media for the first six months of writing. But then my director (John Gordillo) got on board and he showed me that the through-line is actually about sex. Although given how quickly I check my phone after I’ve cum it might as well be about both. It has really helped (and been frustrating) to have an outside eye on the production.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

Year 1 (2013) – I did a Free Fringe show and the bucket was for Cancer Research in memory of my granddad. It helped me learn to budget as I knew I wasn’t getting 1p of the money so this one was just fun.

Year 2 (2015) – Debut hour. This I took more seriously but still had a lot of fun with. I was lucky at all turns in hindsight from the people I stayed with to the venue deal to the location. Everything.

Year 3 (2017) – second show. I loved this show but it was just a bunch of jokes. It meant reviewers didn’t like it and industry didn’t come and audiences were mixed. I loved how I could just do them in any order and play around. Turns out… audiences don’t always like that (unless you make it a thing).

Year 4 (2018) – I took this one so much more seriously. I adored the show. It had so much structure and ideas and was something I thought could tour. So invited tons of industry and got a bunch of bookings. This really helped my confidence and I loved the venues I played.

Year 5 (2019) – I’m more relaxed. I’ve done this enough times I get how the rollercoaster goes. But I’m not resting by any means. I want to sell more tickets and get more fans. That’s been my main aim in the last few years. Fans. An audience. To be a sustainable writer/producer.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Bec Hill is amazing and always a ray of joy. Stuart Goldsmith I think is doing something interesting with his WIP show. Joz Norris has created an alter ego that’s exciting. Adele Cliff is always consistently hilarious and well-paced if you love one liners.

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

Back in Edinburgh. Doing this show, but as a 90-minute comedy play.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR SIMON CAINE: ‘EVERY ROOM BECOMES A PANIC ROOM WHEN YOU OVERTHINK ENOUGH’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Amy Howerska: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

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© Alex Lockett
Who? Amy Howerska
What? Serious Face
Where? Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters – The Gothic Room (Venue 272)
When? 19:30

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

Constipated… The usual.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

Me getting serious, because comedy is innit, so you know, I’m wanging on about marriage, American society, Dysfunctional families and 90’s pop sensation Shakespears Sister, (yeah it all links chill your beans)… P.S who have just reformed and still look peng!

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

It was putting the show together… have you ever tried to write stand up? It’s a bloody nightmare. Also I was writing about some serious stuff in the show which makes me arsehole tighten… not helping with the constipation… I promise to stop talking about poo.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

It definitely gets easier the more you do it, every year I enjoy it a little more and drink a little less… maybe there’s a correlation there.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

I mean, there are so many wonderful shows to see, Can’t wait to see Lou sanders, Fern Brady, Jessica Fostekew, Jayde Adams, Tony Law, Luke McQueen, Jen Brister, Alfie Brown, Alison Thea Skot… Just so many brilliant acts.

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

Still working in comedy, getting more writing gigs and some telly would be ace!… oh and world domination… if possible.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR AMY HOWERSKA: ‘SERIOUS FACE’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Tom Mayhew: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

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© Victor Preda
Who? Tom Mayhew
What? I, Tom Mayhew
Where? Just the Tonic at The Mash House – Just the Bottle Room (Venue 288)
When? 19:30

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

I feel very excited. I am really proud of my show, and it feels like the most important thing I have ever done. This does mean that I have put a lot of pressure on myself, so I am also very nervous about ticket sales, reviewers coming, whether I make enough money to pay off the venue, and all of these things – but that’s part of the Edinburgh experience.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

My show is about leaving school in 2010, and finding myself unemployed for three years. It’s about signing-on, living off benefits, and the unnecessary stigma attached to those who need a little extra help to survive. It is also about growing up working-class, and how that has affected my outlook on life. This all makes it sound quite heavy, but don’t worry, there are hundreds of jokes in there! If you live for years with nothing, you have to see the funny side in things, or there isn’t much left.

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

I guess, appropriately, money. It’s flipping expensive bringing a show up to Edinburgh, and my parents cannot afford to help me out financially, so I have had to ask my girlfriend to help me out a fair few times when payment deadlines were closing in. Hopefully the month goes really well, so I can organise something nice for her after the Fringe as a thank you.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

Not really; it’s still the most expensive thing I do every year, the biggest financial risk, and it’s the most stressful and difficult experience at times. But it is also the most fun, the most rewarding, and my favourite month of the year. It’s absurd, really.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Sian Davies is doing three shows, because she’s a bloody legend. In particular, I have to recommend Best In Class, a working-class comedy showcase that I did last year. James Meehan is also a must-see for me, he’s a very talented comedian who is highly under-rated in my opinion. Finally, if you’re looking to see some debut shows, then Yuriko Kotani, Kai Samra and Aaron Simmonds will all be excellent. I will be annoyed if at least one of them isn’t nominated for best newcomer, if not all three.

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

Preparing for another Edinburgh show with a bigger profile, to be honest. It sounds simple, but stand-up is all I have wanted to do since I was twelve, and so all I want to do it keep moving forward. Fingers crossed, eh?

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR TOM MAYHEW: ‘I, TOM MAYHEW’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Gary Tro: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

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© Alexis Dubus
Who? Gary Tro
What? The Greatest Superhero Movie Never Made
Where? Gilded Balloon at Old Tolbooth Market (Venue 98)
When? 15:30

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

Preemptive nostalgia. I’m already mentally constructing a montage of all the bloody great times I’m going to have; packed rooms full of awesome audiences; laughing with good friends around a bottle of good wine as we talk about good things that are good; skiing down Arthur’s Seat with the person I love, who I’ll probably meet on the first day; campfires on the Meadows as Gregg plays the Ryan Adams version of Wonderwall on the piano; making all the money I’ll ever need to make via a bucket. Such good times ahead. Never at any point during the Fringe will anything happen that’s not one of these things. Never.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

It’s called The Greatest Superhero Movie Never Made! It’s a show about the greatest superhero movie never made in which I read out a screen play I’ve written of the greatest superhero movie never made called The Greatest Superhero Movie Never Made.

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

Coming up with the name of the show took ages. Also, initially, I wanted the show to be solely me reading a screenplay to the audience but it took me far too many previews to realise that a guy reading from a sheet of paper for an hour is just awful. I apologise to anyone who attended those previews! But you all fell on your swords so that I could create what is now a bloody masterpiece.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

Yes. My complete lack of expectation means that I enjoy it far more now. Twelve people in the audience? No problem. It’s a Monday. I will give those twelve people the best God damn show of their lives and they’ll cheer for more as loudly as the 13 people who were in on Saturday!

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

I’m genuinely interested to watch Brendan Murphy’s show F.R.I.E.N.D – it’s about the TV show F.R.I.E.N.D.S but from the perspective of Gunther.

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

Still doing this because I bloody love it.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR GARY TRO: ‘THE GREATEST SUPERHERO MOVIE NEVER MADE’ HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019

Sam Russell: The Edinburgh Interviews 2019

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© Claire Ford
Who? Sam Russell
What? Privileged To Be Here
Where? Just the Tonic at The Mash House – Just the Cask Room (Venue 288)
When? 19:45

What are your feelings as you enter into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe season?

This is a year full of different emotions to me. Last year I brought up my first show, though it has an overarching event holding it together it was essentially all of the material I’d done in clubs for the last four years. This time though, the vast majority has all been created and collaborated this year… which is exciting, rewarding and shit your pants scary.

What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?

I plan to have a kid with in the next few years. This show is about examining the world I’m going to be bringing them into (social media, dogmatic politics, knife crime), what their place in it may be (if they’re a boy or girl, straight or gay, conservative or liberal) and given all that how to teach them right and wrong.

What is the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?

I started putting this show together in December of last year and up until late April it was going to be one of those ‘challenging, edge-lordy, saying something controversial shows’ and in previews it was going ok… but I came of stage feeling a little angry and cynical… and that’s not me. So I decided to keep the subjects of the show that I found interesting but approach them with a new positive attitude. That has been a real challenge to do in two months.

Has your attitude towards the Fringe changed at all in recent years?

From this year to last year… Big Time. Last year I had no idea what to expect and I had a really good run. Nice audiences, good reviews and I made some money. But the Fringe is a fickle beast, this year could be a lot harder, I don’t know if everything that fell into place last time will happen again. The difference is, I now know how good it can be. But I will stick with the philosophy that kept me sane in 2018 ‘Low expectations, Positive attitude’.

Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?

Nico Yearwood, Hate n’ Live, Konstantin Kisin.

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

In the EU.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR: ” HERE

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2019