How do you keep your performances fresh every night?

It’s all about chemistry. And my chemist does an excellent job.

What do you/your show do to make an audience’s heart beat faster?

I pick up an accordion, I almost play it, I put it down again… and I repeat. The alarm is palpable. And theSpace has paramedics standing by.

What brings a nice show like yours to a place like the Edinburgh Fringe?

Fighting for scraps of attention is my love language. And securing lodging in Edinburgh is a pleasure.

About the show

AL! The Weird Tribute (And How Daniel Radcliffe Got Mixed Up In This Nonsense)

Date(s): Aug 2-10, 12-24

Time(s): 21:05 (50 minutes)

Location: theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall – Stephenson Theatre

What coffee would you/your show be, and why?

A whole pot of American drip coffee. There’s too much of it and it will immediately send you to the bathroom.

How will the audience remember you the morning after?

Hopefully like Lincoln, gone too soon.

What brings a nice show like yours to a place like the Edinburgh Fringe?

Cause theatres in America are a dangerous place for Abraham Lincoln to be.

About the show

Ellie MacPherson: Babe Lincoln

Date(s): Jul 31 Aug 1-6, 8-11, 13-18, 20-25

Time(s): 16:35 (1 hour)

Location: Pleasance Courtyard – Attic

How will the audience remember you the morning after?

I am like that girl you become best friends with in the toilets on a night out. We WILL be mates by the end of the show. If you need to borrow a tampon or cry to me about your partner just say the word (not during the show please).

What misconceptions do you think people have about you/your show – would you like to clear them up?

My show isn’t about Jeans and a nice top, sorry to disappoint the fashion community. It’s about growing up in the 90/00s and the daft stuff we got up to as kids. I would like to tell you that me being obsessed with the 90s was a misconception but it isn’t…. I am doing a whole Edinburgh show about it, but maybe, just maybe if you come to the show you will find out why I am obsessed with the past!

What coffee would you/your show be, and why?

My show would be an espresso martini. You will feel pumped, happy, and ready for a great evening by the end of it.

About the show

Jeans and a nice top

Date(s): Jul 31 Aug 1-11, 13-25

Time(s): 20:30 (1 hour)

Location: Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker Three

What misconceptions do you think people have about you/your show – would you like to clear them up?

I’m guessing people think PALS is a chick-flick. These gals are not cute and fluffy in any way, they’re extremely flawed and crude but entirely human. They’re all just trying to navigate their lives and avoid being average. There’s also no romance or jealousy at all! We explore the boundaries of female friendship and raise awareness of some bigger issues but not in a preachy way, we’re just saying “this is what young women sometimes deal with”.

What brings a nice show like yours to a place like the Edinburgh Fringe?

As a Scottish creative who’s lived in Edinburgh for 5 years, there’s nowhere else I would rather premier my play. I’ve grown up going to the Fringe and it’s always been this wee gal’s dream to put something on there – and now it’s finally happening! I think the show will appeal to tourists and locals alike – we’ve got loads of chaos, Scottish banter and a sprinkling of Gaelic – what’s not to love?

If you/your show were a school subject what would you/it be and why?

It’s not a subject as such, but PALS is definitely the play version of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. These 4 girls are taken out of their comfort zones and plonked on an outdoor expedition where they’re exposed emotionally and physically to the elements and each other. It’s an unforgettable experience, in all the best and worst ways, and everyone comes back a little changed, probably vowing to never do it again.

About the show

PALS

Date(s): Jul 31 Aug 1-12, 14-19, 21-26

Time(s): 17:00 (1 hour)

Location: Gilded Balloon Patter House – Dram

How do you keep your performances fresh every night?

The way I look at “American Two in One Comics” is that the show is a blank slate. Myself and Chris Warren will each do 30 minutes of stand up comedy each night, and I’m going to use my time to talk about whatever I want. If I want to do a series of jokes, I will. If I want to do storytelling that night, I will tell stories. If I want to spend my time polling the audience to find out what flavor IRN-BRU is really, I will do that!

What coffee would you/your show be, and why?

“American Two in One Comics” is an American stand up show, so you figure that we would be an “Americano. But, we don’t actually drink a lot of “Americanos” in the USA. No, America Runs On Dunkin, so we would be a Dunkin Pumpkin Spice Ice Coffee (a hot coffee that they put in the fridge all day and then squeeze three pumps of “pumpkin flavor” syrup into it). We are a low brow coffee you grab on the way to work that you can’t get enough of.

How will the audience remember you the morning after?

“American Two in One Comics” is a straightforward stand up show. Outside of us being Americans (and, oddly enough, both sons of gay fathers), this is a show without gimmicks. It is pure stand up for two genuine American weirdos. I think audiences will leave the show thinking, “those nerds were funny and maybe guys with gay dads can still be very masculine!”

About the show

American Two in One Comics

Date(s): Aug 1-25

Time(s): 22:00 (1 hour)

Location: Laughing Horse @ West Port Oracle – Flight Club

What brings a nice show like yours to a place like the Edinburgh Fringe?

Edinburgh has an extinct volcano, Arthur’s Seat. I’m hoping my show will generate enough laughter to split open the crust of the earth and bring this volcano back to life.

What misconceptions do you think people have about you/your show – would you like to clear them up?

You don’t have to be a scientist or know anything about volcanoes to enjoy the show! Sure, I’ve been criticized for the part of the performance where I individually call everyone who isn’t a scientist up on stage and make them take an exam while the audience jeers at them and throws tomatoes, but as long as you get a perfect score you get to leave the show with your life and I think that’s only fair.

What do you/your show do to make an audience’s heart beat faster?

At some point in the show, everyone will get a call from their mom.

About the show

Ben Miller: Volcano

Date(s): Aug 1-11, 13-18, 20-25

Time(s): 13:05 (1 hour)

Location: Just the Tonic at The Caves – Just Up the Stairs

What brings a nice show like yours to a place like the Edinburgh Fringe?

Who? Me? Oh stop, I bet you say that to all the comedy shows starring a man with an unkempt moustache… Well, as it happens, I’m doing my new stand-up comedy show ‘Sam Lake: Esméralda’ over at Monkey Barrel Comedy. You should come! It’s about me and my wonderful Spanish mum. Yes, I am the first comedian to have a mum, I’m being very brave.

What do you/your show do to make an audience’s heart beat faster?

Well, my venue refused to let me release live bees.

How do you keep your performances fresh every night?

By struggling to remember what I’ve written? Or of I get distracted by an audience members response. The other night I had a 10 minute chat with a Dutch woman about how The Netherlands did in Eurovision, much to the delight(?) of the crowd.

About the show

Sam Lake: Esméralda

Date(s): Jul 31 Aug 1-11, 13-25

Time(s): 13:30 (1 hour)

Location: Monkey Barrel Comedy – Monkey Barrel 2

What coffee would you/your show be, and why?

A single espresso; its small but packs a powerful punch, is and it takes no prisoners!

What brings a nice show like yours to a place like the Edinburgh Fringe?

It’s mainly the opportunity to tell the story of Sara Wesker to as many people as possible. Although we’ve set our show firmly in London’s East End in the early part of the 20th century it could be anywhere, any time and its appeal is universal. There’s no other audience like the one at the Fringe and there’s a unique vibe. It’s a bit feral whilst also being terribly respectful of its artists, and we love that.

What do you/your show do to make an audience’s heart beat faster?

It’s tempting to say the beautiful singing will get their hearts a-fluttering but that would just not be true! When our Sara rallies her trade union troops, though, we defy anyone not to want to join the march for justice. And we can guarantee that something in the show will resonate with each and every person in the room.

About the show

Chopped Liver and Unions @bluefire_tc

Date(s): Aug 2-10, 12-17, 19-24

Time(s): Times vary. Click ‘Dates, times and prices’ to view the calendar (1 hour 5 minutes)

Location: Paradise in Augustines – The Studio

If you/your show were a school subject what would you/it be and why?

I loved Latin at school. The class was small and the teachers enchanted us and brought to life the stories of Roman history and language. Watching I Claudius on TV made it all the more real. Amo, amas, amat.

What brings a nice show like yours to a place like the Edinburgh Fringe?

It’s the largest arts festival in the world, where else would I want to bring my show Chatterbox too if not to talk to the world.

How do you keep your performances fresh every night?

I flyer for my own show and I get a feel for who might be at the show especially if they have come because of me. I want them to have the best hour possible and for the audience to leave being entertained, educated and with a glow on their face.

About the show

Chatterbox

Date(s): Jul 31 Aug 1-12, 14-19, 21-25

Time(s): 16:55 (1 hour)

Location: Pleasance Courtyard – The Green

How do you keep your performances fresh every night?

My show ends with me covered in blood, so I have to do lots of washing, which means wearing wet clothes. The cold damp against my skin whilst performing is exhilarating, and is what ensures I remain one of the greatest performers to ever grace a stage.

How will the audience remember you the morning after?

They’ll just need to roll over and I will be there offering them coffee and a delicious pastry (the inference here being that they have spent the night with me!!!)

What do you/your show do to make an audience’s heart beat faster?

In a very literal sense there are a lot of jumpscares, which do elevate heart rate. It is a dream of mine. Also I’m not ashamed to admit it; I’m very good looking.

About the show

Andrew Doherty: Gay Witch Sex Cult

Date(s): Jul 31 Aug 1-11, 13-25

Time(s): 23:00 (1 hour)

Location: Pleasance Courtyard – Attic