It is festival season and that means that in the next month there is so many great comedy festivals to look forward to! This month we are looking at some of the great shows that you can see at the Edinburgh Fringe. So take note because we are going to give you all the information you need for just a handful of some of the great shows happening this year! We have also been able to interview some of the acts that are heading up to the Fringe as well.

The Silliad: Improvised Myths and Legends

Location:  Just the Tonic @The Caves, Just the Fancy Room(Venue 313 )

Dates: Aug 6th-14th, 16th-21st

Time: 14:10

Price: £8 Concessions £7

Ticket Link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/silliad-improvised-myths-and-legends

Hello! Tell us about the Silliad   ? 

We are a collection of improvisers scattered across the UK who love mythology and generally being silly. We all met at university, and when we manage to get together and improvise, it feels like a homecoming.

How did you come up with the name of your show that your taking to the fringe?

Once we decided that it was a mythology themed improv show, the challenge really became trying to find the perfect punny name. We did experiment with The Odd-yssey, Pyramid Scenes, and Snorri Sturluson’s Improv Edda, but The Silliad really matched the chaotic silly energy of the show with the theme.

Tell us all about your show!

The Silliad is an improvised comedy play set in either the Ancient Greek, Norse or Egyptian mythological pantheon, chosen by audience vote. In it, we seek to explain the big questions in life, asked by the audience themselves: Why do farts smell? Why shouldn’t you drink 20 glasses of milk in a row? Why are eggs two-tone? By the end of the show you will have your answer, and expect to see Athena playing bingo with the fates, Odin fighting a sentient fondue, or Anubis having to explain the birds and the bees using only soup based metaphors in the process.

What other acts are you looking forward to seeing at the fringe?

Liz Kingsman – One Woman Show

• Everyone’s been going on about this show, and we’re so buzzed we’ve already got tickets.

Any Suggestions Doctor

• An improvised Doctor Who episode from a lovely bunch of naughty space boys. They’ve just finished their national tour, and we’re very excited to see them when the TARDIS lands in Edinburgh!

The Shambles

• Our Alma Mater, the University of York’s Improv troupe and an all round funny bunch. It’s consistently some of the best short form improv out there, riotously funny and sharply witty.

Have you done the fringe before? What are the key pieces of advice you have been given or would give to new groups or people performing at the fringe. 

At this point we’re all fringe veterans but this is only the second outing for the Silliad after 2019. Our advice is go and see something completely random that you wouldn’t see anywhere else – the Edinburgh Fringe is full of wonderful shows that just don’t see the light of day on the regular comedy circuit. Also make time for downtime – go for a walk, pop to the cinema, cook and eat a healthy meal. Especially if you’re at the Fringe for a long time, it can become exhausting and you can burn out quickly, so make sure you make some time for you.

What have been some of your favourite shows to date and why?

The issue is, we can never remember the shows we perform but some highlights include a Norse myth set in a dentist’s office, where the Haribo kid attempted to bring about the end of the world for no other reason than he was just really evil; a greek myth set in a wool shop where the people of Athens came together to combine wool and fondue to make cheese strings; and an egyptian myth set in an garage, with a mummified dad buried with all his beloved possessions, a brown arm chair, a can of stella and box set of Mastermind. The best shows are when the audience really gets into it, with gasps, whoops and cheers when the villain is defeated always appreciated.

Favourite one liner you have done in a show and why?

My name? Javieh, Javieh Nice Day

• With a Norse myth set in Spain, we had every opportunity to explore Spanish culture in a dignified and respectful way. Our guide for that was local Spanish man who was only a quarter Spanish, Javier Nice Day, who liked paella and didn’t know any Spanish. We only found out his name in his last scene, as he wandered into the Andalusian sunset. 

What three items are essential for a successful Fringe? 

Comfortable shoes – Edinburgh has its ups and downs (emotionally and geographically) so having a pair of comfy shoes that you can walk in, run in, stand around in, and perform in are essential!

Physical money – unfortunately for us, many Pay What You Want performances don’t accept cryptocurrency, so having a bit of actual cash on you, should you go to see a show off the cuff is really useful.

A Water Bottle – Stay hydrated at all times!

What have been some of the most unique and different comedy shows you have seen this year and why?

Earlier in the year we saw Drag Queens vs Zombies in Brighton. The performances of Crudi Dench and Kate Butch are excellent, and it’s genuinely a fantastic horror comedy, with less of the horror and more of the comedy. Also, Slumber party at the International Improv Festival here in Edinburgh. An brilliant improv troupe with massive energy. A scene of drunk mums outside Claire’s accessories is forever burned in my mind as how to do this shit well. 

What is the best way to enjoy yourself at the fringe?

Take it at your own pace and go and see what you want to see. The Fringe is an explosion of culture: comedy, theatre, art and food. You like clowning? Go see as many clowning shows as possible, but remember you’re a human being that needs to eat and rest.

The best thing about performing at the fringe?

Everyone in the arts being in the same place. It’s a great place to catch up with friends, make new ones, and see what everyone has been working on in the last year.

The most challenging thing about performing at the fringe?

Keeping the buzz going. For a comedy show, it’s easy to feel drained after a week or so of being funny, and it can feel a bit stale. For an improvised show that’s new every day this is less of an issue, but it can still feel a bit much. My piece of advice is go and see something that isn’t funny (and isn’t meant to be). Take a break from laughing, get some catharsis, and it’ll clear your head.

Also, getting up in the morning and seeing your more successful friends’ instagram stories while you use all of your annual leave for several weeks working harder than you do in your actual job. So remembering social media isn’t real is also key.

What would be your top three items every performer must take to the fringe?

Bottled Water – for your wets

Throat sweets – for your voice

Noise Cancelling Headphones – for your sanity

What’s the secret to successful flyering? 

Trying to actually engage with the person you’re flyering – if they’re interested, that’s great! If not, best to let them continue on along the River Styx, I mean, the Royal Mile. At the end of the day, don’t be a dick. People like nice flyerers, and nice people generally, if someone is interested or not, just be a nice human and be polite. 

Who would be your ultimate dream audience member?

Someone who likes myth, is open to silliness and is an elderly billionaire whose will is open to an improv based beneficiary. Or Homer – whichever one came to mind first.

If people want to find out more about you where can they follow you on social media?

We are @theSilliad on Twitter, Tiktok, Instagram and Facebook. 

And Finally in three words – Why should people come and see the show? 

Myth Based Madness.