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!

The Silliad: Improvised Myths and Legends

Location:   Just The Tonic At The Caves – Just The Fancy Room (Venue 88)

Dates: Aug 3rd-13th, 15th-27th

Time: 15:30

Price: £8 Concessions £7

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

Hello! Tell us about yourself?

Hello! We are The Silliad, an improvised comedy group who create brand new myths and legends based entirely on our audience’s suggestions! 

What’s the name of your show this year?

Our show this year is called The Silliad: Improvised Myths and Legends – hopefully it’s pretty self explanatory and we’ve had the same name for the last few years so let’s hope for some brand recognition!

How did you come up with the name of your show that you’re taking to the Fringe?

Well when we had the idea for an improvised mythology show, we wanted to make sure that we really got across the cheeky, chaotic, and (most-importantly) silly tone of our improv, and thus The Silliad was born. It also works really nicely as a pun and that helps.

Tell us all about your show!

The Silliad is an improvised comedy show that aims to create a brand new myth based on audience suggestions. Our audience chooses whether they want to see a Greek, Norse, or Egyptian myth, and also provides us with a question about life, the universe, and everything in-between that that myth has to answer. We’ve had big life questions like why is the blue whale so big? We’ve had silly questions like why doesn’t Boots sell boots? And we’ve had questions that aren’t really questions, like why are garden gnomes? Whatever the question, we’ll create a chaotic and creative myth to answer it.

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

We’ve always got a little list of shows to see and this year is no different. One of our favourite shows from last year Drag Queens vs Zombies returning with a sequel, Drag Queens vs Vampires, so we’re definitely seeing that one. We’ll also be checking out Benjamin Alborough: Absolute Monopoly again as last year was so much fun! For some sketch fun we’ll be going to see Jackman and Bones: Framed. There’s always a lot of stand-up at the Fringe but our picks this year are Mary O’Connell: Money Princess and Stanley Brooks: I Can Make Me Rich. And for some more improv fun we’ll be heading to Suggestions of the Unexpected and Men with Coconuts.

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.

We’ve done the Fringe a fair few times at this point and we have a lot of advice. Try to see shows that you wouldn’t normally go to see, invest in a decent pair of trainers, carry a raincoat at all times, carry sun cream at all times. Oh and of course, eat vegetables.

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

The problem with improv is that it’s a one-and-done performance, making individual lines really tricky to remember. However a stand out was when Sobek, the Egyptian crocodile god of the Nile, was trying to catch some tasty baboons to turn into his favourite dish – baboon-ghanoush.

Talk us through your daily routine for a day at the Fringe

So we try to get up and about before midday depending on how late a night we’ve had, and fuel ourselves on coffee, crumpets, leftover pizza, or just a banana. We grab handfuls of flyers, bottles of water, sun cream and a raincoat, and then head out to the Royal Mile to hawk our show amongst the other hundreds of flyerers. After a quick lunch, probably from Piemaker or City Café, we head to the venue to get warmed up and set up. Having performed a rip-roaring improv show which everyone is satisfied with, we do a short debrief, and then try to catch a couple of shows before eating a dinner from Mosque Kitchen or Piemaker (again) before collapsing in bed and repeating. Sometimes we have a day off. Sometimes we eat a vegetable.

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

See some shows! Go to a pub, if there’s a show on, go see it. Go to a café, if there’s a show on, go see it. Also, do make time for downtime as well. Maybe go for a walk up Arthur’s Seat, or just grab a coffee with a friend. 

Best thing about performing at the fringe?

The buzz of a really good show, where the audience are on your side and enjoying it thoroughly, and it just generally reminds you why you do what you do.

The most challenging thing about performing at the fringe?

The Fringe can be a marathon, rather than a sprint, and as much as it’s the best, it can also be so so very tiring. Especially if you’ve worked really hard and then you get little to no audience for your show.

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

Raincoat, suncream, vegetables.

What’s the secret to successful flyering?

Kindness, conversation, and a selling point. Be kind to those who you’re trying to sell your show to. They may brush past you without a second glance, but the next person might be really up for your show. If you do get a hit, try to get a conversation going with that person. See what they like, what space they have in their schedule, and whether your show can scratch their arts itch. And finally, focus on a key selling point of your show that you can repeat in a short sentence. People walk past quickly and they need to hear the key reason they should come to you in ten words or less.

Who would be your ultimate dream audience member?

Homer. We’ll let you choose which one.

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

We are @thesilliad on both Twitter and Instagram

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

Myth, Mirth, Mayhem