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!

Adventures of the Improvised Sherlock Holmes

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

Dates: Aug 3rd-13th, 15th-27th

Time: 16:30

Price: £10 Concessions £9

Ticket Link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/adventures-of-the-improvised-sherlock-holmes

Hello! Tell us about yourself? 

My name is Dan – I am a co-producer and performer with Ghostwriters.

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

I think titles work best when they are pithy, memorable, and give a sense of what the show is about – we hope ours ticks all three boxes!

Tell us all about your show!

A thrilling new adventure every day, as the underworld of Victorian Britain (packed with shady villains, red herrings and the brilliant deductions of London’s great detective) is brought to life by a star cast of improvisers.

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

You can’t go wrong with anything produced by Country Mile, who have another great roster at the Fringe this year. I will always see whatever Tarot bring to the Festival, and am particularly intrigued by the game show they’re putting on for three nights this year. The Last Show Before We Die got an immediate booking on the back of the company’s excellent Hotter from a few years ago, and I will be getting more of my theatre fix everyone’s favourite Belgian theatre collective (what do you mean, you don’t have one?), Ontroerend Goed. If you, understandably, only want to see shows that have Improv Sherlock cast members in them, you’re spoilt for choice: Talkies, My Father’s Nose, Racing Minds, Austentatious, Character Building Experience, and Murder She Didn’t Write are all deserving of your time!

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. 

Yes, we’ve probably got close to a century of cumulative Fringe experience among our cast! There’s no doubt that the Festival is changing, but the most joyful parts of it remain the same as ever: the spontaneous booking that turns out to be the best thing you’ve seen all year, the mesmerising street performer who keeps you stuck to the spot amidst the chaos, and the community that builds up so swiftly and strongly across this fantastic city. Which, speaking of, is of course an attraction in itself: make sure to spend some time in Edinburgh not at the Fringe. Disappear inside a museum, climb a hill, walk down a random side-street and read for an afternoon in the pub. You’ll be glad of the break, and what you discover in it.

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

The best lines in improv are ones that make perfect sense in the context of an hour-long show and no sense at all outside it. I’m still most personally proud of the final line of a rather involved poem one character delivered to reveal a key clue. I still remember the audience’s pantomime gasp, and my involuntarily smug smile upon ‘finding’ the rhyme I had feared I might not.

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

Two recent shows from the Soho Theatre spring to mind: Mike Wozniak’s Zusa told a uniquely thrilling tale of escape with a permanently arched brow, and Lorna Rose Treen’s Skin Pigeon (also at the Fringe)is packed with unique characters that are somehow suffused with the real while being completely (and joyfully) ridiculous.

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

The great thing about doing a show or two is they can punctuate your day enough to form a routine in themselves. Beyond making sure I’ve had a hearty breakfast, and probably made a lunch to avoid immediately spending all my money on the many tempting options for eating out in the centre, I try not to follow too strict a routine outside of the show schedule. After all, it’s the world’s biggest Arts festival – you should let yourself be surprised!

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

Take friends. If you can’t, make friends. Everything runs on people, including you.

Best thing about performing at the fringe?

Being part of something properly cosmopolitan – life is more interesting when it’s varied.

The most challenging thing about performing at the fringe?

Trying to stay awake and/or comprehensible as you ride the highs and lows of adrenaline – especially if you’re shooting from one show to another.

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

Something waterproof with pockets, stout shoes for running across cobbles while late for a show, and a phone charger, since you’ll spend all day obsessively checking fringe listings and using maps to unpick the city’s mysterious topology.

What’s the secret to successful flyering? 

The best advice I ever got about this was from fellow improviser Lucy Fennell, who was born to flyer: no one enjoys having pieces of paper forced in their face, so let the people come to you. Hold out a flyer, and clearly announce your pitch. The interested punters (the ones who are most likely to buy a ticket anyway) will take it from you themselves.

Who would be your ultimate dream audience member?

A kind bookish soul seeking to escape reality (or make their own) for an hour. We have dozens of them in every show and it’s like a family.

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

We’re @improvsherlock across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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

Hilarious adventure, live!