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 Importance of Being… Earnest?

Location:   Pleasance Courtyard – Pleasance Beyond (Venue 33)

Dates: Aug 2nd-27th

Time: 16:40

Price: £16 Concessions £14

Ticket Link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/importance-of-being-earnest-1

Hello! Tell us about yourself? 

Hey! I’m Rhys! I’m an actor, creator and one of the lovely company directors over at Say It Again, Sorry? 

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

I mean Oscar Wilde did most of the work i guess but we added an ellipses and a question mark as way of saying “This ain’t your mothers ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ “. We wanted to find a good balance of letting the audience know this show is different but without giving the game away too much. 

Tell us all about your show! 

So the show opens as a run of the mill, bog standard version of “The Importance” until the the main character of Ernest Worthing doesn’t come on stage for his cue. That’s when the director then steps on stage and to save the show he casts a real live audience member in the title role. From there on the dominoes start to fall and as the play continues other members of the cast start dropping like flies and each one is slowly replaced by a member from the audience. It’s an extremely fun and a chaotic bit of theatre both to watch and to be a part of! 

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

The Mr Thing Show for sure, I saw it last year in 2022 and it was my favourite show at the fringe, proper fun! Also I’m wanting to catch Mawaan Rizwan, Paul Chowdry, Public: The Musical, TONY!, Diana: The Untold Story and loads of others! Theres so much great stuff up there this year! 

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. 

Pace yourself. It’s a wild month and there’s so much to do and see but take care of yourself and have a bit of rest when you can! You’ll thank me later… 

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

“Professional fringe actor” – I just think its a very funny line in the context our show (You’ll see)

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

I actually haven’t seen much of any comedy this year weirdly. It’s mainly been dark and dramatic stuff. Not necessarily a “Comedy” show specifically but I saw Guys and Dolls at the Bridge Theatre in London and that was bloody spectacular! There were lots of funny bits in that I suppose, does that count? 

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

Wake up, Have a bit of breakfast, have a flick through the brochure and see if there’s anything I fancy that day, get into costume and run over to the mile, do about 3 hours of flyering, eat some delicious currywurst, go do the show, quick post show pint, go see a couple of shows, couple more pints, then EITHER: 

A) Go home at a reasonable time and get some rest for the next day 

Or 

B) Big night out. 

Usually depends on what the rest of the gang are doing and what the vibe is. 

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

Just experience as much as you can while you’re up there. There’s so much stuff on and so many things to do. Also Edinburgh is a bloody beautiful city, so make sure to do loads of exploring and find your own little haunts. 

Best thing about performing at the fringe? 

Being surrounded by, meeting and collaborating with so many great performers and artists at what feels like a big old party. It’s a great time! 

The most challenging thing about performing at the fringe? 

Not always but sometimes dragging yourself onto the mile to start flyering can be tough, especially if you’ve had a big night the previous evening! To be fair It’s always fine when you’re there and when you get in the swing of it, but it can be difficult sometimes to really hype yourself up over it. Having a good team around you helps a bunch though! 

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

I’m a gamer so I have to bring my Nintendo Switch with me for when I have a bit of downtime but I guess just bring anything you can escape into, be it a book or a video game or whatever. This will sound really old man-ish but you’re gonna need some good comfortable trainers/shoes for all the walking/hiking around town you’ll be doing, my feet always kill by the end of the fringe. Also bring some kind of rain coat or at the very least a good umbrella. I say this because I usually forget and then have to buy one there when the heavens inevitably open up and soak me whilst I’m out flyering. 

What’s the secret to successful flyering? 

You’ve just gotta fully commit to whatever you do and don’t take anything personally. Playing little games with people or making them laugh usually works but don’t scare them, don’t annoy them and don’t chase them up and down the street you lunatic!

Who would be your ultimate dream audience member? 

We’ve always said Sir Ian Mckellan would be a great person to get up to play Ernest. I mean can you imagine! What a bloody treat that would be for everyone involved! 

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

You can find me on twitter and instagram @rhystees and also check out @sayitagainsorry if you wanna find out more about the company and the work we create! 

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

Different every night.