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!

Tadiwa Mahlunge: Inhibition Exhibition

Location:  Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker Two (Venue 302)

Dates: Aug 2nd-13th, 15th-27th

Time: 21:25

Price: £12 Concessions £11

Ticket Link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/tadiwa-mahlunge-inhibition-exhibition

Hello! Tell us about yourself? 

My name is Tadiwa Mahlunge. I am a sweet and funny young man looking for audience members for my outstanding debut show at the Edinburgh Fringe! So I can make back the costs of participating in this needless, overpriced, money laundering scheme of a festival.

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

I won’t lie my friends, it was the Mary Jane. Only God knows what I was thinking now, however I woke up with the show title in my Notes app.

Tell us all about your show!

Well, we don’t do a sad bit at the 40 minute mark, so it’s not going to win any awards… The show is an exploration into the trappings of our modern thirst for validation and success, formulating an identity as an assimilated immigrant in Britain, and forging your own values to create a more fulfilled life – with a lot of dick jokes thrown in to keep your attention span going. 

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

Dan Jones! He’s the best comedian in Brighton (which is not a slight Dan, learn to accept a compliment), a tight and outrageously well structured joke writer, and one of the sweetest, funniest people I’ve ever met. He’s in the Pleasance Courtyard too, so give him a go!

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. 

Invest your time and energy wisely; don’t throw away the opportunity to perform 6 times a day – something you won’t get anywhere else in the UK – for frivolous nights of drinking with people you barely know. That won’t help your career. Half the people you’re out partying with won’t even be doing comedy in 5 years time. Birds of a feather flock together.

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

“My name is Tadiwa Mahlunge, I hope I’m saying that right.” 

I will not say why it’s my favourite one liner, because complimenting your own work on a public forum is akin to sucking yourself off atop the Empire State.

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

I didn’t see it this year, however I saw Trash Salad by Rosa Garland at last year’s Fringe and it was the most unique experience I’ve had watching anything live. It was singular, jarring and bewildering. I’ve been on the internet since I was 11, I literally grew up on the dark web; it takes a lot to surprise me. This show surprised me.

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

Well, I’ve only been to Edinburgh once, and that was last year on The Pleasance Reserve.

Wake up at 11am, panic shower because I have a gig at noon. Sleepwalk through the first show on pure Red Bull and have breakfast at City Cafe. Write for a couple of hours before heading to New Town (usually) for a second show in the mid afternoon. Listen to the recordings of the sets, and make edits over dinner – usually a needless overspend because rent doesn’t exist right? 

Head back into Old Town for a gig around 8pm right before the Pleasance Reserve, which was at 9.45. Now we’re into the deep evening where I’d be hustling bookers for a “Best of The Fest” showcase because those were the only gigs that paid properly at all. Failing that, I’d sneak on a random midnight gig and probably be forced to strip or something degrading like that because “it’s in the spirit of the festival”. Around 1am, I’d begin loitering at Brookes Bar, hoping someone I like would show up before I inevitably get bored of mingling with industry, get some junk food and go to bed because my next gig is in like, 8 hours.

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

It varies for everyone, man. For me, it was having the opportunity to think about comedy and nothing else for a month. For you, it may be going out and chilling with mates. So, if you want to treat it like a holiday and just want to enjoy yourself, use the first week to do a bunch of stuff, and the stuff you enjoy the most, do more of that! 

Best thing about performing at the fringe?

You can easily rack up 80-100 gigs in a month if you know the right people! You grow so much as a performer.

The most challenging thing about performing at the fringe?

The audience. You might think, “The Edinburgh Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world, surely jokes that work there are universal!” However, the people at the Edinburgh Fringe are the types of people who can afford to go to the Edinburgh Fringe. You’re actually performing to a narrower subset of society than you would expect as The Fringe is a bubble, and often, an echo chamber. So you have to feel them out early, be honest with yourself about why certain jokes aren’t working, and rework your material to suit their sensibilities if you want an easier month.

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

A bed warmer, a varied wardrobe (Summer is hot, but Edinburgh rains a lot so pack for 2 climates), and a constantly charged battery pack as your days will be long.

If I can squeeze in a fourth, an eye mask, as you will be sleeping in a lot of random places to keep up the pace. 

What’s the secret to successful flyering? 

This may be controversial, but I don’t actually recommend flyering yourself; you’ll be so tired after and so deflated from all the rejection, you’ll do a terrible show that night anyway. Invest in a top team of flyerers! You’ll make the money back in like 4-5 ticket sales anyway.

Who would be your ultimate dream audience member?

My mother, but she’s proud of me and likes my material.

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

@tadisfunny on Instagram

@tadiwamahlunge on Twitter

@tadisfunny on TikTok

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

Fifty Seven Previews

I literally couldn’t have worked harder on this show!