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!

Bill’s 44th

Location:   Underbelly, Cowgate – Belly Button (Venue 61)

Dates: Aug 3rd-13th, 15th-27th

Time: 20:35

Price: £12 Concessions £11

Ticket Link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/bill-s-44th

Hello! Tell us about yourself?  

Hi there! We are Dorothy and Andy, and we are puppeteers based in NYC. We’ve been puppeteering for over 10 years in shows Off-Broadway, Off-off-Broadway, and around the globe. This show is our first endeavour as co-creators! 

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

Bill is throwing himself a birthday party and we decided early on in development that it couldn’t be a banner year like 40, 45, or 50. Honestly, we just liked the way forty-fourth sounded! 

Tell us all about your show! 

Bill’s 44th is an hour-long wordless puppet tragicomedy (for adults!) with an original recorded score. It follows Bill as he readies for a party that no one shows up to, but in a way, he shows up for himself.  

Many styles of puppetry, raucous balloons, and a cheeky piece of crudité all collide to examine the pitfalls of impatience, the wonder of loneliness, and the universal passage of time. 

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

We are excited to see some of our friends perform! Voloz Collective’s The Life Sporadic of Jess Wildgoose, and Troll by Marie Kallevik Straume, Anna Marie Simonsen and Cecily Nash. 

Also murder solving musicals? Frankly we are excited to see as much theatre as we are able!  

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.  

This is our first time! Any tips welcome!

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

Andy: This doesn’t mean anything, really, but when I was in High School, I was in a play called The Petrified Forest in which I played an older man (much older than 15 – my age at the time) whose wife wanted to leave him. She was constantly attempting to seduce a bank robber and during a big stand-off with the police my character, the now emboldened Mr. Chisholm, barked out “Do you want any hay now, Edith!” To be fair I may have misremembered the line, but at the time I thought it was a gift. 

Dorothy: Well, most of my work is wordless, so I’ll offer this instead: Once I was filming a sexy puppet music video where multiple puppeteers were needed to operate each puppet and my role, at one point, was “Lady’s Crotch.” I think I did a pretty good job. 

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

We’d guess to see a lot of theatre?? The weirder the better.  

Best thing about performing at the Fringe? 

While we haven’t had the opportunity to do so yet we are excited to reach a larger audience! 

The most challenging thing about performing at the Fringe? 

Honestly, it costs too much money. Especially when you build a show that needs a lot of stuff (and puppets LOVE stuff), and you need to fly it all across the ocean. 

What’s the secret to successful flyering?  

I misread this question as “…the secret to successful flying” and was immediately reminded of Douglas Adam’s saying “throw yourself at the ground and miss”.

Not sure if that’ll help flyering, but maybe! 

Who would be your ultimate dream audience member? 

A person who laughs loudly, and cries silently. 

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

@bills44th on Instagram and twitter for show stuff and @andymanjuck and @instadeej for personals, or just www.bills44th.com 

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

Boozy. Puppet. Party.