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!

BATSH*T

Location:  Traverse Theatre – Traverse 2 (Venue 15)

Dates: Aug 1st-4th, 6th-11th, 13th-18th, 20th-25th

Time: Various

Price: £23.00 Concessions £18.00

Ticket Link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/batshit

Hello! Tell us about yourself? 

I’m an Australian performance artist, activist, psycho-siren, shouty intersectional feminist, professional idiot.  

Tell us all about your show!

BATSHIT is about the pathologisation of women’s mental health and the story of my grandmother Gwen, who was locked up and given a cocktail of drugs and shock therapy in 1960s Australia – all for wanting to leave her husband. It’s a deeply intimate story but there’s also glam horror, pop psychology, visual trickery and magic. 

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

Coz Crazy Bitch would have been censored on all the socials! 

But seriously – I wanted a slang word that talked to the pervasiveness of the ways we throw words around to undermine and belittle people’s experiences.

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

Sh!t Theatre – “Or What’s Left of Us” – particularly as it’s Directed by the icon Ursula Martinez who is also the Director of BATSHIT; “Little Squirt” by Darby James; and “Of the Land On Which We Meet” by First Nations-led Australian circus company Na Djinang.

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.

I’ve come to Fringe before but this is my first Fringe performing. Advice to myself is “just keep going” and “hold your s*** together”! 

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

Because I’m at the Traverse, the show times are different each day! My main focus will be on having enough time to get my head and body ready for the performance, a nice juicy physical warmup and some zen makeup time transforming my face will be the priorities.

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

It’s all about the people and the community I think – I’m really wanting to see as many shows as I can, connect with other artists and to have those deep, solving the world, kinda conversations that can happen in such a buzzing environment.

Best thing about performing at the Fringe?

Meeting so many incredible people – artists, audience and locals alike!

Top tips for travelling around the Fringe and getting to shows on time?

Hmmm I don’t know… add an extra 20 minutes travel time onto everything?! Try not to overcommit? Avoid hangovers?

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

Wig, false eyelashes, water.

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

https://instagram.com/leahsheltonlive

https://www.facebook.com/missleahshelton

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

feminist cathartic storytelling