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!

Stuffed

Location:   Pleasance Courtyard – Above (Venue 33)

Dates: Jul 31st, Aug 1st-17th, 19th-25th

Time: 14:25

Price: £14 Concessions £13

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

Hello! Tell us about yourself?

Hello, my name is Grace Gallagher and I’m the co-artistic director of Ugly Bucket. I was born in Nottingham, but have lived in Liverpool for 10 years where I attended John Moores University. I’ve stayed ever since because it truly feels like home. Alongside directing, I produce and perform within Ugly Bucket productions, so I’m used to juggling many responsibilities which comes in great handy for the Edinburgh Fringe. I’m a national and international teacher in clowning, and facilitate a yearly clowning retreat at Bidston Observatory Artistic Research Centre. As well as creating boundary pushing electrifying theatrical experiences, I’m passionate about how comedy and clown can be used as a dynamic tool for self exploration, healing and social change. Outside of Ugly Bucket, I work as a drama facilitator with Merseyside based disabled arts organisation RAWD.

Tell us all about your show!

STUFFED is a show about food banks. It is not a show about food. It is a blazing inferno of a clowning show that delves into the wreckage of a desecrated support system. During the pandemic, we at Ugly Bucket volunteered at food banks and council helplines to support the distribution of emergency food, and this is our response – an explosion of physicality, clown, original music and transformative personal testimony from food bank frontliners across the UK.

Both hilarious and horrifying, STUFFED is a roaring call to action for the overwhelming need of our country. We aim to unite, educate, inspire and confront audiences, bringing them together to understand and face a crisis taking place on their very doorstep.

Alongside the production, we are working with Edinburgh based food banks and organisations to collect donations, as well as further educating and inspiring audiences to take action beyond the theatre in panel events.

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

STUFFED might seem like an obvious punchy name for a show about food insecurity, but at a deeper level it refers to the wider issues. It reflects the helpless and devastating circumstances that so many people in the UK are finding themselves in. When people come to a food bank, the need always runs deeper than food. Often it is the damage of broken, corrupt systems that has left these individuals without choices, without control, without care and left them ‘STUFFED’.

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

As previous UNTAPPED recipients, we are so excited to experience the work of this year’s winners and support our friends at New Diorama. This years UNTAPPED companies are Our Day with ‘DRUM’, Counterfactual with ‘The Mosinee Project’ and piss / CARNATION with ‘Ugly Sisters’.

Secondly, ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ by Duncan Macmillan has always been such a special play to me, so I’m excited for its 10 year revival in Edinburgh this year, though I will be sure to stock up on tissues.

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. And if you haven’t, how are you gearing up for it? 

Yes, we took two shows Bost Uni Plus and 2 Clowns 1 Cup to Greenside Venues in 2019, and then with the UNTAPPED award we brought Good Grief to Underbelly Cowgate in 2022.

My key advice would be that if you go as a company, cook and eat together as much as you can. We really believe in the bonding power of shared food. It feeds the soul as well as our bellies. Secondly, find time to experience things outside of the festival. Hiking, the cinema, museums, or heading to the beach. The festival can become a pressure pot and taking yourself out of that for some time can be a great reset.

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

Try to start the day with actual breakfast, not just caffeine. Maybe I would try to catch a morning show (I think mornings are usually where you’ll find a hidden gem). I’d then have to sell part of my soul as I partake in flyering, or finding a cafe spot to get through my admin. But then my favourite part of my day is getting into costume and makeup with the cast, talking about notes from the day before, feeling nerves and excitement for another performance. After an Ugly Bucket show, I’m usually covered in so much sweat and paint that it’s straight home for a shower, before eating with the cast and heading out to experience as much as we can before collapsing into bed.

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

Try not to compare yourself with anyone or anything else. Focus on your own journey.

Ok, where is your favourite place to eat at the Fringe?

Elephant and Bagel.

Best thing about performing at the Fringe?

Experiencing so much life changing work. I always leave so inspired.

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

Walking might sometimes be quicker than the bus or a taxi…don’t get stuck in the traffic.

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

A portable charger, blister plasters, and a sense of humour.

What’s the secret to successful flyering?

Authenticity, and having genuine conversations.

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

Twitter @UglyBucket

Instagram @uglybuckettheatre

Facebook @UglyBucketTheatre

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

Feel pure rage.