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!

Dear Annie, I Hate You

Location:  ZOO Playground – Playground 2 (Venue 186)

Dates: Aug 2nd-11th, 13th-25th

Time: 16:50

Price: £11.00 Concessions £10.00

Ticket Link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/dear-annie-i-hate-you

Hello! Tell us about yourself? 

Hello! I’m the creator of “Dear Annie, I Hate You” and am a writer/actor based in London, originally from the United States. I grew up and planned to be a graphic designs major until I had brain surgery and decided to abandon my plans and become an artist afterwards! I completed an MA in Classical Acting at Royal Central last year and am in the development lab at SoHo Theatre to produce this show for Edinburgh. 

In 2023, our production company Wild Geese Productions was formed to create imaginative pieces of storytelling across different mediums, with a focus on telling stories with universal themes about social change. ‘Dear Annie’ is our first theatrical production. Also in the works is ‘Trauma School’, a comedic series based on the daily lives inside an acting school, and ‘Bartleby’, an adaptation of Herman Melville’s 1853 short story.

Tell us all about your show!

Our show is based on my life when I was 20 years old and diagnosed with a fatal brain aneurysm! In the piece, I bring to life my aneurysm, ‘Annie’, and traverse through the fateful events that lead me to the place I am now. It’s an hour-long ride of ups and downs, hilariously awful choices, and of course- love, loss, and the meaning of…well, living I suppose? It’s fun, weird, and we hope- an accurate reflection of the ups and downs of what grief looks and feels  like.

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

I actually thought I was very clever in coming up with the name for it because I’d always called my aneurysm ‘Annie’ as a way to refer to it and name the thing that was trying to constantly kill me. And always imagined little letters of hatred to her. However, the name really comes from perusing a reddit feed from other brain aneurysm survivors and realizing that every single one of them referred to their aneurysms as ‘Annie’. That’s when I realized there was a unifying story to be told here. And that we all love and hate the ‘Annies’ in our lives.

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

So excited to see some of the great clowning works and pro performers that have been at the fringe many times before. Also excited to just see all the new works of the other people in SoHo’s lab and support their endeavors as well!

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. 

No! But I’ve heard there is a pool to swim in when days get stressful and that Glasgow is a 45 minute train ride away and a great place to take a day off to. Oh, and that Milk Bar is great and that there is nothing wrong with eating ice cream for breakfast.

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

My guess is that it will be making sure to balance plenty of sleep, the show, networking, and enjoying the theater around. So, the plan is to bring an espresso machine from home. Get up, make notes and changes to the show from the previous day. Venture outside for a walk! Or see a quick show to inspire ourselves! Then go back to the flat, warm-up, and prep for some flyering pre-show. Perform the show (can’t forget that bit). Talk to the audience afterwards, go out for a drink, network a bit. See a show or two. Grab some dinner. And head to bed to prep for the next day.

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

I think it’s by making the most out of the experience you want from it. For me, that will be balancing the show’s needs for a hopefully successful life afterwards alongside growing and being inspired as an artist by all of the other artists around me, and finding new connections from those to continue that inspiration and growth down the line.

Best thing about performing at the fringe?

Getting to do unfiltered work in your own way, and letting the people and public be the whetstone to sharpen your craft.

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

You and me both. Please share if you find them.

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

Yourself. Your set pieces. An espresso machine because I’ve heard the coffee lines are crazy.

what’s the secret to successful flyering? 

Get them hooked in 5 seconds.

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

@dearannie_ihateyou on Instagram

@dearannieihateu on Twitter 

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

Fun. Electric. Moving.