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!

How Can I Help You

Location:  Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker Three (Venue 33)

Dates: Jul 31st Aug 1st-11th, 13th-18th, 20th-26th

Time: 15:20

Price: £11.50 Concessions £10.00

Ticket Link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/how-can-i-help-you

Hello! Tell us about yourself?

My name is Callum Patrick Hughes and I’m a writer, actor musician and all-round storyteller…

Tell us all about your show!

How Can I Help You is the follow-up to my Edinburgh Fringe debut show Thirst.  Thirst had an overwhelming reception and the feedback from audiences both in person and online really made me realise how much my story was resonating with people – and yet there was so much more I wanted to say with regards to my own journey as an artist and a recovering addict… Thirst looked at the intersections of performance and addiction, but it didn’t address all the ways in which sobriety forces you to confront who you are without the mask of self-medicating… the neurodiversities and trauma-responses that have been shaping the way you move through the world… I wanted to address that with the same sense of humour and musicality that made Thirst such a success last year. 

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

At the core of this show is the question of whether being a chronic ‘people pleaser’ can actually be a toxic trait! I wanted to interrogate the way in which society rewards us for ‘selfless’ behaviour, even from a young age, that can ultimately hold us back in later life as an adult.

I was also aware that my first show was peppered with showbiz stories and celebrity anecdotes, but in truth, the life of an artist is just as full of ‘day-jobs’ – most likely in the service industry! I started to draw parallels between the roles of service industry professionals, performers and those who will do anything to make people like them… How Can I Help You? Really seemed to encapsulate all those themes. 

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

I’m really excited to see Stephanie Martin’s new play Did You Mean To Fall Like That.  Martin is such an interesting writer and always handles interesting subjects with great self-awareness and irreverent humour!  I aways try and catch Stewart Lee’s work in Edinburgh as he’s always been a huge influence on my writing. Sh!t Theatre also have a new show this year which I’m intrigued to see, 5 years on from their last Fringe residency. 

 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?

Last year was my first time as a performer at the fringe and no matter how much you think you’re prepared for it – you aren’t. You simply have to do it to know how your brain and body will react.  I was given some wonderful advice from many seasoned artists, including Marcus Brigstocke who generously told me this:

        ”It’s a marathon, not a sprint. See lots of works and let them energise and enthuse you. Remember the whole festival is better for your contribution.  It      would not be the same without you. On day one, make your accommodation look nice.  Fruit bowl.  Buy good food.  Live well’’

I can’t think of better advice for a first time fringer!

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

I get up at 9am and walk into town.  Often, the morning’s are sunny in Edinburgh, even on rainy days, so get some vitamin D and move your body!  Before I do any flying – I drink a full cup of coffee and catch up with social media and emails.  Pleasance Courtyard serves Devil’s Bean Coffee which is like rocket fuel and is subsidised for artists!

At about 10.30am, I set about flying. I give myself at least 30 minutes before the show to relax, get ready, focus myself and warm up.  This ritual is important for me.  You are sharing space with strangers who have chosen you out of 3000 possible shows that month – greet them with gratitude, compassion and playfulness.  After I’ve performed the show – I like to say hello to people who have waited to talk to me afterwards.  After 30 minutes of that – I grab a ceremonial alcohol free beer and once I’ve relaxed – I normally go and see something before eating some dinner and then seeing something else. 

I aim to be in bed before 11pm each night unless I have a rare day off the next day – in which case I venture into the cabaret world and indulge in a bit of revery at the artist bars.  Ooh – good tip – do hang out at artist bars every now and again – it’s a good way to ’network’ without it feeling like ’networking’ and can lead to reviewers coming to see your work and generally get the word out about your show.  You will most likely make a new friend too – after all – you’re surrounded by people who care about the same thing you do – making work!

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

I love seeing a lot of other work – but I also adore finding a quiet pub, somewhere off the beaten track that serves decent AF options – and play quizzes/board games.  Finding ways to be a human being outside of work is important in general – don’t let that disappear just because you’re in Edinburgh.  Relax. 

Also – everyone will seem to be doing ‘better than you’ or ‘having more fun than you’.  Remember – this is nonsense – if you’ve managed to get to opening night – you’ve already done the impossible.  Everything else is jam.  See some weird stuff you normally wouldn’t.  Magic shows, circus shows, interpretive dance, mime?! Don’t just stick to what you already know you love – venture out of your comfort zone!

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

MUMS is something of an Edinburgh institution for a reason.  Affordable, healthy, no frills food with welcoming and sympathetic staff – book ahead if you can and eat there twice a week so you get some vegetables into your diet. 

Best thing about performing at the fringe?

The sheer range of audiences you get to engage with.  I have had messages and emails from people from all over the world who resonated with my work and you don’t get that anywhere else quite like you do at Edinburgh.  It’s also a a fantastic place to be if you’re a creative person.  It’s like Disneyland for culture-vultures… enjoy that aspect of it! 

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

The best advice I can offer is – make friends with an ‘organiser’.  My producer and I have a spreadsheet with shows we want to see, dates, times, and building in lunch breaks that keeps us on track for the entire month and makes sure we don’t overspend of become overwhelmed.  Also – don’t feel pressured to see everything or do everything.  Schedule time to rest, exercise and touch some grass. 

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

1.      A keep-cup/water bottle.  It will remind you to drink fluids and help reduce the huge waste that plagues a festival of that size. 

2.      A battery pack – you will be out of the house for 10-12 hours a day and your phone will become your entire office so don’t get caught with zero battery when you        need it most!

3.      Always carry a multipack of Jakeman’s Throat Lozenges.   They will save you when your voice is at its most tired, sore,         cold-ridden or hoarse.  Stock up on those.      Superdrug have the best stock – everywhere else will run out in the first week.  (Avoid lozenges that numb your throat (more damage in the long-run).

What’s the secret to successful flyering?

 The biggest myth at the fringe is that flying doesn’t work.  It does!  I wish it didn’t – but it really does.  Be open and kind.  If you can make someone laugh in the first 30 seconds, then they’ll listen to rest of your pitch.  Target people who look and sound like your demographic, sure – but don’t limit yourself.  You never know who your show might attract.  Ask performers who are selling out, with similar themes/styles if you can exit flyer their shows. They’ll nearly always say yes!   

Hit all the places where people are likely to be gathered in groups and pitch solidly for 20 minutes at a time before moving on somewhere different.  Talk to business owners before flying cafes and shops though – they appreciate the courtesy and fully understand the way the festival works.  Take breaks.  10 great conversations are better than ‘getting rid’ of 500 flyers.  Connect with people.  It’ll give you energy too.  Try and flyer before your show… people aren’t likely to book for a show that’s already been performed that day.  Most festival goers like the spontaneity of something that starts in 30 minutes. 

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

You can follow me on instagram @callumpatrickhughes, Twitter (or X) @callumphughes and all details can be found @FakeEscapeTC too. 

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

Unique – Musical – Storytelling