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!

Catafalque

Location: Summerhall – TechCube 0 (Venue 26)

Dates: Aug 1st-11th

Time: 12:25

Price: £17.00 Concessions £15.00

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

Hello! Tell us about yourself?

I’m a writer, performer and community practitioner originally from Sheffield but I’ve been living in Glasgow for almost 20 years now so consider myself an honourary Glasweigan!

Tell us all about your show!

It’s a tense monologue about life, death and who gets to tell your story told from the perspective of a funeral celebrant. I trained to become a civil celebrant during lockdown when I had no theatre work and needed some more reliable income and gravitated more towards writing and delivering funeral services over weddings and naming ceremonies. Its an immense privilege to tell someone’s life story and endlessly fascinating for someone like myself, the deeply curious or incredibly nosy!

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

Catafalque an Italian word meaning the structure on which the coffin is placed. It’s usually elaborately decorated and reserved mainly for important or powerful people.

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

I get so excited about the Fringe and always have a long list of favourites bookmarked by the time August rolls around. Because Catafalque is on at Summerhall, it means I will receive an Artist Pass. This means I’m doubly excited because I basically live at Summerhall during the Fringe even if I’m not performing there so I’ll be trying to squeeze in as many shows while I’m there as possible. It’s great to be able to support the other artists at your venue because often you feel so much like part of a community by the end of your run – the downside to that is that I know I will be so sad when it’s all over.

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?

Prioritise good sleep, good food, fresh air and exercise. I don’t want to go all Fringe-mum on you but this will be my 13^th Fringe as a performer and I’ve learned the hard way that it’s all too easy to burn out. Go up Arthurs Seat! I do it at least once every year and it’s a great way to get some perspective and time away from the madness.

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

I’ve got a lunchtime slot this year and this totally works for me at a performer because I’m most productive in the mornings. I’ll be commuting from Glasgow so my plan is to get the first off-peak train to Edinburgh, maybe get some food, warm up a bit in the Meadows, do some pre-show flyering and be at Summerhall in good time for the get in (which is only usually 15 minutes from when you’re allowed into the space after the previous act!). After the get out I’ll finally exhale and try not to rush off immediately to see another show or jump into whatever PR or marketing is required that day. Catafalque deals with some heavy stuff – grief, loss, trauma – and I need to keep reminding myself that downtime, processing time and checking in with the entire team will be so important to maintaining good mental health all round!

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

Don’t see more than 4 shows a day and factor in travel time between venues! It’s so tempting to cram it all in when you know how much good stuff is out there but when you’re running down the Royal Mile dodging a million people for the third time that day, your blood pressure is going to start to complain. Sit down. Read a book in the sunshine. Meet a friend for a cup of tea and a brownie.

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

Mosque Kitchen – not the one that claims to be the original on Nicolson Street, but the OG Mosque Kitchen attached to the Central Mosque on Potterow. It’s outside but covered, it’s cheap but always delicious and it’s quiet! Snax Cafe near Summerhall also does great breakfast.

Best thing about performing at the Fringe?

People come to Edinburgh to see something different, and the people that come to see theatre are generally ready to receive it all however weird and wonderful. Audiences mostly get what it takes to perform at the Fringe, they understand the passion and hard work that happens behind the scenes and you feel they are with you because of that! And you get the sense that a lot of your audience might have also been up all night because they sleep on a sofa or in a bed with 2 other people because who can afford accommodation at the Fringe.

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

Take the back streets if you can, unless you don’t know Edinburgh in which case you may well get lost – it’s a rabbit warren! Wear the right footwear and layers and pack a mac and water because it’s a city designed for walking and you will not thank yourself for leaving all these things at home – oops, there’s Fringe-Mom again!

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

For me, a book (for the train, especially if it’s massively delayed or cancelled – I’m looking at you Scotrail), an umbrella or mac, and sunglasses/sunscreen. 

What’s the secret to successful flyering?

If you find out the answer, can you let me know! I hate flyering, most people do but I have learned over the years that the most effective method by far is when you engage someone in a conversation, a real one, not a cringe, ‘I’ll start my pitch now’ conversation. But you just can’t do that with everyone, so be approachable and when you get a good vibe about someone, go for it.

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

You can follow the show’s producer Scissor Kick on Twitter and Instagram for regular updates about Catafalque, but you can also find me there @amyjcon

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

It is…

original, gripping drama

(Only slightly cheating)