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!

Spring Day: Exvangelical

Location:   Pleasance Courtyard – Beside (Venue 33)

Dates: Jul 31st Aug 1st-12th, 14th-25th

Time: 18:05

Price: £12 Concessions £11

Ticket Link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/spring-day-exvangelical

Hello! Tell us about yourself? 

I am an American transplant, Live at the Apollo comedian, Horrible Histories writer.  exvangelical, wife and cat mum that’s lived in London for the past seven years. My favorite hobby is telling people what to do, I am more left-handed than you, and I provide dark comedy for nice people. This is my 8th Fringe. 

Tell us all about your show!

Spring Day: Exvangelical is about why I joined a Christian cult as a teenager and how I left 13 years later. I also explore the nature of cults and why they will always be around. It’s a coming-of-age story about finding faith and giving yourself permission to change your mind about something that had totally defined you. It is a gleefully irreverent celebration of the fallible yet indelible human spirit.

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

Many people that leave Christian cults feel extremely isolated and ashamed of not being able to live up to impossible expectations or feeling foolish for not seeing how impossible those expectations were the first place. The internet has provided a safe space for people who have left religious movements to find other people just like them. I stumbled upon the term ‘Exvangelical’ and ‘ex-fundie’ whilst looking for a phycologist that dealt with spiritual abuse and I felt ‘exvangelical’ described my current spiritual status perfectly.

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

I am excited to see Aaron Twitchen, Mark Silcox, Patti Harrison, Yuriko Kotani, and Zoe Brownstone.

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. 

This is my 8th Fringe, I love telling people what to do. 

• If you are thinking about doing the Fringe, visit first. I know that can be expensive and seems a bit bougie, but it will save you a lot of grief in the long run. If you have never been to the Edinburgh Fringe festival before, you simply don’t know what you are getting into. 
• pace yourself, eat well, have at least two pairs of walking shoes and a raincoat.
• allow yourself to get talked into going to a show you never would have gone to otherwise. 
• talk to people in queues about what they’ve seen, are going to see and how they chose what to see and listen. You’ll learn a lot more than you think.
• aim to see at least one show a day that’s not yours. 
• be happy for your peers’ successes as well as your own, you’re in the club baby!
• you don’t have to climb Arthur’s seat, but if you do, it’s a lot easier than it looks.

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

First, I drink copious amounts of coffee while pretending to read a bit of whatever novel I forgot I bought on my Kindle years ago. Then I make a Fringe diary entry to document the good and get the bad moments at the Fringe out of my system. Then I go through my show notes. 

Then I go for a walk spending quite a bit of time throughout the day bumping into and catching up with old Fringe friends every other block. It’s as if we are all living on Avenue Q.

I’ll see a show before or after mine and try to get in at least one healthy meal a day, usually at one of the Mosque Kitchens. I will do my best to go to bed before 2:00am and I will fail. 

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

Go with the flow and don’t take anything too seriously. Being able to be happy for other people’s successes as well as your own will enhance your fringe experience and your mental health more than you know. If everything goes to hell, remember, in the long run, failure is always funnier than success. 

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

 Palmyra. Their chicken shawarmas are a nice way to reward myself after a tough day. I have never regretted eating there and always meet lovely people on my way in and out of Palmyra. 

Best thing about performing at the fringe?

I like the chaotic routine of doing an hour every day for a month. 

I like seeing people react to the shows, even if they absolutely hate it, I am touched by the effort they put into disliking it, it’s charming. Good or bad, I’ve given couples something new to discuss or complain about on the way home. I also love the people I meet in Edinburgh. I met my husband at the Fringe during a rare moment of bold flyering on my part that made me look like a crazy person. Thankfully we had a mutual friend that vouched for me and assured him I was worth giving the benefit of the doubt.

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

Give yourself 15-30 minutes of wiggle room to get to your destination because chances are you will run into someone who wants a chat or flyer you at least every other block. Triple check show times and venue locations on the City Mapper app. Have at least two pairs of shoes in rotation so they have a chance to dry out between wears. Nearly every shortcut in Edinburgh involves a Mayan temple number of stairs so increasing your daily step count to at least around 20,000 steps a day most days before the fringe should help you climatize to the amount of walking you will do in August. 

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

1. Good headphones: you are going to need to block everything out and escape the sensory overload that is the Fringe sometimes and the easiest way to do that is through music of your choosing

2. Your creature comforts: Whatever centers you and makes you feel more like yourself. For me, that’s a stack of fresh pocket-size notebooks, an array of Lamy ballpoint pens in different colours, my 24-ounce coffee tumbler designed for long-haul truckers, a pair of pink plaid pajamas and a pair of computer glasses I don’t need that make me feel like Arthur Miller.   

3. A sense of adventure: Things will rarely go to plan and it’s only a month. Go and see something you never would otherwise.

What’s the secret to successful flyering? 

Knowing the psychographics of your target audience is key. I know mine; they are nice people with dark senses of humour. If they stop to talk to me when I flyer them, I already know they are nice. I ask them if they like dark comedy. If they do, I tell them more about the show because I have something they would be interested in. If being in a Christian cult has taught me anything, it is excellent sales and marketing. Knowing how to meet people where they are is key. 

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

@springdaycomedy for X and Instagram Spring Day Comedian for Facebook. If you google just ‘Spring Day’, you’ll get a ton of gardening articles.

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

It’s Glee for the Damned. Come laugh with me. You’ll feel less alone.