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!

Odds Are

Location:   Assembly Roxy – Roxyboxy (Venue 139)

Dates:  Jul 30th -10th, 12th-25th

Time: 14:55

Price: £13 Concessions £12

Ticket Link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/odds-are

Hello! Tell us about yourself?

Hello! My name is Smita Russell, and I’m a playwright and performer based in New York City. I started performing in group shows exactly two years ago, and now I have a full production, backed by an incredible team! I’m waiting for someone to yell “Cut!”

I’ll be coming to Edinburgh with my young family. It should be a curious experiment. My toddler overheard me talking about Fringe back in February and has been doing a daily full-body jump-and-chant of “Edinburgh! Edinburgh!” ever since. He says he can’t wait to hand out flyers and tell people to go see his Mama perform. This poor kid gets his excitability from me. I gave him two thumbs up for enthusiasm, but I’ll have to check that we don’t run afoul of Scottish child labour laws! I cannot wait to show him the city and hope he picks up just a touch of Scottish brogue to balance out his American accent.

Tell us all about your show!

It’s a whirlwind, jam-packed solo show about a series of events that’ll leave your jaw hanging on the floor. It’s about a diagnosis of “bad luck” and how I used science, myth and story-telling to make sense of things.

The show’s picked up a slew of awards and a lot of momentum, and we are eager to share it with a wide audience at Fringe.

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

My husband John does not impress easily, but when I told him that Nish Kumar and Paul Williams would be performing, he went into full fan mode. We are obsessed with Taskmaster and British panel shows, and the chance to see our favourite comics is unreal.

I’ve also befriended a lot of US-based performers and producers over the past few months, so I’m eager to catch Jackie!!! and David and Katie Get Re-Married and Nobody Cares, among many others. My husband and I also plan to take in a lot of children’s shows with our toddler. Basically, I want to pack in as many performances as possible while still being an attentive mum.

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.

I’ve been talking with Fringe veterans, and honestly, Fringe sounds like being a new parent: you’re sharing this very personal piece of yourself with the world, and it’s a source of euphoria and exhaustion. The best piece of advice though? Don’t just survive the experience. Soak it in, cuz it goes by in a wink. And catch some sleep if possible.

If this is your first time – what are you looking forward to?

I’m eager for all of it, the whole experience. I want to get on the Royal Mile and flyer, perform daily, be inspired by other artists, build my community. I know I will be bone-tired by the end, but it’ll be the best type of exhaustion and exhilaration, like hiking Mont Blanc. (Except with less cheese and hot chocolate? TBD.)

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

My show is in the afternoon, at 14:55, so I plan to get up with my family, make sure everyone is fed and explore a small part of the city (the key is not to be too ambitious and make the adventure small). I’m aiming to get to Assembly Roxy to flyer around noon with one of my producers, Shin Lee, who also happens to be a friend from uni. We’re both chatty and tend to get slightly ridiculous around each other, so this should be a good time.

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

I love grabbing street food in Edinburgh. The experimentation, variety, the enthusiasm of the vendors — there’s nothing better.  There will inevitably be 16 different takes on haggis, and my proud Scottish husband will methodically try them all. And what’s not to love about swapping bites and stories at communal tables?

Best thing about performing at the fringe?

The people, hands down. Fringe is so insanely electric! Where else do thousands of people from the world over, artists of every stripe — storytellers, comedians, clowns, musicians, dancers, mimes — come together to pour out their souls for a month? I want to be awe-struck and inspired.

And the audiences? Probably the best part of the whole thing. The crowds in Edinburgh are mad supportive and ready to lean into new material. I know I’ll both get a good cross section and need to work hard to get butts in seats.

But boy am I ready for the experience! I can’t wait to share it with my loved ones and make new friends. The dream is that the show resonates with audiences, and people hang back to share their own stories after curtain.

What is the hardest part about performing at the Fringe?

Not to give a beauty pageant response, but the wealth of options means I won’t be able to catch everything. Sure, I can watch recordings of some of the shows I miss, but that’s not the same as seeing it on stage. Live performance is one of the few ways we get to connect with others without screens and filters these days. I wish I could be in every room where it happens.

Do you bring anything special from home to make it feel more special whilst you are away?

My toddler is planning to bring his Lego collection, which means our dorm room floor will be littered with those plastic landmines. I will inevitably step on them at least 15 times a day and (silently) curse my fate.

What are your best hacks to save money whilst at the Fringe?

Stay in dorms! I was stunned by the prices when I was first looking for housing, and friends won me over to the dorm life (each room has a private bath, which is essential).

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

Duct tape! Or gaffer tape, as you call it. My producer, Shin, is packing several rolls to fix everything. At a recent performance, she wanted to duct tape a prop to a table, but a stagehand talked her out of it. Naturally, the prop fell twice before I even walked on. Now Shin plans to tape everything. Like they always say: Tape it till you make it!

Reckless optimism! I’ve heard John Oliver talk about having an audience of four walk out on him during a Fringe outing, but I’ve also heard of novice performers selling out their whole run. I won’t say I’m eager to have my spirit crushed, but it’s a long month, I’m really proud of our little show and I trust we will find our audience.

Sleep kit trinity of eye plugs, eye mask and sound machine! How else will I block out the bagpipes, soliloquies, and aggressive Scottish sunrises?

What’s the secret to successful flyering?

I attended my first networking event in November, and I was pretty nervous, because I felt I didn’t have the skills. I quickly learned it’s just about being human, having a genuine conversation and perhaps asking for a business card at the end. Flyering is no different.

Trumpeting the show’s name into the air will annoy everyone. It’s more about grabbing attention with some flair and then singling out people for a heart-to-heart. My show is about connection, so I’ll measure success by how many people we pull aside for a chat, as opposed to how many flyers we stuff into the hands of weary passers-by.

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

Follow us at https://www.smitarussell.com/ or @oddsareshow on socials!

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

Humour, heartbreak, hope.

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