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!

Playback

Location:   Delhi Belly – Underbelly, Cowgate (Venue 61)

Dates:  Jul 31st -11th, 13th-24th

Time: 15:55

Price: £12 Concessions £11

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

Hello! Tell us about yourself?

Hi! My name’s Euan Munro, I’m a Scottish actor/writer/filmmaker/show-off based in Glasgow. I graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2023, and since then I’ve been working on telling stories that interest me, hopefully interest others, and hopefully say something meaningful about the increasingly weird times we’re living in.

My first short film Raindogenjoyed a lovely festival run last year, touring BAFTA & BIFA-qualifying festivals around the world and taking home a few awards. My follow-up short is in the final stages of post production and, with any luck, should be hitting the festivals soon. Playback marks my theatrical debut as a writer/performer, and I’m absolutely buzzing to bring it to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe!

Tell us all about your show!

Playback is an autobiographical comedy-drama play drawn from my lived experience of being a YouTuber between the ages of 11 and 14. Shortlisted for the 2024 David MacLennan Award, the show combines live performance with footage from my actual, hilariously awkward childhood YouTube videos to tell a deeply personal, darkly comic story about growing up online.

It’s a funny, nostalgic and utterly unique hour of theatre with a good few gut-punches and a whole lot to say about internet safety, digital consent and the shadows cast by early online exposure. The play runs from 31st July – 24th August at Underbelly Cowgate.

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

I’m really excited to see Lex Joyce’s I Kissed Batman directed by the brilliant Douglas Yannaghas – Shark Bait Theatre have produced some amazing work at previous Fringes and I can’t wait to see what they have in store this time! I’m also really looking forward to seeing Amelia Rodger’s Jumper Bumps at Gilded Balloon, directed and produced by the wonderful Emma Ruse – it’s bound to be a fantastic show and I’m buzzing to see it.

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 first time bringing a show to the Fringe! I’ve been watching my friends in awe as they’ve staged their shows these past few years and have finally succumbed to the FOMO. My friend & producer Peter has given me a ton of great advice going in, the best of which has probably been: “Knowing how anxious and neurotic you are, it’d be best not to look at the audience reports and ticket sales throughout the run.” This is objectively good advice. I will absolutely be looking at the audience reports and ticket sales throughout the run.

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

I’m just so excited to share this play with people. I’ve been working on it more or less in isolation for over a year now, so to perform it to a room – hear an audience laugh & gasp along with it, feel their energy change – will be absolutely surreal.

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

I can’t say for sure, but I can only imagine:

9am-12pm: Wake up, breakfast, doomscroll, nervous poo. 
1pm: Catch the train.
2pm: Arrive in Edinburgh, see a show, grab lunch, arrive at venue, nervous poo #2.
3:55pm: Showtime!
5pm: Curtain call. Accept flowers, sign Netflix deal, win Nobel Peace Prize. 
6pm: Kebab.
7pm: Get home, read reviews.
8pm-11pm: Cry in the shower.
12am: Nervous poo #3.
1am: Bed!

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

I did a play once at The Hub at the end of the Royal Mile, and across the road there’s a place called the Little Inn Cafe that does an awe-inspiring chorizo panini. It’s been three years and not a moment goes by that I don’t crave that panini.

Best thing about performing at the Fringe?

The Little Inn Cafe’s chorizo panini. 

Jokes aside, I imagine it’s the audiences. Where else would you find such a large, diverse and generous crowd hungry for bold, new, experimental work? Everyone’s here to see something they haven’t seen before, and I find that really exciting.

What is the hardest part about performing at the Fringe?

I think it’ll be a good test of our stamina. The show’s pretty intense and even performing it once seems like a big mental and physical workout, never mind 24 times. I foresee lots of napping and caffeine!

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

I live in Glasgow, so I’ll still be staying at home throughout the run. My Railcard will become very special to me for that month, though.

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

Live in Glasgow!

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

At all times, I’ll be carrying…

1: Water. Good for your voice. Helps you stay cool. Necessary for the biological functions of all living organisms.

2: Snacks. Hunger can strike at any time and a rogue stomach rumble could upset the dramatic flow of your play. I’m partial to a bag of Terry’s Chocolate Orange Minis.

3: Deodorant. In August, Edinburgh is easily the sweatiest place on Earth. Every little helps.

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

I’ve never actually flyered before, but it seems like a very fine art. I’ll be doing a lot of it in August so if anyone does happen to know the secret to successful flyering, please drop me a line!

You can find us on Instagram and TikTok, both @playback_fringe.

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

Not clickbait. Promise.

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