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!

The Faustus Project 

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

Dates:  Jul 31st -10th, 12th-24th

Time: 21:05

Price: £12.50 Concessions £11.50

Ticket Link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-faustus-project

Hello! Tell us about yourself? 

I’m Caden, I am the director of The Faustus Project and one quarter of Half Trick. I’m from New Zealand originally, now living in Edinburgh. I direct, write, act, do a bit of fight choreography and dramaturgy too. Usually dark, funny, experimental, or all of the above. I used to deal card games in casinos and tell stories to tourists, but those days are past me now. 

This year I’m playing a handsome, serious doctor in a serious Tennesee Williams play (EGTG’s Suddenly Last Summer) and then a grown up Augustus Gloop the week after that (Half Trick’s very own Waiting for Wonka) so, y’know. I don’t want to brag, but let’s just say I’ve got range. 

Tell us all about your show! 

The Faustus Project is a late-night version of Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, where the actor playing Faustus hasn’t rehearsed with the rest of the cast. They know the play, and they have their magic spellbook in hand so they don’t get lost, but the rest of the cast have come up with an extremely challenging gauntlet of games, surprises, and unexpected twists to make the show as difficult for them to perform as possible. So instead of playing a character who sells their soul, the actor literally sells their soul to us.

There’s a different guest every night, they don’t really have a clue what they’ve signed up for and they get one shot at fame and glory (just like Faustus! And just like Fringe.) I don’t want to give too much away in case any of our guests read this, but let’s just say that no matter how much it goes off the rails (and go off the rails it does indeed) it all ends with them being dragged, kicking and screaming, to hell. 

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

Dune the Musical is a perfect Fringe show and the most faithful Dune adaptation ever made (I’m not kidding), Absolute Monopoly is back for three nights only and is the exact sort of comedy nonsense I want, expect, and demand from Fringe. Our pals over at Martyr Theatre are cooking up not one but two offerings: W3 and Dracula’s Guest; and our pals at Insane Odds are bringing Fatherless Monster. Tartan Tabletop has your daily dose of side-splitting Dungeons and Dragons antics (come on the 10th for a special guest… it’s me, I’m the guest.) And not to forget the return season of Alone with Alchemy Theatre, which is just some blindingly good sci-fi drama. 

Special shoutout to The Barden Party, bringing Macbeth, who are, for the first time, coming a long, long way, all the way from New Zealand, just like Half Trick did all those years ago.

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.

See other shows! If you’re lucky enough to have a venue with standby tickets, go to as many as you can. These other shows are your community, and that’s what it’s all about. Take chances as well. See something weird, or something you’d never see otherwise. 

Don’t worry about numbers. They say the average number of audience members in any given show is three. So if you’re looking at a house of one or two, that’s just a below average night. 

Unless you have a way of putting them up, like a venue agreement or paid distribution, you need fewer posters than you think. It becomes borderline impossible to put them up anywhere. 

Meet people and talk, especially if they’re not the kind of people you’d usually talk to. It’s a good way to gain friends all across the world. 

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

Our show’s a late one, so depending on what happened the night before, maybe wake up around 10. Make sure all the laundry’s done from the mess of last night’s show. Either do or delegate to the rest of the team the variety of weird and secret tasks that our show-prep requires (who’s making the spaghetti? Who’s spying on our guest actor? Who’s making the effigies to burn?)

During the day, I’ll usually have a rehearsal or two booked with our guest Faustuses, and where I don’t, I’ll be out and about seeing what shows I can fit in. Come together with the team around 8, warm up, check in, make a game plan for how to torture our lovely guest, guest arrives, showtime 9:05pm, torture our lovely guest, finish around 10, cleanup and aftercare for our lovely guest. Drinks after (with a backpack full of sticky clothes) and then who the hell knows? 

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

We like it quick, we like it cheap and we like it hot. Street of Beijing in Tollcross, Kebab Cappadocia, Ting Thai Caravan. Real ones know it’s all about the Nile Valley Bary Wrap (spicy.) 

Best thing about performing at the fringe? 

Call me crazy, I love seeing the city I live in get completely taken over. I love the little pockets of different coloured venue signage. The geographical quirks of Fringe City laid on top of Edinburgh’s already very quirky geography. The George Square shared custody between Assembly and Underbelly. Watching an enormous queue snaking out of a tiny little doorway at eleven o’clock in the morning (it’s always for the most unexpected things.) Finding a new shortcut somewhere, zigzagging between pop-up bars, dodging flyerers. Seeing an absolute hero of a techie wearing about 10 different coloured lanyards. Stumbling on a quiet oasis in a side-street where nothing’s going on. Going to an unfamiliar venue is like going to a different country. 

This isn’t to mention that if you get lucky and time it right, you can see three life-changing shows in just under 4 hours. There’s absolutely nothing like it.

What is the hardest part about performing at the Fringe? 

How it takes a whole year of mental preparation. Organising submissions in September-December, dealing with admin January-March, rehearsing and preparing April-July, and performing all August. If there’s a less invested way to do it, I’m all ears. 

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

All of us at Half Trick packed our lives in a bag and moved here from New Zealand 2 years ago, so this is home. Our house is littered with remnants from our past shows and they feel special to us: A cursed mask made with deer teeth; some giant paper mache hands; a life-sized mannequin of a dead body tied to our ceiling, and lots of blood-soaked leather books. Home sweet home. 

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

1) move up here! Edinburgh is a beautiful place to live, and a great creative place to be year-round. The first Fringe we did, our accommodation cost more for that month alone than our annual rent is now. So, um… sorry to anyone paying that much, like we did. 

2) scrounge, scrounge, scrounge. Scrounge like the little theatre rat you are. Don’t pay for anything you don’t have to. Pick up stuff from the side of the road. Loan, gift, buy and beg set, props, and costume from people you meet. Use facebook groups to find deals and freebies. Pay it forward too, if your show’s done, see if anyone needs any of your stuff. 

3) If your accommodation has any kind of cooking facility, then cook cook cook! Find your local supermarket, and find your other local supermarket that’s slightly cheaper but fifteen minutes further away. I promise, no one is judging you for bringing a homemade sandwich in tupperware out with you. They’re only looking at you funny because they’re jealous they didn’t think to do that themselves. 

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

1) Good walking shoes – Edinburgh is nothing but hills and steps. Beautiful hills and steps, but hills and steps nonetheless. 

2) Something to do in your downtime. Only a psychopath would spend 18 hours of every single August day out and about. The day will come where you need to do absolutely nothing and ideally see no one and speak to no one. A nice girthy novel, a travel-sized board game if you’re in a group, some knitting, whatever you like. 

3) Backups of everything. Is your show tech heavy? Carry a second hard drive and also a cloud upload. Are you a musician? A second guitar is maybe hard to fit in the overhead bins on the plane, but at least have a contingency plan. If you’re doing theatre, nominate an understudy if you can afford to. There’s no worse feeling than being metaphorically up the creek without a paddle.

what’s the secret to successful flyering? 

You have to make a sacrifice to the flyering gods atop Arthur’s Seat at midnight on July 31st. I have done this already, so I’ll share their advice: Target groups of people you think will like your show specifically. Is your show a student comedy by and about students, for students? Don’t waste your paper on pensioners. Go find some students! If it’s a horror play, go find some goths. (Exit flyering similar shows to your own is GREAT if the performer/venue will allow it.) 

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

halftricktheatre on instagram 

halftrick.bsky.social on bluesky 

halftrick_theatre on tiktok 

HalfTrickTheatre on Facebook 

And our website halftrick.com 

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

We. Don’t. Play. By the rules.

Thank you again for all your support in reading and engaging with the website.

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