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!

DYKE Systems Ltd

Location:   Cellar at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33)

Dates:  Jul 30th 5th,7th-11th, 13th-18th, 20th-23rd

Time: 15:00

Price: £12 Concessions £11

Ticket Link:https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/dyke-systems-ltd

Hello! Tell us about yourself? 

We’re Fag Packet – a queer double act making silly, strange, and satirical cabaret and theatre. Since starting out in 2022, we’ve been lucky enough to sell out shows with our bizarre little creations – including Two Indie Boys from Reading and our latest lovechild, DYKE Systems Ltd! 

Tell us all about your show 

DYKE Systems Ltd dives into the warped world of Multi-Level Marketing through the lens of Sally and Susan—two repressed suburban housewives desperate to climb the corporate pyramid. As their glossy façade begins to crack, their ambitions spiral out of control, revealing the lies, tensions, and buried desires that define their relationship. 

Blending Fag Packet’s signature cocktail of comedy, physical theatre, audience interaction and drag, the show satirises the clash between queerness and ruthless normativity. Irreverent, camp and cutting, DYKE Systems Ltd asks: what happens when you try to force messy, human realities into rigid systems? The more tightly you cling to control, the closer you come to rupture. 

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

There are so many shows we can’t wait to see at the Fringe this year! Just to name a few: In Bed With My Brother’s new show Philosophy of the World, Su Mi: THISMOTHERPHUCKER, and Cabbage the Clown: Cinema World. The programme is bursting with incredible work by queer artists, and we feel so lucky to be part of it – and to get the chance to soak it all up. 

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.

It’s our very first time doing a full run at the Edinburgh Fringe! We’ve been warned that it’s dangerously easy to get swept up in the excitement – so many shows, so many late-night adventures – but we’re also trying to remind ourselves to go to bed at a reasonable hour (wish us luck). 

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

We’re so excited to bring DYKE Systems Ltd to the Edinburgh Fringe! We absolutely love the world of the show and the characters we’ve created – so getting to perform it every single day (lol help) and share it with a public audience is going to be wild, brilliant, and a big step for us as artists.

We’re also buzzing just to be at the Fringe – soaking up the chaos, seeing tons of inspiring work, and being part of that huge, beautiful variety. Oh and of course, our Pleasance Pass. 

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

Ours has to be Nile Valley Café – especially sitting downstairs with a shish kebab. 

Best thing about performing at the fringe? 

We haven’t ever done a full run before, so what we’re most looking forward to is really stretching ourselves as performers and gaining all the skills that come from performing to so many different audiences. As this is a brand new show, we’re excited to discover it inside and out. The Fringe gives us the chance to see how the show grows and shifts each day – and we can’t wait to see where it ends up by the end of August and how many people we have managed to recruit into DYKE Systems Ltd. 

What is the hardest part about performing at the Fringe? 

Probably getting into full drag every day… and flyering in heels. We’re mentally preparing for it! We’ve also heard the classic tales of one-person audiences and the challenge of still giving it your all. Honestly, we’re just hoping that one person is really up for it. 

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

We’re definitely planning to make the most of our Pleasance Pass to see loads of amazing shows while keeping costs down. We’ve also heard it’s really helpful to batch cook at least one day a week—so you’re not tempted to spend all your money on tasty snacks (though let’s be honest, there’ll still be some of that). 

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

Taking advice from friends, we’d say: Berocca, Clothes for any weather at any time and a steam inhaler. 

Whats the secret to successful flyering?

We’re counting on our garish costumes and ginormous wigs to do most of the talking while we flyer — it will be hard to ignore these two housewives! Since our show is about being recruited into a shadowy, *alleged* pyramid scheme, we like to think of flyering as the very first step in indoctrinating the audience into DYKE Systems Ltd. Welcome aboard! 

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

We wish we could bring our cats, but in this instance, photos will have to do. I have definitely rinsed years of Fringe sofa stays, so now it’s time to repay the debt – which means our special items from home will be our mates, sleeping on our sofa this time. 

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

We will be posting all our Edinburgh updates onto our instagram, @fag_packet! 

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

It’s a camp, it’s chaotic and hilarious! 

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

If you want to help support the website then you can! You can buy Holly a cup of tea (and a biscuit!)