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 Little Prince

Location:   Beyond at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33)

Dates:  Jul 30th -3rd, 5th-10th, 12th-17th, 19th-24th

Time: 12:00

Price: £15 Concession £14.50

Ticket Link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-little-prince

Hello! Tell us about yourself? 

Tell you about me? Hmm, OK, let’s see. I have blue eyes and no siblings and bad circulation due to tallness and a scar on my left hip from when I stood on an unsound wicker stool at the age of three and it collapsed into a monstrous pile of splinters and nails. I am a poet and theatre maker. I like to meditate, to cook, to play jazz piano. And now this is starting to feel like a dating app bio so I think I’ll leave it there. 

Tell us all about your show!

My show is an adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s classic novella The Little Prince. I am the writer and performer, but so many outstanding creatives were involved in bringing this story to life. We’ve sought to create an experience that is, like the original book, philosophical and silly, bittersweet and joyous, both intimately poignant and cosmically vast. The performance lasts an hour. It’s advertised as 8+, but adults without children are very much welcome. It features a full original score that I adore beyond words. What else? Oh just come along. It’s a feast for the senses, I promise. 

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

I’m looking forward to Benji Waterhouse’s Maddening at Pleasance Beneath. A deeply charming guy. I ran into him at Ventnor Fringe on the Isle Of Wight two years ago when he was performing this show as a scratch. It was good then, and I’ve heard only golden things about its development since. 

I’ll definitely go and see Chris Thorpe perform ‘Talking About The Fire’ over at Shedinburgh. He’s been a generous mentor to me this past year and watching him perform his work always inspires me to get back to the page. 

Also Will Pickvance with Piano Noir at Summerhall. We somehow keep following each other around China, touring different shows. I’ve met him on Zoom and watched his work online, but this is the first time we’ll be at the same festival at the same time. 

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 have been to the Fringe a couple of times as a performer. I would recommend making the performance sacred. Have a ritual for getting ready for it. Make sure it has what it needs from you in terms of energy and care. And then when it’s done for the day, or while it’s still way off in the evening, give yourself to the rest of the festival. Follow the random connections. It’s such a high density of arts lovers, magic will sweep you up if you’re open to being swept.

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

Not to be an insufferable millennial or anything, but I will definitely be having a cold shower upon waking. I’ll do a little workout. Meditate a bit. Create or discover a strong, froth-topped coffee. Put in an hour or two of writing. Have a quick nap. Head to the venue. Warm up my body and voice for the show. Do the show at midday. Get some lunch after. Decide over lunch on some things to go to and see. Go and see some things. Sleep, repeat. Sleep, repeat. Those are the plans anyway, we’ll have to wait and see how funny God finds them. 

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

I seem to recall a particularly delicious dinner at Mother India one night in 2018.

Best thing about performing at the fringe?

You’re in the middle of an explosion of shows wherever you are. Normally touring you’re the only thing in the theatre, you and the other performers go through the theatres in single file, taking turns. Here it’s all happening around you. You can just bathe in the art. 

What is the hardest part about performing at the Fringe?

Finding the balance between making the most of all the possibilities and preserving your energy. It’s a little intensified microcosm of life in that way. 

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

I have a tiny bronze buddha that my dear friend Jane gave me. I take him with me wherever I go around the world, he’ll be in my coin pocket or on my bedside table. I also have a self-massage gun I’m pretty fond of. 

what’s the secret to successful flyering? 

What I recommend, if you’re something of an introvert like me and the idea of flyering brings you out in cold sweats, is to find a couple of broke extroverts who love your show, and employ them to flyer on your behalf. I had great success with this method the last time I was in town. 

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

I’m sporadically on Instagram @tobythompson__ , and my website is http://www.tobythompson.co.uk, which I keep updated with upcoming gigs and ongoing projects and so forth. And there’s a mailing list you can sign up to.

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

Three words! OK. Umm. Because… No! I hadn’t started yet. Because doesn’t count. People should come for… Well actually I’m not sure they necessarily should. They certainly shouldn’t come because of any feeling of should. Life is full of duties. Let not this be another one. Alright, I think I have them. People should come: if they want. Or alternatively: for joy alone. And I very much hope to: see them there. 

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