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!

Do You Accept These Charges?

Location:   Below at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33)

Dates:  Jul 30th -11th, 13th-17th, 19th-24th

Time: 15:10

Price: £13 Concessions £11.50

Ticket Link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/do-you-accept-these-charges

Hello! Tell us about yourself?

My name is Laurie Magers and I’m a queer Filipino TV writer and actor based in Los Angeles. However, I proudly hail from the San Francisco bay area where I began my writing career as a competitive poet. I’ve been lucky enough to grace famous stages and win poetry slams across the country. After moving to LA, I trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater where I am currently the Artistic Director of Sketch Comedy. Some of my cool other jobs are that I worked in the writers room for AppleTV’s “Severance,” I was a writer and actor on Netflix’s action-comedy ”Obliterated.” I’m also currently a writer and actor for the upcoming Netflix animated series “Mating Season” from the creators of “Big Mouth.” 

Apart from working in the industry though, I’ve held several odd jobs. I was a bartender for a decade, worked for a sex entertainment company, and even had a stint as a dog groomer. I like to describe my writing style as “bubbly nihilism,” and everything I writes is heavily influenced by my fraught relationship with my mother, who is a Filipina immigrant that fled the Marcos regime during Martial Law when she was blacklisted for leftist activism.

Community organizing and activism are not only in my blood, but growing up in the bay area of California saw me come of age in a bubble of leftism and progressive ideals. I’m also a love addict, a true gemini and a 100% extrovert. In my spare time, I’m an amateur taxidermist- the hobby helps me cope with my fear of death. I collect typewriters. I have two cats. My favorite color is red, and my favorite food is crab legs.

Tell us all about your show!

Do You Accept These Charges? is a true, narrative solo comedy detailing my relationship with a violent incarcerated multi-felon. Fun stuff! I met him while he was on parole, and continued to date him after he was re-imprisoned, because I was young and dumb and thought I could fix him.

Through a multimedia mix of storytelling and theater, I take the audience through the story of our relationship, pre and post-lock up, from visits to prison letters to drug smuggling to uncovering the darkest of his charges. It explores themes of love addiction, abuse, sexuality, and the complexities of the American prison system, but don’t worry, it’s hilarious.

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

I very much enjoy circus performances, so I’m excited to check out as much as I can that genre. I love a spectacle and a big to-do. I’m also a sucker for poetry. It’s where my writing career started, so I’ll be on the lookout for any shows that employ spoken word or poetry in their program.

I’m also stoked to see the shows that my buddies from LA are bringing out to Edinburgh! We’ve been supporting each other as much as we can in preparation and I will DEFINITELY be hitting up all of their shows: “Heavenly Baba” from Ismael Loutfi, “One Man John Wick” from Woody Fu, and “Beth Wants the D” from Beth May to name a few.

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 not done the Fringe before, but I’ve been taking a ton of advice from Fringe veterans, and to be honest, most of them are just telling me to buckle up, enjoy the moments, and have a therapist on call.

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

I’m super excited to be living in Edinburgh for the month. I’ve visited the city before but only for a couple days  I absolutely loved it and ever since I’ve been wanting to come back for an extended period of time. I’m also looking forward making fans and friends from outside Los Angeles. Living in LA can really feel like living a bubble and I’m stoked to pop that bubble.

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

This is my fringe debut so I am not sure what my daily routine is going to look like yet but I do have some plans set in place. I plan to journal on my typewriter every day. I know Fringe is going to be a fast paced whirlwind and journal entries will have a much more reliable memory of this experience than I will.

I also want to try make at least three news friends and one frenemy every single day.

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

In all my travels, I’ve deduced that no matter where you are, you can’t go wrong with breakfast food. 

Best thing about performing at the fringe?

I love talking about myself, and this experience leading up to the Fringe has been nothing but talking about myself. My show is also like 90% talking about myself. It’s also very cool that it’s like a bucket list item for so many performers and writers and that it’s the largest arts festival in the world. But talking about myself is my favorite. 

What is the hardest part about performing at the Fringe?

The thing I’m most nervous about is maintaining my stamina. My show is exhausting both emotionally and physically and there is only so much coffee and Red Bull in Edinburgh.

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

I have a playlist the sounds of sirens, honking horns, and influencers making content outside my window to bring Hollywood to Scotland with me.

Top tips for travelling around the Fringe and getting to shows on time?

Turn all your clocks and watches back 15 minutes and never look at any other timepieces for the duration of the month.

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

Luckily I’m staying somewhere with a kitchen, so I plan to cook some of my meals at home. I’ve also kind of made a deal with myself to just ignore my bank account balance while I’m at Fringe to avoid that stress and cross my fingers that I don’t overdraw.

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

Portable nebulizer, favorite candies from home to battle homesickness, and a kickass show

what’s the secret to successful flyering?

Giving yourself a good pep talk in the mirror right before you head out to flyer to remind yourself that no level of rejection can tarnish your can do attitude and sunny disposition! If that doesn’t work, imagine that everyone you’re handing a flyer to has a secret crush on you.

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

You can find me on all platforms @lauriemagers and check out my website http://www.lauriemagers.com

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

True stories rule.

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