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!
Improbotics Presents: Artificial Reality
Location: Just The Tonic at The Caves – Just The Big Room (Venue 88)
Dates: Aug 14th-17th, 19th-30th
Time: 15:00
Price: £12 Concessions £10
Ticket Link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/improbotics-presents-artificial-reality
Hello! Tell us all about your show!
Artificial Reality is an improvised show where the audience become the producers of a chaotic reality TV experiment. Using questionable methods, dodgy AI, wild characters and deepfake celebrities, we lovingly sabotage the genre.
Led by an overzealous executive producer, the crowd controls the action as contestants battle it out for audience approval. But thanks to some very suspicious budget cuts, our “celebrities” are cobbled together using our own Artificial Reality™ methods. Think deepfakes, live video generation, and AR glasses feeding chatbot lines straight into their brains.
As contestants start getting replaced by AI, the show spirals into a fast-paced, high-tech satire of AI slop, capitalism, celebrity culture, and our obsession with watching it all unfold. Brought to you by the award-winning pioneers of robot theatre.
What other acts are you looking forward to seeing at the fringe?
Of a similar flavour (and an excellent namesake), there’s a show called Robot Vacuum Fight Club, a game show featuring robots and fighting, which feels like the perfect follow-up to our own! And sticking with the improv game show theme, we’d of course be remiss not to mention BATSU!
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.
We’ve been coming to the Fringe for about four years now. Our key advice? Pace yourself—there are so many shows to see, and you can’t do it all in a day (one of us tried and got sick). Flyer as much as possible. Even when you feel like you’ve already handed out a hundred, go and do a hundred more. And whether you’re performing to one person or a hundred, always give it everything— everyone deserves your best show.
Talk us through your daily routine for a day at the Fringe
Wake up early, even if we were out the night before at a late-night clown show, and get straight into prep for a few hours on the Royal Mile. Grab a coffee, a stack of flyers, pop on the robot hat, and get flyering. About an hour before showtime, we meet up with the team to warm up our voices, minds, and bodies. Then it’s showtime—give it everything. Afterwards, we’ll usually grab some food around Bristo Square and then head off to catch a show or two ourselves.
OK, where is your favourite place to eat at the Fringe?
David Bann, Old Woods Café, and Tuk Tuk Indian. Our Fringe survival trio. Something wholesome, something cosy, and something spicy enough to keep us going. Also, we love friendly coffee places: and that means a place that doesn’t enforce a stupid no laptop policy when you are an artist in August, trying to respond to press interview questions, print new posters, adjust some cues or program the robot.
Best thing about performing at the Fringe?
The best thing is the variety of audiences, you never quite know what show you’re going to get each night, which keeps everything fresh and exciting. We also love meeting other artists, seeing their work, and supporting each other. The Fringe is brilliant for making new friends, you end up building a little creative community while you’re there.
Do you bring anything special from home to make it feel more special whilst you are away?
I think everyone in the team brings a little something from home to make the Fringe feel special. Some bring extra costumes so they can try out new characters on the streets of Edinburgh, while others pack games for those rare quiet nights in together.
What are your best hacks to save money whilst at the Fringe?
Go and see Free Fringe shows, they’re fantastic. And if you can, throw in a few pounds at the end; it really goes a long way for performers who’ve come all this way to put on a free show.
If people want to find out more about you, where can they follow you on social media?
You can follow us on Instagram at:
https://instagram.com/improbotics
That’s where we post updates, behind-the-scenes chaos, and all things Improbotics!
And Finally in three words – Why should people come and see the show?
Unexpected, uncanny, unforgettable
Welcome to The Phoenix Remix 
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