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!

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Prophets

Location:   Assembly Roxy at Roxy Boxy (Venue 139)

Dates:  Aug 5th -11th, 13th-16th, 18th-23rd, 25th-31st

Time: 17:45

Price: £16 Concessions £15

Ticket Link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/prophets

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Hello! Tell us all about your show!

Prophets is about Kerris, a researcher from Scotland who travels to a tiny island in the South Pacific Ocean – a British Overseas Territory called Saint John. When she gets there Kerris quickly discovers the 48 people on the island are under the control of a strange and dangerous cult centered on worshipping a mysterious figure known only as The Prophet. It’s part mystery, part thriller, and a deep-dive into cults, violence, faith, and politics on the edge of the world.

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

Scottish new writing is always the first thing I look for in the programmes, so with that in mind I’m looking forward to seeing Emery Schaffer’s play ‘BearGirl’ (on at Assembly Roxy, in the slot just before us) I’ve seen some readings of this piece and it’s really something special. I’m also really looking forward to catching Matt Anderson’s hit play ‘Shotgunned’ also on at Assembly as part of this year’s Made In Scotland programme.

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’ve been lucky with the Fringe in the past, I’ve done it a few times. My biggest piece of advice is to lean into what makes your show special – people are massively overstimulated and can see pretty much anything you can think of easily so you need to be really different and distinct. The trick is to give people something that says something new or unexpected. Lean into what makes your writing special. Also helps know the tone of your piece early on and build everything around that. It’s all about cultivating the right vibe. Have confidence in the world you have made and that’s all you can do.

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

As the writer and not the performer I have the luxury of not having to stick to a daily routine, I haven’t got to strike a set or get in and out of costume, that said I am in the habit of seeing shows in sequence – starting with Scottish new writing, then international work, I also try to make August a time to socialise and get artist pals together as we’re all in one place for the month.

Before I moved to Edinburgh most of my daily fringe routine would be spent sorting a new sofa to crash on. This will be my first Fringe run while living in Edinburgh so I am looking forward to taking things slow and not burning all my bridges with friends by living on their sofas for days / weeks at a time (or staying in a condemned building with no water or electricity, true story)

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

Mosque Kitchen. Catch me there on the regular. They call me the Scrantom of the Opera.

Best thing about performing at the fringe?

I hope that actors like saying the words I write, but from my perspective I am privileged enough to see my words become better every time the actors perform them. I think writers only bring 50% at most, the rest happens in the room, it comes from the production and the individual choices of actors. I love the special exchange between audience and storyteller that can happen in the middle of the festival chaos. The audience members walk out into that late evening light and feel somehow changed or challenged by what they’ve just seen. I think that’s true for all theatre, but the Fringe feels like the best way to get that feeling everyday.

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

A pink quartz stone I carry in my pocket. Long story there.

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

I pulled on literally every connection in the phonebook to get sofas / spare rooms to sleep in during July / August, I’m talking mates of mates, folk from school, you name it. Line one, page one, accommodation is your biggest cost and so if you find people willing to be nice and let you stay for a reasonable amount (or free!) then take it and be a well behaved guest.

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

I am on Instagram at @jmacr_ but I’m also on Bluesky and the smouldering ruins of X (“the everything app”). Instagram is probably the best place to follow me on though!

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

Cults – Crisis – Paleoclimatology

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