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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2BSS

Location:  Baby Grand at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33)

Dates:  Aug 5th-11th, 13th-18th, 20th – 25th, 27th-30th

Time: 12:45

Price: £15 Concessions £14

Ticket Link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-second-best-school-shooting

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Hello! Tell us all about your show!

Well, it’s a dark comedy about school shootings. Specifically, the play follows two best friends struggling to process surviving a school shooting that is overshadowed by a much worse school shooting on the same day.

I was inspired to write this play as a Chicago Public Schools teacher, when I observed my students were processing the ever-present threat of shootings with gnarly gallows’ humour. I wondered if we might find more solutions to our gun epidemic if adults understood how young people actually talk and think about the issue. Since first writing the show in 2022, I’ve developed the piece with hundreds of students, teachers, activists, and survivors from all over the country. I’m so excited for the piece to finally have its official debut at Fringe.

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

I’ve gotta shout out the improvised musical Baby Wants Candy. I was on cast with them in 2019 and will be popping into shows throughout Fringe.

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. 

This is my third time at Fringe! I had the immensely lucky chance to go just after high school, and it totally changed my life. Then, going again in 2019 with Baby Wants Candy was the most fun, fulfilling experience ever. The biggest piece of advice is the most basic piece of advice: Fringe is a marathon, not a sprint. For the love of god, you’ve got to sleep.

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

I need to keep up my writing practice no matter where in the world I am or I become a miserable demon. So I like to get up early and go for a run/workout, then hit a cafe to write for an hour or two before the city gets busy. (I’m also obsessed with slamming millionaire shortbread first thing in the morning.)

Around 11 I’ll start prepping for our show and making sure the actors have all they need. The play will go up at 12:45 each day, then afterward, I’ll be holding space in the Courtyard for audience members to share their thoughts and feelings about gun violence. We’ll also be fundraising for the youth-led activist group March For Our Lives, so I may be walking around shaking a jar of coins.

The evening will be for watching as many shows as my eyeballs can handle! Some nights I’ll also do improv. And finally, much yapping in the company flat before bed. Maybe a millionaire shortbread nightcap.

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

Last Fringe I became addicted to a vegan chicken biscoff sandwich from a tiny shack. I am hoping that miracle sandwich still exists, but it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.

Best thing about performing at the fringe?

The best thing about performing at Fringe is knowing there will be another show tomorrow.

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

Maybe cult leader-adjacent, but I made matching bracelets for all the actors who have ever developed this play with me. I’ll be wearing mine with pride all fest, to represent the amazing artists who have touched these roles.

I’ve also got a few letters from shooting survivors I read when the going gets tough. I am so honoured this play represents them. Those letters remind me why I do this work.

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

I am a big believer in going to little unknown 2-for-1 shows. Do NOT underestimate a cheap weird play in a basement! I saw a weird basement play at my first Fringe just because it was cheap, and I still think about it to this day.

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

You can find me on Instagram, @astanjr! I also technically have a Bluesky account, but it’s just where I repost anti-billionaire memes and Gaylor theories.

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