Persistent And Nasty

Today Elaine chats with writer/performer Yolanda Mercy about her new show Failure Project. We chat the meta- ness of the show, being an independent artist, the importance of care and how we need to implement that more and how vital it is that we all evolve and understand when we have made a mistake and acknowledge that mistake and apologies. Failure Project - Summerhall Dates: 1st - 26th AUGUST (not 12, 19, August) @ 1.30 pm Tickets available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/failure-project Failure Project Written and performed by BAFTA nominee Yolanda Mercy. Failure Project is a “Comedy drama... Or “dramedy” about Ade. Ade is a successful writer, or so it seems. She has everything she has ever wanted; her career is flying, she’s (kinda) moved out of her mums house, her situationship isn’t as complicated as she expected. Life is perfect?! But things don’t always go how you plan, and Ade is about to find that out? Yolanda Mercy BAFTA Nominee -Yolanda Mercy is a British Nigerian writer, perfo

Today Elaine chats with Isley Lynn and Libby Rodliffe the co-writers and performer of Jobsworth. We chat the inspiration for the show, shame around debt and our lack of honestly when it comes to finical maters, the comedy of bad bosses and we have a great laugh. Jobsworth - Pleasence Courtyard - Upstairs Dates: 31st July - 26th AUGUST (not 14th) @ 1.45 pm Tickets available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/jobsworth Jobsworth Bea's secretly working three full-time jobs. All at the same time. And she's still financially f*cked. Between looking after luxury flats and dogsitting the world's ugliest pooch, she's neck-deep in employers and it's only a matter of time until someone finds out she's breaking all her contracts. Armed with nothing but her smarmiest boss' dirty secret, can Bea get herself out of the red and into the black (and into the fit intern's bed)? Or will the plates she's been spinning come crashing down around her and her dysfunctional family? A riotous comedy about snakes and sur

Today Elaine chats with writer/performer Isabelle Farah about her new show, looking back at history, retelling stories, standing against all forms of right-wing terrorism and much more. Isabelle Farah: Nebuchadnezzar- Assembly George Square Studios Dates: 31st JULY - 25th AUGUST (not 12, 19, 20 August) @ 3.10 pm Tickets available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/isabelle-farah-nebuchadnezzar Isabelle Farah: Nebuchadnezzar My new (third! THIRD?!) hour. A comedy storytelling hour set in ancient Babylon. About Nebuchadnezzar (Nobu) and Amytis, how they meet, fall in love, how they eventually fall in love despite their differences. There will be silly wigs, silly voices, silly references, irreverences, a eunuch called Jeff, and a happy ending. There might be a song at some point. It's Blackadder meets Aladdin, Monty Python meets Bab al Harra. 31st JULY - 25th AUGUST (not 12, 19, 20 August) Isabel Farah Isabelle is a British Lebanese actor, comedian, and writer. Following an undergraduate deg

Today Elaine chats the performers of Singin I’m No a Billie She’s A Tim - Dionne Frati, Jade McDonald and Rachel Ogilvy. We chat taking a show that was origiinaly written for male actors and transforming it and updating it for women and for 2024. We talk the importance of the language we use and how we need to actively challenge outdated language in older plays and why it’s important and much more. Singin I’m No A Billie She’s A Tim - Pleasance EICC - Lomond Dates: 12-14, 18, 20-21 of August @ 6.00 pm Tickets available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/singin-i-m-no-a-billie-she-s-a-tim Singin I’m No A Billie She’s A Tim The Billy and Tim brand is one of the most successful touring Scottish theatre shows of the modern era and now they're back with a brand-new re-write of the original show, but this time it’s with an all-female cast! Because let’s face it… It’s not just the boys that are fanatical about their football teams. Singin I’m No a Billy She’s a Tim will have you laughing and crying

Today Elaine chats with Stephanie Katie Hunter, theatre maker and Artistic Director of Scissor Kick about one of the 3 shows they are producing at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Catafalque, which is written and performed by Amy Conway is on at Summerhall until the 11th August before going out on tour across Scotland. We talk the creation of the show, The premise of the show - how do we Eulogise someone who has committed awful acts and how we deal with that and much more. Catafalque - Summerhall Dates: 1st-11th August @ 12:25 pm Tickets available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/catafalque Tour Dates : https://www.scissorkick.co.uk/tour Catafalque Fern doesn't get invited to dinner parties anymore. They used to love her tales of the macabre. But now? The mask is slipping. Written by Amy Conway and directed by Beth Morton, Catafalque is a one woman eulogy to death through the lens of a civil celebrant. How do we grieve the ungrievable? How do you speak of death when no-one wants to loo

Today Elaine chats with Scottish based artist Katie Slater and Rona Johnston about their new show Mary: A GIG Theatre Show. They talk about finding other creatives you click with, their passion for music and theatre and their joy at discovering the marrying of the two in Gig Theatre. We also talk the inspiration for the show and there is a little unmixed snippet at the end of the episode of one of their original songs. Mary: A Gig Theatre Show - theSpace - Symposium Hall - Annex Dates: 12th-17th August @ 10:25 pm Tickets available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/mary-a-gig-theatre-show MARY: A Gig Theatre Show Blending rich spoken word with haunting original music, Mary: A Gig Theatre Show retells the story of Mary Queen of Scots. Performed by a live band of actor-musicians, the show searingly questions the treatment and portrayal of women historically and today. Writer/lead performer Rona Johnston and director Katie Slater began creating Mary in 2022, before developing it for Gateway Fest

Today Elaine and Louise chat with Comedian, poet, public speaker and actor ALOK. We talk about their recent short film ALOK which premiered at Sundance and was directed by Alex Hedison and produced by Jodie Foster. We also chat about Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda on Netflix. Being soft with ourselves and each other, their new show Hairy SITUATION, the joy of creating art and remembering that nothing is ever created individually but is created with others in multiple different. ALOK: HAIRY SITUATION - Underbelly Bristo Square Dates: 13th-25th August @ 4:10 pm Tickets available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/alok ALOK ALOK is an internationally acclaimed poet, comedian, public speaker, and actor. ALOK’s literary works “Beyond the Gender Binary,” “Femme in Public,” and “Your Wound, My Garden,” have garnered global recognition. Their dynamic presence has captivated audiences in over 40 countries, with sold-out shows at venues including Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Kennedy Centre for the Per

Today Elaine chats with writer, producer Jamie Denbo about Jamie’s show Beverly Live. We chat the inspiration for the show, writing for Grey’s Anatomy and much more. Beverly Live! - Gilded Balloon Patter House - The Other Yin Dates: 31st July-12th August @ 7:30 pm Tickets available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/jamie-denbo-beverly-live Jamie Denbo Jamie a successful actor and writer from the US. She is currently writing for Grey’s Anatomy and has been seen in many shows such as Kevin Can F*ck Himself, Glow to Sam and Cat. Jamie has also been a regular performer and teacher at the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre in both NYC and LA since 1998. She is one half of the very successful comedy team, "Ronna and Beverly", with Jessica Chaffin. Beverly Live! Jamie Denbo, writer/producer (Grey's Anatomy), presents her alter ego Beverly (meddling mother to all) as she takes audiences on a comedic rollercoaster ride through her golden years in California, exploring everything from sound baths to how

Today Elaine chats with Musical Comedian and Tiktok star Sarah Hester Ross about her show Sarah Hester Ross is What? We chat the inspiration for the show, finding your passion at a young age and being able to sustain a career doing what you love, as well as being able to use your platform for to support others. Sarah Hester Ross is What? - Just the Tonic Nucleus Dates: 2nd - 18th August (not 5th,6th,8th,12th,13th,15th) @ 2:30 pm Tickets available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sarah-hester-ross-is-what Sarah Hester Ross is What? Meet musical comedian Sarah Hester Ross. Following the release of her new comedy special on Apple TV and Amazon Prime, Don't Mess With a Redhead, comes her debut at the Edinburgh Fringe. Sarah Hester Ross Is What? is a hilarious musical experience that shows you a woman being TikTok famous, who doesn't want babies and is the leader of the Stop Giving Men Microphones movement. 'I guess women are funny' **** (A random guy after the show). Sarah Hester Ross Sarah

In our second episode of today. Elaine chats with theatre maker, writer and performer Ois O’Donoghue about her show HYPER. We chat the creation of the show, what inspired it and the importance of having the conversation round how Trans folks feel when it comes to the sound of their voice, the joy of relating to charcter on stage and much more. Hyper - Summerhall, Former Women’s Locker Room Dates: 1 - 26 August (not 12, not 19) @ 20:15 (60 mins) Tickets available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/hyper Hyper An exploration of Trans identity and the connection to the voice. Using voice modulation, HYPER discusses the prevalent link between Trans people and the hyperpop genre, and what it means to be Trans in modern Ireland. HYPER follows best friends and bandmates Saoirse and Conall. When Saoirse’s gender identity shifts, they must confront the changing nature of their music and friendship as they prepare for their first live gigs following Saorise’s transition. This confrontation forces Saoirse t

Today Elaine chats with writer and performer Sora Baek about her play Sell Me: I Am From North Korea the true stories of incredibly courageous North Korean women defectors. We chat the creation of the play, the importance of keeping your creativity while being a mother and much more. Sell Me: I am From North Korea - Pleasance Courtyard - Below 31 July - 25 August (not 7, 13, 19, 20) @12:35 (55 mins) Tickets available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sell-me-i-am-from-north-korea Sell Me: I am From North Korea SELL ME follows 15-year-old Jisun, a North Korean girl who decides to sell herself to an old Chinese man to make money for her mother’s medication. After risking her life by crossing the Tumen River into China, Jisun learns her malnourished, underdeveloped body is not wanted. She finds herself having to make her own way on the streets, struggling in a merciless foreign land where her very existence is illegal. Inspired by the journeys of many North Korean women defectors, SELL ME portrays

Today Elaine chats with writer and performer Mirren Wilson about her new play PALS which is a Scottish female adventure comedy making it’s debut at the Edinburgh Festival 2024. We chat the creation of the play, finding th balance of surviving financially and being a creative and much more. PALS - Gilded Balloon, Patter House - 31st July - 26th August (not 13th, 20th) @17.00 Tickets available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/pals PALS PALS tells the story of four crude, chaotic yet completely normal gal pals as they embark on a camping trek in the West of Scotland. In a bid to escape their lives, have a riotous time and avoid several mental breakdowns, these “Perfectly Average Lassies of Scotland” are completely out of their depths, in more ways than one. Mirren Wilson Mirren Wilson is a Scottish creative from Grangemouth, who has worked in Scottish Theatre for over 5 years as an actor and writer. This is Mirren’s first time in a producing role, and this will be her first staged play. Previo

Today Elaine chats with Anna Morris an award-winning comedian, actress and writer, who has written about her experience as a partially deaf performer for the Guardian newspaper. We chat about Anna’s debut play Son Of A Bitch which she is bringing to the Edinburgh Festival 2024. We discuss the inspiration for the show, society’s relationship with motherhood, writing process and much more. Son Of A Bitch is on at Summerhall - 1st to 26th August (no shows 12th, 19th) @6.10pm Tickets available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/son-of-a-bitch Son Of A Bitch Son of a Bitch is the debut play from award-winning comedian, writer and actor Anna Morris. A solo performance, Morris takes audiences through a darkly comic monologue that explores themes of motherhood, mental health, perimenopause, and what happens when your darkest moment goes viral on social media. Caught in a moment of air-rage, on a delayed flight from Dubai to London, Marnie does the worst thing she possibly could: she calls her four

In todays episode Elaine chats with New Zealand performer and choreographer Sacha Copland about her new show Anatomy of Accounts. We chat the creation of the show, what we are actually worth, how amazing our bodies are and the work that we need to do as white people to break down misogyny, racism, homophobia and so much more and how we do this with out getting defensive. Anatomy of Accountants ticket link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/anatomy-for-accountants A high-risk, high-return dance show about how much our physical bodies are worth in a society ruled by cold hard numbers. Natural growth doesn’t make sense in a world tightly commanded by economics - and prolific choreographer Sacha Copland of Java Dance Theatre (Back of the Bus, 2014) has something to say about it. A show for lovers of the body (and accountants), Anatomy for Accountants is a passionate, new dance-theatre show about giving bodies back their full range. Copland prices every aspect of her own life to deconstruct how we define and

In today’s episode Elaine chat with 2 thirds of tasteinuourmouth theatre company Laoise Murray and Grace Morgan. We chat making work as a new company, women in theatre & indeed the world. How capitalism and the wellness industry uses us yet we buy in to it and much more. You’re Needy (sounds frustrating) is on from the 1st -26th August at Buccleugh Terrace. Tickets available via Summerhall Ticket link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/you-re-needy-sounds-frustrating You’re Needy (sounds frustrating) tasteinyourmouth present the UK Premiere of their intimate, site-specific theatre show, You’re Needy (sounds frustrating) - after receiving nominations for Best Production and First Fortnight Award during their sell-out Dublin Fringe Festival 2023 run. Skewering the dark undertones of the pastel pink wellness industry and the ways in which it plays on women’s insecurity, You’re Needy (sounds frustrating) invites one audience member at a time to the world of Carrie, who has retreated to her bathroom in the

In today’s episode Elaine chats with writer and Performer of Gracie Zoë Bullock and Director Alice Langley. We chat their careers, the show and how to raise shame free women. Gracie and the Start of The End of The World (again) is on at Assembly Roxy Outside from 1st to 26th August. There will be no shows 13th, 20th, 21st,22nd Tickets here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/gracie-and-the-start-of-the-end-of-the-world-again Gracie and Theatre Start of The End of The World Again Gracie is looking for love. Honestly, it’s been tough. The dating pool is huge and there are plenty more fish in the sea, but maybe she’ll never find someone to adore for her (immortal) life. Now, in one last totally-not-desperate shot, she wants to see if you - yes, YOU - could be the ‘one’. Oh, and did she mention, she’s a jellyfish? A very horny jellyfish. ‘Gracie’ is a surreal murder mystery about falling in love at the end of the world, surviving the apocalypse, and being the last of your species. Follow Gracie The Jellyfish

A clever, funny, existential play about philosophy and childbirth – with a touch of dubstep, karate, and slagging Socrates off. An overnight smash-hit success in Norway with an ever-growing cult following and Finalist for the Hedda Award 2023 as Best Theatre Play, award-winning Det Andre Teatret brings their hilarious and existential theatre show Good Luck, Cathrine Frost! to the Festival Fringe 2024 to talk philosophy, birth, and public health.  Did you know Socrates was pregnant? Yep - all the time. He gave birth to the immortal, pure, and civilised: ideas! Imagine that. All Cathrine Frost did was grow and give birth to an ACTUAL screaming, human, ugly baby… and then decided to write a comedy theatre show about it, discovering a galaxy of secrets in the process. No notes, huh Socrates? Cathrine Frost Andersen is an actor, improviser, and nurse. As an early member of the ensemble at Det Andre Teatret, which she helped start in 2011, she plays in a number of different improvised performances throughout the

Today Elaine chats with Alison Cleland the co-creator of Hen Night Horror. We chat about the show, the importance of comedy and music and making theatre for everyone. Hen Night Horror is touring Scotland right now tickets available below. https://www.beaconartscentre.co.uk/events/hen-night-horror https://thegaiety.co.uk/events/hen-night-horror/ https://eden-court.co.uk/event/hen-night-horror Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/hennighthorror Hen Night Horror An original musical comedy by Fraser Boyle & Ali Cleland Thrilling. Terrifying. Hilarious. Amanda’s dream wedding is only days away but the proverbial has hit the fan. Her bestie bridesmaids have declared war on each other. Can one last hen night in a remote Highland lodge cover up the cracks? Or will Donna and Lydia crack each other’s skulls before the big day? This nasty feud has no easy fix but it soon becomes the least of the girls’ worries when they realise… they are not alone…A show that promises to put the willies right up ye! Several times. Thi

Today Elaine chats with Jordy Joans about their new show Astrolo-J Monologues which has its premier on the 29th June at The Storytelling Centre Edinburgh at 7.30pm. This is the Queer Vagina Monologues we’ve all been waiting for. https://scottishstorytellingcentre.online.red61.co.uk/event/913:5376/913:22284/ To help support this project please donate to the Kickstarter fund using the link below https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jordy-joans/the-astrolo-j-monologues THE ASTROLO-J MONOLOGUES Join Non-Binary Diva Jordy Joans at the afters in her very own living room for their first-ever interactive cabaret. Featuring original monologues about why dating men of all star signs doesn’t work and covering highs and lows of dating within Edinburgh’s queer community, Jordy’s funny, filthy and heart-wrenching stories about each zodiac sign will look back at a decade of sex and everything that didn’t go right. Spoiler alert: all these men are awful. You’ll be dancing along to twelve iconic pop tracks accompanyin

Today Elaine is giving you all the details you need on how to be a guest on the Persistent and Nasty Podcast at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024. If you are a woman, non-binary, or LGBTQ+ creative presenting your work at the Festival this year and want to amplify your voice, signal boost your work and generally have a casual chat about smashing the white heteronormative capitalist patriarchy, then we want to hear from you! Please fill in form below https://forms.gle/6obqxzCCWyY9aVSS6 10 slots for Scottish Based Artist - There will be 10 episodes dedicated to artist based in Scotland who are taking work to the Festival in 2024. Sell Your Show Slots - We will be holiday 2 full day where there will be 10-minute slots to come and chat about your show. The first date will be in the first week of the festival and will be available to be in person or via Zoom. The second date will be in person at a venue in Edinburgh. All details of which will be given closer to the time. Please Note: podcast slots are n