EDINBURGH 2022: Emily Wilson Q&A

BWW catches up with Emily Wilson about bringing Fixed to the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tell us a bit about Fixed.

Fixed is my one-woman comedy show that tells the story of my experience on The X Factor when I was 15 years old. It is the most embarrassing, humiliating and simultaneously incredible story of my life, so I'm telling as many people as will listen! It all started when my best friend and love of my life Austin (I did not yet know he was in the closet) and I auditioned for the show together in a duet. The judges loved Austin and hated me. I know, what a cool and normal and fun thing to experience at fifteen, right? Couldn't agree more. Long story short, we made it to the finals - but you'll have to come see the show to know the rest!

Why did you want to tell this story?

Returning to stand-up comedy after COVID lockdowns, I was trying to think of new material and what it is I want to say, nonetheless what I even find funny anymore. One afternoon around this time, my boyfriend's little brother was asking me questions about my time on X Factor, as he didn't know much since I never, ever talked about it. I told him everything, showed him clips, answered every question. Somewhere in the midst of that, my boyfriend was like, "Em, this is what you have to talk about on stage." It sounds so dumb now, but I was genuinely like, "It's too ridiculous, what would I even say?" A week later, I ran a ten-minute set about the audition. I despise how corny this sounds, but I had never felt so vulnerable and like myself on stage before. It was a sloppy set, but that feeling, combined with seeing the audience's reaction, made me realise that there's a full show there, and I wanted nothing more than to write it.

How do you feel revisiting this experience?

The writing process was more vulnerable than I expected, at first. But after performing it, I feel a sense of redemption and reclamation of my embarrassing past. God, I hate how self-satisfying that sounds. I by no means like myself! I am and will always be my own biggest hater. I'm just glad I'm not 15 anymore.

Who would you like to come and see it?

Everyone and their mothers! Hell, bring your fathers too! This show is for everybody; we are all embarrassed by our teenage selves (right?). But seriously, that's all I want. For real. That's it. Okay, fine! My god, if you're gonna keep bugging me about it... Simon Cowell. I'd love for Simon Cowell to one day see this show. Does anybody reading this have his number?

What do you hope audiences take away from Fixed?

I hope their cheeks hurt (from laughing, of course). But more importantly, I hope they walk away feeling closer to who they were as a kid. And naturally, I hope they have at least one song from the show stuck in their heads for days. What the hell else is pop music good for!?

Photo credit: Dylan-Woodley

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