EDINBURGH 2022: Katie Pritchard Q&A

BWW catches up with Katie Pritchard to chat about bringing Disco Ball to the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tell us a bit about Disco Ball.

Disco Ball is a coming-of-age story written and performed by an adult who is learning to accept herself in all of her imperfect humanhood and celebrate that knowing yourself can bring you so much joy and happiness! And all of that is, naturally, set to some pretty funky beats! At its core, it's a party, a celebration, and a very silly hour of fun!

Why bring it to Edinburgh?

I absolutely adore Edinburgh Fringe. The first time I came to the festival, I stepped off the train and as I walked towards the mile, I couldn't help but sing the Toys R Us advert in my head. You know the one - "it's a magical place we're on our way too, with toys in their millions all under one roof, it's called Toys R Us Toys R Us Toys R Us Toys R Us!" (I didn't even look up those lyrics - that jingle is an absolute banger!) It was like I was in my version of a toy store - so many performers, so much creativity filling the air, so many bloody shows to see! From that moment, it was a dream of mine to go to Edinburgh Fringe as much as possible!

For me, Edinburgh Fringe is wonderful because it's a chance to spend a month immersed in the arts, seeing what other people have spent their time creating, getting to perform every day (because you know in comedy the work schedule is all over the shop - it's absolutely amazing, but it is lovely to spend a month in one place with a schedule, and getting to learn so much in the process. For me, if I'm surrounded by creativity, that's when I feel at my happiest, and so Edinburgh Fringe will always have a special place in my heart for that exact reason.

So, the short answer is, my dream was always to bring it to Edinburgh, and I am so lucky that I've been able to work with the amazing teams at Live Nation, Corrie McGuire Management, and The Pleasance who have all been wonderful and without whom I wouldn't have been able to bring my show up to the fringe this year! Massive love to all the team!

Who would you like to come and see it?

Well, top of my list would be anyone that likes to have fun, and also anyone who thinks that they might be able to spend an hour in my company! If you are both these things, and you just so happen to love shows which feature a woman prancing around in incredible (very clearly hand made by someone who can't sew) costumes, singing songs about anything and everything from Scrabble to Spiders - well then, I'd especially love it if those people came! But if you're looking for a light-hearted hour from a self-confessed idiot about self-acceptance and the ridiculousness of a society that tries to squeeze people into boxes, when they're clearly not the right shape for that, then hopefully you'll enjoy my hour of absolute mayhem!

Where else might we know you from?

I famously love wandering around lost because my phone is pranking me by pretending it's confused as to where I am and can't show me a way out, either that, or at cartography classes so I can learn to navigate myself around without my idiot phone. If not from there, and you're a Musical Theatre type of person, you may have caught me in everyone's favourite guilty pleasure musical Dreamboats and Petticoats? If you've been up at the Fringe before, you may have seen me either playing in the cast or band of Notflix for a couple of shows here and there cos I love to hop around onstage with that lovely lot, or in 2019 I was the small one in Nick Helm's I Think You Stink along with a cast of incredible comics including Rob Kemp, Jenny Bede, and Sooz Kempner! Or you might have seen me as "soup girl" in Mat Ewins' sketch on Harry Hill's Clubnite where I got drenched in ice cold tomato soup.

Do you think you know what to expect from the Fringe?

I hope so? Although, after the last few years, who knows what it'll be like? I just really hope it's fun and we can all at least break even doing it - so I don't wish for much, eh?! For anyone who hasn't taken a show up to fringe before, the Edinburgh Fringe isn't a particularly financially accessible festival and acts often lose huge amounts of money doing it! So, if there's an act that you love - why not buy a ticket to see their show in advance? It will relieve an exponential amount of stress and will help them out hugely! If they're doing a show at the free fringe, why not gather a few friends and start a queue early which will attract loads more people to go and see the show too if they know it's a hot ticket! And if you get a chance, check out the team at Best in Class - they're doing amazing things and supporting, showcasing, and championing working class comics at the fringe, and the line-up this year is banging! Spread that love!

All I will say is that I know that I'm so lucky to be going up with a whole team of champs this year, who are all so lovely and talented! And I am also really looking forward to getting stuck in with hosting Les Quizérables every Thursday to Sunday at the fringe (https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:4157/) and getting to hang out with some of the "Notflix" gang whilst doing that! LET'S DISCO!!!

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Photo Credit: Karla Gowlett

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