EDINBURGH 2023: Maggie Crane Q&A

BWW caught up with Maggie Crane to chat about bringing Side by Side to the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tell us a bit about Side by Side.

My solo show Side by Side is about growing up with my older brother Aidan. Aidan was blind, developmentally disabled, and nonverbal. This never stopped the wild jealousy, one-sided sibling rivalry, and the unique and hilarious bond between us. We went to school together at a program called Side by Side, a daycare for disabled and non-disabled kids. We went on vacations to Children's Hospital in Boston, and trips to Canada to smuggle medication over the border so as to not go bankrupt in the medical hellscape of America. I learned how to sense when a seizure was coming and how to clean out a tracheostomy tube while he learned how to deal with my never-ending bullshit, be that throwing a fit because I had to wear a blindfold while playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey and he did not (because he was blind) or demanding to be the one to push his wheelchair, only to inevitably steer him into a wall. 

 

Why was this a story you wanted to share?

I want to tell this story, so families like mine can see their experience reflected and so others can stop and think about everyday ableism. Too often, stories about disability are extremely precious or blatant one-note tragedies. I want to break out of this unfortunate pattern and paint my brother's life for what it really was - a full one. 

With this being your Edinburgh debut, do you think you know what to expect from the Fringe?

Absolutely not. I’ve heard so much about Fringe but I really think it’s something you can't begin to imagine until you’ve been. I know it will be intense and fun as hell but beyond that I’m trying not to go in with any expectations. 

Who would you like to come and see you?

Everyone! I really think there’s something for everyone - embarrassing pre-teen obsessions, drug smuggling, sibling bonds, James Taylor, emergency room clowns, or a family member with a disability.  

 

What would you like audiences to take away from it?

I’d like them first and foremost to be entertained. It’s a comedy show, it’s not a lecture or a morality test. But I do want people to have to confront the way our society deals with disability. We just don't talk about disability. As a culture, we have built a world that actively denies disabled people. For families like mine, every day is colored by disability - the insane experiences, the rare perspective, the banal highs of everyday life, the devastating lows of living in a society that does not value your loved one, and the moments where all you can do is laugh. 

Maggie Crane’s debut stand up show ‘Side By Side’ is at the Underbelly - Dexter – Bristo Square at 5.45pm from 3rd- 28th August (not 14th) for tickets go to www.edfringe.com

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