EDINBURGH FRINGE 2024
Interview
ABBY
WAMBAUGH
FIRST 3 MINUTES OF
17 SHOWS
PLEASANCE COURTYARD - attic
COMEDY / STAND-UP / STORYTELLING
Jul 31 Aug 1-11, 13-26: TICKETS
JULY 24, 2024
Abby awoke in hospital after a late miscarriage and, high on anaesthesia, decided to become a comedian. In this silly, goofy, heartfelt show Abby presents her best 17 ideas for her highly anticipated debut hour, including potential hits like Old Man Learns Parkour and a very long impression of the number nine. Funny Women finalist and co-host of Help Hole podcast alongside Sofie Hagen.
Hi Abby, thank you for taking the time to talk with TNC ahead of the Fringe, how does it feel to making your Fringe debut this summer?
It feels really right! I have worked really hard on this show and am having the best time making it. I have fallen in love with comedy in a totally new way this year!
I have to ask, will there be any nerves ahead of your run at the Pleasance?
Oh yeah! I feel like my go-to nerves are that, even though I worked so hard on this show, I could have done more or I left something out, or I missed a thread running through the show. But I am really trying to remind myself that I am learning how to do this as I make it and I’m going to keep working on it all month.
What does Edinburgh Fringe mean to you?
The Fringe is truly where I learned all the things comedy could be. I got to be part of the Pleasance reserve last year and it was so inspiring to see all the kinds of shows people could make and pour themselves into. I loved it so much.
Can you tell me a little bit about how The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows came about?
Actually last year I went to see every show I could and I kept getting ideas for really weird silly things that I could do for my first hour. And then one of the ideas was that I could do the beginnings of all the shows I had ideas for.
When writing The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows how self reflecting did you allow yourself to get?
Oh man pretty self reflective! It’s all about giving yourself over to beginnings and really trying, and that was something I had to keep relearning about the damn show while I’ve been making it! Also a big part of the show is about how I started doing stand up after a big loss in my life so I had to look at that a lot. It’s a really hopeful show (I hope! See!!! Hoping even here!!!) and I am so lucky that my incredible director Lara Ricote was in a constant conversation with me about how to keep it that way and the point of what I’m trying to do.
And has it been cathartic for you writing a show that is inspired from your own lived experiences?
I don’t think cathartic is the right word, and that’s because I looked it up (cathartic: providing psychological relief through the open expression of strong emotions). I started writing this show about 3 years after the miscarriage I talk about in it, and I feel fully emotionally recovered from that. But I have been very moved, reflecting on something that was a huge loss for me (my pregnancy) and something incredible that came out of that loss (comedy). I feel really strongly that you don’t have to be grateful for something terrible just because you love the thing that came instead. Miscarriage blows, every time. Comedy is a beacon and I’m grateful for it separately. But those two things are folded together for me and that does feel beautiful somehow.
If you could describe your show in three words what would they be?
Playful, Goofy, Heartfelt
What would you say have been the most interesting things you’ve discovered about yourself in the process of bringing The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows to the Fringe?
That I actually love comedy so much. Like, I thought it was cool before, but making this show made me FALL. IN. LOVE. you can do any idea you have and if you give yourself to it completely the audience’s generosity and joy feels like a freaking miracle. Also, oh my gosh, I can work really hard actually!
"I remember being a very hard headed, kind of goody two shoes preteen and then when I was 12 realising that people just loved you and stopped resenting you if you could make them laugh."
Will you allow yourself much flexibility with your material once the show is running?
Yes! I built this show specifically so I could be flexible. I really do the best when I get to play around with fresh things that are exciting me.
Do you have any routines or superstitions before you head out on stage?
My partner always says “Have Fun!” before I go to a gig and that always feels like, such a good reminder. He is staying home to put our kids to bed, and if I’m like, grumpy about going out and getting through my really fun ridiculous job then what is the point?? I like to get him to say it every time before a gig I am nervous for or dreading.
Where did your passion for comedy come from?
Oh wow, I remember being a very hard headed, kind of goody two shoes preteen and then when I was 12 realizing that people just loved you and stopped resenting you if you could make them laugh. And you still got to stick to your guns and say what you thought but everyone responded like you were doing them a favour instead of like you were a wet blanket. I was hooked.
Any advice to offer anyone thinking of starting their now stand-up journey?
Book your first set and do it! I think you learn like 50% of what you need to know about stand up from the first time you get up there. You might never say any of those first jokes again, it might be totally different than how you think it will feel, the wrong stuff might get laughs, you might find out you hop around the stage like a bunny. But you will have 50000% more context for making your next move and deciding how to get yourself to how you want to feel when you are up there.
And finally, what would you like your 2024 Fringe audiences to take away from The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows?
Begin! Begin as many times as you need to! Begin with your whole self and all your hope!