Award-winning comedian, mental health campaigner and author Dave Chawner returns to Edinburgh Fringe 2024 with a brand new show based on the experience of winning an award whose title felt like a back-handed compliment. That led to a crisis of confidence and an exploration of what ‘success’ really means – now he shares what he’s learnt.
Q&A with Dave Chawner
How does it feel to be returning to Edinburgh Fringe?
Coming to Edinburgh is always a mix of emotions. On the one hand, it’s scary because it’s the culmination of a year’s worth of work that you’re exhibiting in order to be loved or hated by audience, critics and industry. However, on the other hand, it’s incredible to see everyone in one place. Doing stand up can be really lonely – lots of time spent in service stations or platforms in the middle of the night, alone with nothing but a Greggs pasty to keep you company. The Fringe is amazing in it’s community of performers, audiences and wonderful freaks that all come together to take part in something that always feels like the last day of school before the Summer Holidays.
What can you tell us about your show and its inspiration?
This show actually began as something completely different! I tried it out for the first time at The Leicester Comedy and in preparation a journalist contacted me and asked “what’s your secret to success?”. This was in relation to an award that I won last year at The Fringe, however, as pleased as I was to win it, the award itself felt like a backhanded compliment for numerous funny reasons. So, back in February, I ditched everything that I’d written and started a fresh to explore ‘success’ what that means. It’s been something really interesting to talk to people about, as everyone seems to have a different idea of what success means to them.
How do you think audiences will react to the show?
I think that imposter syndrome is rife. So many people I speak to feel like teenagers trapped in the body of an adult who never got ‘the handbook’ on how to ‘do life’. We all have imposter syndrome whether that’s in relation to your job, your kids, your relationships, even DIY! So, I hope audiences will resonate with the show, because it really feels like that feeling is very universal, but not talked about for fear of ‘getting found out’.
How have you been preparing for the festival?
It’s hard to prep for The Fringe. Every year there’s a different challenge. This year it could be tricky with The Olympics, The Bin Strikes and the continuing cost of living going up, but there’s very little we can do about that. And, in a sentence, I think that sums up Fringe preparation – ‘there’s only so much you can do’. Trying to predict what’s going to happen is a bit like forecasting the weather – you can have a general idea and put certain things in place to help, but at the end of the day no one really knows what each day is going to chuck at you.
Will you get a chance to enjoy the rest of the festival?
I’m doing four shows a day (including this one). So, it’s a bit packed. But, I don’t see the point in coming to the world’s biggest Arts Festival and not seeing anything. Every year I try and catch something mad, unique, different – something that you would never see anywhere else. Don’t get me wrong, that’s not always a positive thing – one year I ended up in a dripping beer cellar watching a show all in Spanish, with a middle-aged man with a sock attached to his chin pretending to be a worm. It was, shall we say, an experience!
Do you have any Fringe anecdotes you can share with us?
So many. I think it’s more impressive you come to The Fringe and you don’t have an anecdote – it’s the only place where you can see drama students flyer while dressed as World War 2 pilots, street performers juggling chainsaws and bagpipers playing Lady Gaga outside of a Costa at 10am on a Tuesday. But I think the real joy of The Fringe is that you can never predict what will happen next.
