Fresh from a sold-out show at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Kurt Sterling will be making his Edinburgh Fringe debut with his show Corporate Chronicles, a sharply observed, hilariously relatable parody of office culture and corporate life. The show exposes the dark underbelly of the white-collar world with tales of cubicles, caffeine, and collective discontent.
Sterling is also known for his online sketches, where his hot takes on news topics and his character comedy have racked up millions of views on Instagram and TikTok.
Q&A with Kurt Sterling
How does it feel to be making your Edinburgh Fringe debut?
I’m very excited for Edinburgh Fringe. Everyone I know who has been has mentioned what an incredible atmosphere there is around the city during the month and what a joy it is to be part of something so big.
I’ve arrived early in Edinburgh so have been to visit my venue (Cabaret Voltaire) and it looks great! It’s a fantastic space for performance and I’m really excited to get stuck into the month
What can you tell us about your show and its inspiration?
My show is aiming at no less than taking down the corporate world. Everyone who has worked in an office has felt the frustration that comes with living in such an unusual environment where words don’t mean anything and actual work is hard to come by.
The show parodies many of the things from the office that everyone has noticed but no one has said aloud. The show also tells my personal story of going from working-class rural Australia, to travelling the world at the top of the corporate ladder (and back again…)
How do you think audiences will react to the show
The show debuted at Adelaide Fringe Festival this year and the response really blew me away. Audiences loved the show but what I valued the most were the conversations with audience members who stuck around afterwards to tell me about their lives and the changes they were hoping to make.
I can’t wait to meet some of the great people of Edinburgh and hear some of their stories.
How have you been preparing for the festival?
I’m spending the month in France at the famous Philippe Gaulier theatre school in Paris further refining my stagecraft and also spending some time in the comedy clubs here in Paris doing final tweaks to some of the material. Then its straight to Edinburgh on the 29th July, ready to go!
Will you get a chance to enjoy the rest of the festival?
I’ve deliberately chosen accommodation close to the venue so I can spend as much time in the city as possible. I want to soak up the atmosphere and also see as many other shows as I can. I like comedy but I also love watching and getting inspiration from other genres such as circus, theatre and dance.
I’ve also got a lot of friends from around the globe doing shows and I’ll be sure to check those out. I can’t wait to see what the festival has to offer.
Corporate Chronicles is at The Common Room, Cabaret Voltaire from 1 to 25 August
