Jessica Barton is bringing her show Dirty Work to the Edinburgh Fringe for 2025. I have caught up with her before the chaos of the biggest Fringe in the world takes hold.

Is this your first time at the Edinburgh Fringe?
It’s my first time bringing my show up to the Fringe, but I have been the last two years acting as a little detective with a notebook, observing how it works, working in jobs, performing on spots, gathering information, tips and tricks on how to survive as a month-long performer, getting a really good lay of the land.

 
How long have you been preparing your show for Edinburgh?
The idea for Dirty Work started brewing in the holidays between terms at Clown
School (L’Ecole Philippe Gaulier) in April 2023. I did my first 10-minute set in November 2023. I wrote down some more ideas for scenes throughout the first quarter of 2024. I got myself two-hour long slots at Brighton Fringe in May 2024 and therefore had a month to make a show. I performed two more work-in-progresses in June and July 2024, developing in between with help from friends. After Edinburgh in
2024, I made the decision to undertake a “Commonwealth Tour” and spent the whole of October 2024 – February 2025 performing 10-minute sets at 15+ lineup shows around London, and producing the show for the Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival in March/April of 2025.

 
What is your motivation to perform there?
Edinburgh Fringe to me seems like the mecca of all Fringe Festivals. Artists and creatives travel from all around the world to be there, and it almost seems like a utopia for a moment. Everywhere you turn, there’s somebody who loves, believes and fights for the arts. There’s so much learning to be had, there’s so much community to experience, it’s rich with celebration. I also remember attending Edinburgh for the first time in 2023 and thinking, “there’s no way I’ll ever be good enough to perform here”, so I’m determined to prove myself wrong!

 
What have you done to prepare for the Edinburgh Fringe, emotionally and physically?
Going to the Edinburgh Fringe with no responsibilities (ie. performing) was an excellent way to prepare me for going to the Edinburgh Fringe WITH responsibilities. I got truly swept up in the speed, intensity and magic of the place, wrung myself dry, stayed up all hours, and consumed so much art, and it got it out of my system. Now, with a large task at hand to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe, I feel comfortable going home and sleeping and eating well, because I’ve experienced the exciting nightlife Fringe has to offer before. I know what the chocolate tastes like so to speak, I don’t need to have it! Performing Dirty Work at Adelaide Fringe and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival earlier this year was also an excellent way to prepare – I’ve experienced the festival life for a month, I understand what’s required of me, physically & emotionally, and I can apply all that I learnt from that month to this upcoming month. Not only surviving but thriving through two Fringes surely means I can do another!

Have you had any advice from other’s who have performed at the Fringe?
My detective notebook is filled to the brim with advice! My biggest takeaway is to decide what your definition of success is, and stick to that. Edinburgh is a gluttonous
feast for shows & artistic offerings – it’s very easy to fall into the trap of comparing your own success to someone else’s (especially your mates), but it will ultimately lead to a downfall of mental health, for there are way too many variables at play.
Additionally, know your needs and tend to them.

 
Have you visited Scotland or Edinburgh before?
I’ve only been to Edinburgh during the Fringe – but I would adore to drive around in a campervan through the highlands, head to Fife for the ocean. I’d move to Scotland in a heartbeat.

How have you found booking  accommodation? 
I was incredibly lucky this year that a friend who had secured a group accommodation reached out to me to be involved, so I didn’t have to do any looking. That comes with its pitfalls however, as it was much more expensive than previous years, almost double than what I’ve paid before. It’s incredibly obvious that booking accommodation in Edinburgh is getting increasingly difficult as the years progress, with new council laws coming into play, AirBnB properties being managed by large corporations – I’ve found most success when booking student accommodation.

What plans do you have for your show after the Edinburgh Fringe is over?
Whilst I don’t plan on it, it is likely I will get sick, so I will spend two weeks on my couch in London, eating soup and fried chicken, sleeping and watching some terrible
TV, probably the O.C. Once recovered, I’ll be performing Dirty Work at Underbelly Boulevard in Soho in September. The events that unfold in Edinburgh will help determine where Floppins goes next…

For more information about Dirty Work please use the link below.

https://underbellyedinburgh.co.uk/event/dirty-work

Jessica Barton presents

DIRTY WORK


EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL

UNDERBELLY COWGATE, DELHI BELLY

31 JUL – 24 AUG  17:25     (55mins, no interval) 

(excl. 12 AUG)