There isn’t enough mental health support for acts on the Edinburgh Fringe | Don Biswas on the best and the worst of the festival

There isn’t enough mental health support for acts on the Edinburgh Fringe

Don Biswas on the best and the worst of the festival

Don Biswas is at the Edinburgh Fringe performing his show The Revolution Will Be Disorganised at Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose at 9.40pm nightly. Here he shares what he can't get enough of at the festival, his most embarrassing Edinburgh experience and the worst thing about the Fringe. Apart from the cost of accommodation, obviously…


Edinburgh binge

The best part of the festival for me is the amount of shows you get watch. And not just comedy but also theatre, dance, and everything else in between. You’ll always discover some hidden gems and if they hit the big time, you can boast that ‘I was there from the start where nobody else watched them.’

Edinburgh cringe

I tripped up on stage at the start of my show and as the venue I was in was so small, I fell into an audience member’s lap. I don’t think they were expecting that type of show. But then again, I’m have dyspraxia, so this has happened to me on more than one occasion outside the Fringe festival.

Edinburgh whinge

There isn’t enough mental health support for acts. As an autistic performer there needs to more places where we can relax, more low-cost counselling on offer for acts as well as mental health support groups. Maybe it’s the duty of comedians like me to get the ball rolling on this.

Published: 21 Aug 2023

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