Kicking off this year's festival

Comedy cabaret star Frisky – aka Laura Corcoran – will be giving the opening address at the 78th Edinburgh Festival Fringe, it has been announced today.

She will give her speech in the guise of a little girl who watched her dad juggle a life on stage with his family, and will ask how a career in the performing arts can work alongside parenting, and what can the Fringe do to make life easier. 

Corcoran is known as one half of musical comedy duo Frisky & Mannish, who made a splash at the  Edinburgh Fringe in the early 2010s. At this year’s festival she presents her solo debut, Frisky’s Reshuffle.

She said: ‘I am delighted to have been invited to deliver this prestigious address, I can only imagine who had to turn it down for them to finally get to me on the list, but I am, nonetheless, deeply honoured. 

‘Having lived the "Fringe fairytale" first hand, I hope to inspire this year’s participants with some insight into how we made that a reality - spoiler: it involved a lot of photocopying and stapling. 

‘The festival was the launchpad for my career, and now, as I duttywine into middle-age, it’s the place I come to begin the next phase. 

‘But with this stage of life comes a different set of accessibility challenges, and I want to ask how the festival can support a work/life balance for all participants, but especially those of us who are parents. Despite all the challenges, this is still the greatest arts festival in the world, and there is so much to be gained from it. Not money, obviously, but many other exceptionally valuable things.'

Chris Snow, head of artist services for the Festival Fringe Society added: ‘The Edinburgh Festival Fringe artist address is a key moment for artists to gather, meet each other, and celebrate the start of the 2025 festival. 

‘It also marks the opening of Fringe Central, our support hub for artists, industry and media. We’re delighted that Frisky is able to join us this year to share her personal journey and experiences at the Fringe, and know that the address will be a real treat.'

Corcoran’s artist address will take place at Greyfriars Hall in the Virgin Hotel at 5pm next Friday, August 1. It will be livestreamed on the Edinburgh Fringe Facebook channel, and will be available to view on YouTube at a later date.

Published: 22 Jul 2025