By The Newsroom

Published 14th Aug 2023, 16:10 BST

There are thousands of shows in Edinburgh this month. Please explain why we should come and see yours.

Growler is my alter-ego, an 82-year-old shamanic vulva who’s been exiled to Berlin. She is the MOG – mother of God. She’s acutely aware that we’re living in the time of the anthropocene, and channels many voices - the dispossessed, the forgotten, the displaced and the dead. Yes, she channels dead people. She’s learned that longing and belonging are universal to the human experience. Who doesn’t wat to commune with the MOG? Now is the time.

What will we learn from your show that we didn’t know before?

I believe art is medicine, I work intensely to facilitate this to happen. I prepare deeply to inhabit Growler and I often reach a state of total presence and flow when I perform. I know when I’m feeling this, and I think the audience does too. I believe there’s an alchemy possible in theatre that can transform and heal. To have everyone singing "love one another" as a call and response to a giant vulva moves me to tears. To create a vulnerable space where artist and audience are held in a moment of belonging and connection is what I’m after.

Who or what was the biggest inspiration for your show?

Every old woman I know, my mother, my grandmothers, my ancestors who hail from working class inner city Dublin. Women tough as old boots, wise as witches with a tongue like a lash and a heart of gold.

What’s the best review you’ve ever had, and the worst?

Growler is open for reviews, it’s her first time at Edinburgh Fringe, only a week in and she’s already attracting superstars, she knows Grayson Perry is in town and thinks they should come down.

Who or what are you most excited about seeing this year?

I just went to see Maureen at House of Oz and I bawled my eyes out, blew my heart wide open. I can’t wait to see High Steaks at Summerhall.

Tell us something about you that would surprise people.

I only started performing a few years ago, I was ashamed of my voice for years, my accent and the tone mortified me. Years of being slagged reinforced a negative stereotype of working-class accent in a middle-class environment. I needed a vehicle for my art, to express the songs and poetry that was taking up residence in my brain, I figured “f*** it” I have a voice and I’ll use it. Now I love it, Growler made that happen.

What are the best and worst things that have happened to you at a festival?

The best thing was hearing that Phoebe Waller-Bridge came to my show but I was busy shaking off my vulanic spirit back stage so we didn’t meet - but she bought some Growler merch so she’s obviously a sound human being. The worst thing was performing just after Covid in a tiny bookshop with an audience of ten within breathing space. I had to change in a tiny, filthy toilet. I did a full on one hour performance and was met with a wall of silence. After I changed I went outside and was glad not to be recognised, standing beside a man who said “Well that was f***ing weird, wasn’t it?”

What’s the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?

Pray and pray, sometimes sex and sex.

Thanks for the interview! We’d like to buy you a drink. Where are we going and what are we drinking?

Summerhall and a Gin and Tonic from their speakeasy on site distillery please.

Growler, Summerhall, 7pm, until 26 August

My Festival: Growler