Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Interviews: Shannon Brooke Talks Absurd Gigs, Austria, and A Horseless Rodeo
- Michael Porter
- Jun 12
- 4 min read
This year will be my 16th year doing the Edinburgh fringe Festival, you’d think I’d be done with it. But no — I’m still here, still laughing, and still chasing that magic buzz you only get when a late-night crowd in a sweaty underground venue completely loses it.
This year, I’m doing something different.
As we lead up to Edinburgh Fringe 2025, I’m sitting down with comedians from all over the world — the ones performing, previewing, and battling through late-night heckles — to talk about the madness behind the mic.
My first chat is with Shannon Brooke — an Aussie comic now living in Edinburgh via a brief stint in Germany. Shannon Quickly became a regular weekend performer at the legendary Stand Comedy Club (which, for the record, is no small achievement).
Her new show, A Horseless Rodeo, is heading to the Fringe, and we sat down to talk comedy, chaos, and cows (well, almost).
LET’S KICK OFF – WHO ARE YOU AND WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
Hellooooo! I’m Shannon Brooke and I’m from Australia.
WHAT FIRST GOT YOU INTO COMEDY? WAS IT A MOMENT, A MELTDOWN, OR JUST MADNESS?
I’ve always written theatre, usually absurd comedies. Then I moved into cabaret. I did an open mic once with a 10-minute cabaret act I’d written, and a bunch of comics came up to me afterwards asking if I was a comedian. That really encouraged me. And honestly, writing 10 minutes of stand-up seemed WAY easier than writing a cabaret!
WHO WERE YOUR EARLY COMEDY INFLUENCES – THE PEOPLE WHO MADE YOU THINK, “I CAN DO THIS”?
Honestly? I went to some really bad open mics and thought, “Maybe this isn’t as hard as it looks.” Classic audience member confidence. I didn’t really start watching stand-up properly until about two years after I started doing it. Oops!
DESCRIBE YOUR FIRST GIG – HOW BAD WAS IT? OR WERE YOU ONE OF THOSE ANNOYING NATURALS?
It was in the cafeteria of a bowls club. A few friends came, plus two other people. It was probably dreadful, but I didn’t realise how bad it was at the time — thank God — or I never would’ve done a second one.
WHAT’S BEEN YOUR BEST GIG MOMENT SO FAR – THE ONE THAT REMINDED YOU WHY YOU DO THIS?
Headlining an hour in Innsbruck, Austria in 2023. The crowd was electric. I opened in German too! Getting laughs in another country was such a buzz — it reminded me that comedy is all about connection.
AND YOUR WORST? THE ONE YOU STILL WAKE UP SWEATING ABOUT?
Hosting for the first time. A busy pub on Melbourne Cup day. It was chaos and I genuinely considered quitting comedy after that one.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE OF COMEDY FOR SOMEONE WHO'S NEVER SEEN YOU?
Whimsical storytelling.
WHAT’S YOUR WRITING PROCESS LIKE – NOTES ON YOUR PHONE, FULL SCRIPTS, OR WINGING IT ON STAGE?
I wish I had a proper process! Usually, I say something funny in conversation, write it in my phone, then eventually sit down at my laptop and write it out fully. I’m big on word economy — changing one word can change the whole rhythm of a joke. I sometimes wing it, but I like to shape it into something solid eventually.
DO YOU THINK COMEDY IS CHANGING? ARE THINGS GETTING TOO SAFE OR TOO SENSITIVE?
Not at all. Comedy is changing because more people can access it now, especially through the internet. It needs to reflect the audiences watching it. No topic is really off-limits — people are just tired of seeing comics punch down with lazy material. It’s pushing comedians to write smarter and with purpose.
WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE COMEDIANS ARE FACING RIGHT NOW?
Social media. The pressure to constantly produce content and grow a following is massive — but that’s a totally different skill from live stand-up, and it’s not why most of us started doing comedy in the first place.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR EDINBURGH FRINGE SHOW – WHAT’S IT CALLED, WHAT’S IT ABOUT, AND WHY SHOULD PEOPLE COME SEE IT?
It’s called A Horseless Rodeo its part of this years Laughing Horse / Free Fringe It’s about why I packed up my life in Australia and moved to Germany. There’s a lot of relatable chaos in it, heaps of funny stories, and despite the title — absolutely NO horses.
FINALLY – WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU ONLINE OR IN THE PUB AFTERWARDS?
Instagram: @shanbrooke_comedy
FOLLOW THE SERIES
you can catch Shannon at The Comedy Cellar every week! she's also a resident MC with us. catch her next Fringe Preview show on Thursday 17th July tickets available here
I’ll be interviewing more comedians over the coming weeks as we get closer to Edinburgh Fringe 2025 — pulling back the curtain on what it really takes to bring a show to the biggest comedy festival in the world.
Keep checking the blog for more interviews, previews, and pure comedy chaos from The Comedy Cellar in Edinburgh. We'll be doing the fringe too of course but until then grab some tickets to our regular shows
Written by Michael Porter Owner & founder of The Good, The Bad & The Irish
コメント