If you reviewed your own show, how would you describe it?
I can’t think of a more confronting question to answer. If I reviewed my own show, it would cause so much trauma, I’d have to make a painting about it.
What is the best or most inspiring show you’ve seen at the Festivals?
Duncan Brothers: Blood Sword. I saw it three times including the preview where every sound and lighting cue was wrong. Watching them improvise and handle the barrage of complete technical disasters was a true testament to the human spirit. I also went to their final show and it was undeniably great.
What do you do to relax in August?
Lie face down on the floor…. or in The Meadows.
What show are you most looking forward to seeing in August, and why?
Rob Duncan: Printer of the Year 2024. Rob is one of a kind, and probably the funniest person I know.
What’s the one piece of advice you’d give a performer coming to Edinburgh for the first time?
Read all the reviews, and plot your revenge. Also, pace yourself.
Tell me a little more about your show and what audiences can expect.
In 2021, I quit stand-up, rented an old cake factory, and decided to become a painter. What I didn’t realise at the time was that I was in the middle of a six-month manic episode – and I ended up making 300 paintings. This show is about that experience. There’s also an exhibition of paintings I made this year you can check out before or after the show.
Can you talk about some of the creative team involved?
I just did the show 80 times Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre. Which is a lot of times. Creative Director, Sarah Stern patiently worked with me to help bring clarity to some aspects that I’d obstinately refused to look at.
Where do you draw inspiration from for your work, both in terms of creation and performance?
Step 1. Spend huge amounts of time alone.
Step 2. Bedazzle my issues and parade them around like a trophy.
Looking at this production, how would you say it links to previous work personally and thematically?
It’s a stubborn rejection of everything I thought I knew. I threw everything away and started again.
Why is this an important story to tell?
It’s strange when you share something so uniquely personal that you think no one will relate, but there’s been such an overlap of shared experience. Mental health is tricky to talk about but it’s so integral to functioning and wellbeing. This show is my way of opening that conversation with people in a fun and accessible form.
What would you like audiences to take away from seeing you/this production at the Fringe?
I never want to dictate an audience’s experience. What they take away from is their own and valid. I value people’s time so I do want them to feel fulfilled, but I’m also okay if they want to take a nap and walk away rested.
Do you tend to take inspiration from events happening in the world around you in terms of your work? Do you think artists have a responsibility to respond to what’s happening?
I’m more interested in being really specific about my internal landscape, I’m more an expert on that than anything happening in the world. I don’t think artists have a responsibility to respond to what’s happening in the world, but they can still have an impact.
How do you feel about the current arts landscape in your country and your part in it? Does it excite you and inspire you to keep pushing the boat out?
In Australia, there’s a very open landscape for pushing creative mediums and concepts. We have lots of great arts festivals to try new ideas and take risks. However, I’m also enjoying the diversity of experience while making and performing in the UK and USA.
Why are arts festivals such as the Fringe so important for international exchange?
Fringe is such a great hub for international venues to find shows. New York’s Vineyard Theatre saw my show at Fringe last year and two months later I was doing the show there which led to further US touring.
What can the wider arts community do to get more people involved in their specific disciplines?
Is there a shortage of people wanting to be in the arts? I thought the shortage was doctors.
What’s next for you and how are you feeling about the future in general?
Next up, I’m taking the show to the American Repertory Theatre at Harvard in October, then to McCarter Theatre Center at Princeton. Which is funny, because during the manic episode this show’s based on, I once pitched Harvard a biotech idea about studying mould using sound feedback loops. When they invited me to perform, they said “bring the mould.”
How can Edinburgh audiences keep up with you beyond the festival?
I have a website: www.samkissajukian.com
Anything else?
I played french horn from age 11 to age 11. It was a mistake.
300 Paintings, Summerhall, 31 Jul-25 Aug (not 12, 19), 12.05pm