Alexis Sakellaris brings their solo show, A Stan is Born! to the Edinburgh Fringe.
Where: ZOO Playground
When: 2-4, 6-11, 13-18, 20-25 Aug
Ticket link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/alexis-sakellaris-a-stan-is-born#:~:text=Description,ready%20to%20sing%20about%20it!
Alexis tells us more …
What are you looking forward to the most at Fringe?
I’ve heard so much about Fringe from all sides, it feels exciting and intimidating all at once!
The one thing that stood out to me most is the description of Fringe as “theater camp for adults”.
I grew up going to theater camp in the States and we weren’t allowed to come back once we turned 18, so I’ve been chasing that high ever since.
I know how crazy it can get *wink wink* and I’m really looking forward to socializing, seeing shows, meeting new people who are passionate about the same things, who are working towards making theater more progressive and modern.
I just want to get inspired and have a blast!
Tell me about A Stan is Born!. It’s billed as LGBTQ+ musical comedy, and ‘a love letter to the divas and the gays who stan them’. What’s it all about?
That’s exactly right! A Stan Is Born! is a queer musical comedy with 10 original songs played and sung by me on keyboard.
The journey starts with my family’s drastic move from New York City to rural Germany when I’m 8 years old.
I start growing up in a cultural vacuum and I only have the internet to provide some much needed escapism.
Pretty soon, I’m forever lost down a rabbit hole of ALL THE DIVAS… Céline, Whitney, Mariah, Beyoncé, the list goes on and on.
They teach me how to sing and improve my confidence, unleashing my inner diva and turning me into a full-fledged STAN (stalker-fan I MEAN super-fan).
My obsession intensifies until finally, I’m confronted with the fact that the world just doesn’t accept little boys who are into women… platonically, at least.
I really want to investigate the connection between queer people and famous divas, but I mainly wrote the piece to share my love for these women through song and create a safe space for the audience to consider who THEY stan.
I believe in spreading queer joy and combining that with comedy and original music, a crossover I haven’t experienced too much of yet. I hope I am able to succeed in that!
This is your first solo show. Are you looking forward to being the centre of attention at ZOO Playground?
Oh, that’s very flattering! I definitely don’t expect to be the center of attention, there’s some really cool shows coming to Zoo, especially by some friends of mine!
Dear Annie, I Hate You is a one-woman dramedy by my dear friend Sam Ipema, detailing her experience with a brain aneurysm at age 20.
And Long Distance is written and directed by Eli Zuzovsky about the life cycle of a queer love story, shown through texts as poetry.
But yes, this is my first solo show and I am definitely feeling the nerves! I love performing, I’ve been doing it my whole life, but this is the very first time I’m showing the world original material, my first time being onstage without a cast AND my first time doing Fringe.
So losing it EVER so slightly !!!
Thankfully, I have an incredible team supporting me, so I don’t feel alone in this, which was super crucial to me.
Are you looking forward to any other shows at Fringe?
YES, there are so many exciting shows at Fringe, which I am so ecstatic about!
I can’t recommend my friends over at Diary of a Gay Disaster (Underbelly) enough, a sapphic musical comedy with undeniable BOPS.
My best friend from drama school, Rachel Galvo, is debuting her one-woman comedy show The Shite Feminst (Greenside) after gaining a dedicated following on TikTok, she is a true force!
We actually developed our shows together at Mountview, so for us both to be doing Fringe at the same time is such a dream come true.
My dear dear friend Gigi Tisminetzky, fellow multicultural icon, has a show called How to Kill a Chicken (Underbelly), which is so immersive and well-written, heart-warming and heart-wrenching in the same breath.
Lastly, I can’t wait to see my friend Isla Fairfield’s debut show Hot Girl Summer (theSpace), a Scottish comedy about the perils of online dating in London.
What’s next after your Fringe run?
Definitely a break! The show will be back in London for a short run at the Camden People’s Theatre (26-28 September), which will possibly include a live band.
Beyond that, we don’t have too many plans yet, but I would LOVE to tour the show around the UK and possibly mainland Europe (my hometowns of Vienna, Zurich, Berlin).
I recently discovered that there are US fringes as well, like Philly Fringe! There is also the tiniest glint of a dream of a TV special of some sort… Here’s hoping!