Degenerate

Aim: Fund Maria's First Facelift* ...help get Degenerate to the Fringe!

She's ready for her closeup

Degenerate is descending on the Pleasance Courtyard at Edinburgh Fringe and so is my jawline. I’m at that pivotal moment in any woman's life - my first facelift.  Plot twist: facelifts are expensive - but the Fringe? Even worse.

My name is Maria. I’m an actor, comedian and a mother. I’ve performed everywhere from Broadway, to Shakespeare's Globe to Marvel sets. Side Note: You know who is as cool as you’d think they are - Samuel L. Jackson. But that's for another day. With director Rebecca Reeves we make up this is not a test. Rebecca is a director, lecturer, mother and general genius. I’ll say it - she won’t. And we are so proud of what we have accomplished together these past two years. 

After having been introduced eight years ago we instantly clicked, but had to take time off to have four kids between us. Then, coming out the other side of a pandemic we suddenly thought - where the heck did the time go? So it seemed like a no-brainer to sink our fangs into something new and write a comedy show. How hard could it be?

Turns out, creating a new show when you’re having an existential crisis might not be the most intuitive move. But for some reason, getting up in front of a room full of strangers and trying to make them laugh felt like exactly what we needed to do.

If you've seen our 'energetic and endlessly witty' show (we didn't say that, Fringe Biscuit did) you'll know this has been a serious labour of love. We have been honing it between school runs and carefully curated skin care routines.

We’ve also been toying with bringing it to Fringe for a few summers now. We dipped our toes in Fringe waters (supported by Summerhall Surgeries) and we fell in love, but we knew we couldn’t go until we, and the show, were ready.

Luckily, the arts scene is famously easy, incredibly stable and wildly lucrative… So naturally, now is the perfect time. It’ll be a piece of cake. 

The Show

In 55 mins we attempt to marry our existential dread with our supernatural thirst for comedy (hopefully equal parts cackling and carnage because that's life…eh)? It stars the manic-pixie-scream-girl of your dreams (me!) trying to answer life’s biggest questions: How far would you go to stay relevant? Can you dance your way through an existential crisis? And does eternal life come with dental care?  Try to imagine The Mighty Boosh doing The Substance. 

In the end, all we really want is for audiences to have a great night and a good laugh - anything else is a bonus.

They Grow so fast, don't they?

Degenerate began life as a kernal of an idea and some words on paper (arguably too many), first performed at 2Northdown as a standup WIP, then the Etcetera Theatre as a series of sketches, before throwing it all together for our WIP at Vault Festival 2023. From there: Exeter Phoenix, Brighton Fringe, King’s Head Theatre, Bristol’s Alma—each version weirder and more wonderful than the last. And now? Gulp. It’s Fringe time!

How will you help?

The Edinburgh Fringe is the biggest arts industry showcase in the world. It is such an amazing platform for artists and companies to showcase their work, network with other creatives and get the industry exposure they need to kickstart a career in an infamously competitive industry. We are so lucky to have this opportunity as a company but it doesn't come cheap.

With your support, we'll be able to:

• Pay our technical team fairly
• Pay for marketing so we’ll be able to bring in lots of brilliant audiences
• Pay for PR to help get the word out about the show
• Cover venue costs and registration fees
• Contribute to accommodation costs for our production team

Reviews

We’ve had some lovely reviews from our various (incredibly loose!) WIPS so far.

PRAISE FOR DEGENERATE (WIP) includes:
“One of the most original works of art, in both horror and comedy, I have seen in a very long time” -Horror Obsessive

“Cleverly deconstructs the stand-up gig format…energetic and endlessly witty” -Fringe Biscuit

‘Creasey’s stage presence is undeniable’ -Theatre Full Stop

Thank you

If you’re still with me — you’re a hero. The world is a crazy place and we are all being pulled in so many different directions, so for everyone who’s come to laugh, scream (or both) with me at the show already: you’re awesome. You are the reason we have been able to develop it this far. Thank you.

And if you happen to be in Edinburgh this summer - let's get batty baby!

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 17th July 2025 at 11:54am