Former data scientist now New York-based stand-up comedian, writer and humourist Ginny Hogan makes her Edinburgh debut with her show ‘Regression’ at the Gilded Balloon Teviot for the month of August.
‘Regression’ takes you on a decade-long drunken road trip as Ginny attempts to get her life together by the time she’s 30. She’s got an idea of what a real adult looks like and she believes if she uses the right data to analyze her choices, she can’t go wrong. With detours into Silicon Valley, her childhood bedroom, AA meetings, LA juice bars, too many doctors’ offices and just the right number of beds, Ginny tries to literally chart her way to conventional success.
For anyone who’s ever wanted to take a peek under the hood and ask themselves what it is they actually want, Ginny invites you to laugh along with her as she crunches some numbers& barely gets her act together.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
My name is Ginny Hogan, and I’m a writer and stand up comic based in NYC. My show is called “Regression,” and it’s about how I learned to stop using data to overanalyze my life in my 20s, and instead I learned to better accept situations I can’t control.
Tell us about the creative team and process involved?
My friend Hanna Dickinson is the director, and she helped me turn the show into a full-length narrative. It began as a stand up hour—I wanted a chance to tell all my jokes (in order), and it turned into a story. But there was a story there since the stand up jokes directly track the time in my life that this story covers.
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
It’s my first time, and I’m so excited! Everyone has warned me that I should be ready to be exhausted, but I’m exhausted all the time anyway, so I’d say I’m used to it.
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
My show is a unique mix of comedic and heartfelt. It’s a feel-good show that touches on dark themes but ultimately showcases the light side. In many ways, though, what the audiences will love about my show is the relatability—it’s a simple story of blowing a relatable habit way out of proportion.
Is there anything specific you’re hoping for the audience to take away?
My number one goal always is to entertain. I hope to make the audience laugh. After that, I hope my show inspires people to go a bit easier on themselves. It’s a coming-of-age story about self-acceptance, and I want the audience to be reminded of the lessons it took me way too long to learn.
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t there…
I try not to think about the audience at all. I get so in my head if it’s people I know, like, are they tired of this joke? Do they think I’m lying? So my ideal audience is shrouded in darkness. Which I don’t expect to get at Fringe, as my show is in the afternoon.
It’s an intense month, so where you’re able, how do you plan to relax, and are there any other shows you intend to see or want to recommend?
I don’t know what’s coming yet, so I have no recommendations, but the comics I know who are going are hilarious. My dear friend Alexis Gay is doing a variety stand-up show—I highly recommend her. I’m also a huge fan of Austentacious; anything they do will be wonderful. I relax by taking insanely long walks. It sounds like a cheesy line from a dating app profile, but it’s the truth. Honestly, I’m just excited to have a new place to walk around.
In your ideal world, how can we improve the world of the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
I think a lot of performers struggle with the cost of Fringe. I did a Kickstarter to raise money, and maybe providing a platform to help other artists promote their fundraisers could be helpful.
