Would you mind giving us an insight into what your show/event/performance is?
The Abyss is a blend of standup and a group dive in a sinking submersible. Me and the audience are locked in a little metal tube gabbing, laughing and sharing secrets as the show gets deeper and deeper, physically and metaphorically. It’s immersive, interactive, a little unhinged, and I hope, ultimately, cathartic for you and for me.
Tell us about the creative team and the process involved?
My director, Emily Olcott, is based in NY and my producer, Cara Christian and I are in LA (classic!), but we all came together to premiere the show at Hollywood Fringe 2026 and then further develop it at The Elysian Theater, kind of a hotbed for experimental comedy in America, in July. We’ve sold out 9 shows in LA and were nominated for some fancy things like “Top of Fringe” and “Best Solo Show” at Hollywood Fringe. Coming from standup, you can be really siloed creatively so it’s been amazing to collaborate and have a design team. Taubert Nadalini built a sound environment that I think makes the show what it is.
How does it feel coming to (back to) the Fringe?
Overwhelming but exciting! It’s sort of a logistical behemoth. I’m doing an improv show, Holy Shit, at Monkey Barrel every night at 6:30 and then have The Abyss at 9:20 and have booked a couple of standup spots here and there, so I’m sort of just expecting to be fully immersed in performing and seeing weird stuff. I don’t really do clown, but I love watching it so I’m excited to go full CLOWN TOWN.
With shows from all over the world at the Fringe, what sets yours apart?
My show has the only joke in the world about getting into a car accident with John Travolta’s stand-in. Something that is distinctly an LA experience.
On that, is there anything in the production or production team’s backgrounds which influences the way the show is performed or told?
I lost a lot of hearing in my left ear last year and did 20 sessions in a group hyperbaric oxygen chamber. You sit in this metal tube with like 10 other sick people sucking in high levels of oxygen in a plastic hood for two hours. I had a mini panic attack in the chamber one day and almost shit my pants and they wouldn’t let me out because the doors are sealed and it would ruin the session. The show is inspired by that sort of claustrophobic, bizarre medical experience and being forced into close quarters with strangers in a moment of high emotional intensity.
Is there anything specific you’re hoping the audience will take away?
The knowledge that I tried my best.
Your Ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t…?
One of the reasons I wanted to bring the show to the Fringe is so that many different types of audiences could see it. People who love comedy, theatre, and interactive experiences. My ideal audience doesn’t mind watching someone talk for a long time (50-52 minutes depending on laughs). Some of the material is dark and heavy, so it would be weird to me if there was a child in there.
But it’s at 9:20 so, hey child, you should be in bed!
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 just saw this amazing group clown show last night in LA, The Underground Monk Show, that is being presented by Soho Theatre. I’m definitely going to be seeing that. And my hilarious NY pals Sydnee Washington and Josh Sharp have shows so I’m excited for those. Soleil Cool has an interactive show called Don’t Kill Daisy that I wasn’t able to see at Hollywood Fringe and am ready to finally experience. I saw Ayoade Bamgboye at Netflix is a Joke in LA in May, so I want to see her again too.
There’s so many! In terms of relaxing? That’s for when I’m dead I suppose.
Brendan Scannell: The Abyss runs at Venue 24, Bothie at Gilded Balloon Patter House
Runs: 5th – 30th August at 21:20pm
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