As part of our Edinburgh Fringe 2024 coverage, we are running a series of interviews with artists and creatives that are taking part in the festival.
In this interview, we speak to Ashley Gavin about her show My Therapist Is Dying.
Where did your arts career begin?
I had acted as a child in a repertory theatre and took classes and things like that in and out of school, but after my father, the breadwinner of my family, passed away I put my dreams aside as it no longer seemed practical to me. I studied computer science in college and went on to do some software engineering at an MIT national security research lab, and do some teaching as well when I developed the curriculum for Girls Who Code. I was pretty bummed out though, and after talking about it for a while with my therapist, I started doing improv in 2012 and then comedy in 2014.
I've had the same therapist since I was 4 years old. He was, in a way, a time capsule and the keeper of all the major events of my life. A few years ago, at a particular low point for me, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and it caused me to re-evaluate everything I was doing relative to my mental health. The show is about the events leading up to that point, and how I found lasting contentment during the last year of sessions.
How would you describe the style of the show?
Dark comedy with significant emotional components. It's sort of a laugh and then cry and then cry while you laugh and laugh while you cry kind of thing.
How have you approached developing the piece?
I've been working on the pieces of this show as the events actually folded. In the weeks following his diagnosis I wrote about that. I wrote about all the mental health resources I sought out and the things I did. Once that section was done, I realized, wait. This is a show about me and my therapist, and I started writing jokes about some of the things we talked about over the course of my life. I didn't put it all together until a few weeks after he past away, the week of his memorial was when I performed it for the first time. A year later, I decided I should do something with it, like take it to the fringe, so I started using my weekly stand up show as a rehearsal.
How do/will you prepare yourself for a run at the Fringe?
I ran the show in concentrated bursts at my weekly show in new york city. It was not a great venue for it, as much as I love it for my weekly showcase stand up show. So once I kind of reached my limit in that room, I traveled to a few black box theatre style rooms around the country for one nighters. Shout out to Zanies in Nashville for letting me use the lab to rehearse.
Other than the show, what’s something you’re looking forward to doing in Edinburgh this year?
This is probably what everyone says but I'm excited to meet other comics and see their shows! Everyone is Scotland is so nice, I really just enjoy walking around the city and talking to people.
What keeps you inspired?
You know the more I heal myself and become well adjusted the less I want to do comedy. Then something awful will happen and I'll write. I honestly kind of hope I'll somehow find a way to stop doing this. But you know, life happens, and then I write about it.
What do you hope an audience takes away from seeing the show?
I've found that everyone I talk to takes something different, which I love. Overall, I hope they leave feeling optimistic about how they can better take care of themselves and the people around them.
Where can audiences see the show?
Pleasance Courtyard Upstairs every day at 18:50 until 25/8.
Tickets are available from https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/ashley-gavin-my-therapist-is-dying
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