Taking TikTok comedy to the Edinburgh Fringe

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is a famous event where many performers showcase their talents, and this year, a new wave of comedians is making their mark. Among them is Courtney Buchner, a young woman in her twenties with long blonde hair and a bright smile. She is often seen wearing a white T-shirt while enjoying the bustling streets of Edinburgh. Courtney has gained a significant following on TikTok, where she shares her comedic sketches, particularly focusing on women's football. She explains that one of the advantages of creating content on TikTok is the ability to delete a video if a joke doesn't land well. However, performing live at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe presents a different challenge. 'All that time posting on TikTok helped me build my confidence,' Courtney shares with BBC Newsbeat. She appreciates having an online platform where she can experiment with her comedy in a less pressured environment. This year, TikTok recognized the trend of comedians transitioning from online platforms to live performances and decided to sponsor the festival. With over a million likes on her TikTok videos, Courtney was thrilled when an opportunity arose for her to perform at the festival. 'Now I'm ready to say to an audience: 'I'm opening this up to you and to live reactions',' she states, highlighting her eagerness to engage with the audience in real-time. Although she has not personally faced it, Courtney is aware of the skepticism some people have towards comedians who have built their careers online rather than through traditional means. 'There's that feeling of insecurity that you do have something to prove,' she admits. 'You do hear things about, 'They're only getting X, Y and Z because of their following'. My answer to that is to get that following took time, patience, and talent. ' Another comedian, Chris Hall, has also made a name for himself on TikTok. He is a young man with cropped brown hair and a stubbled beard, often seen wearing a bright pink T-shirt. Chris began sharing his comedic content during the COVID-19 lockdown, and like Courtney, he found that it helped him gain confidence and build a following of nearly 600,000 fans. His videos, which often feature him and his sister pretending to be backup singers, have garnered thousands of likes and even caught the attention of major celebrities. 'Shania [Twain] was our biggest,' Chris tells Newsbeat, recalling how her recognition propelled his career forward. However, for the festival, Chris decided to leave his most famous TikTok sketch behind and surprise his fans with something new. 'It's so nice to meet people in real life,' he says, emphasizing the difference between performing on stage and online. He enjoys the immediate feedback he receives from the audience. Abi Clarke, another comedian, has taken a different path. She started her career in stand-up comedy before transitioning to social media. Abi, a young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes, admits, 'I didn't want to be a social media person,' but acknowledges that it has become essential for comedians today. With nearly a million followers on TikTok and over 27 million likes, Abi is now navigating the challenge of translating her online success to live performances. 'It's scary. I feel like I'm introducing my school friends to my work friends,' she explains, highlighting the differences between the two forms of performance. Abi believes that using social media to launch a sustainable live career is a natural progression for comedians. 'I think people just want the live genre to be respected and people not to think that they can just come and do a show on the cuff,' she adds. For those considering making the leap from online to live performances, Abi points out some key differences to keep in mind. On social media, comedians can focus on niche topics, making it easier for like-minded individuals to find their content. However, at a large event like the Fringe, performers must cater to a diverse audience. 'You also have to keep their attention for an hour,' she notes, which is a significant challenge compared to the short skits typically found online. Despite the difficulties, Abi finds live performances to be much more enjoyable. 'Social media gets lonely. it can get you down. Nothing compares to people laughing live and people being in a room. A laugh emoji is never gonna match up to that.