Alyssa O is a writer, actor, improviser and immigrant who has lived in Switzerland, Scotland and Germany. Her comedic writing has made her a finalist for the BBC’s Scottish Voices Talent Development Programme and has been longlisted for Helen Lederer’s Comedy Women in Print Prize. She writes and performs for every woman who’s ever been told she’s too much.
Tell us about your show.
Married to Myself is a solo rom-com about culture clash, generational trauma (but make it fun!), waking the dead (but make that fun too!), TikTok witches, putting your great-nona on Hinge (she is not impressed with my prospects), surviving wedding receptions when you’re single, living abroad, and the love of a good pair of Spanx. Oh, and I marry myself live on stage.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Sometimes people ask me how I think of funny things to write. But the trick is, I don’t! I take out my notebook and write a mad list of things that drive me crazy, confuse me, amaze me, and embarrass me and before you know it… there’s a new show!
How did you get into comedy writing?
The women in my family love to laugh. I grew up around a lot of loud Italian-American women doing impressions and telling wild stories over a strong cup of coffee. I guess that’s where this all started. I’ve been a writer and performer all my life, but I didn’t think of myself as a comic until much more recently. I took Funny Women’s Comedy Crash Course a while back and realised that comedy was the room I wanted to be in. One of the first bits I ever wrote for the stand-up showcase made its way into my current solo show!
Tell us about your comedy style.
Absurd, joyful, physical, ridiculous, riddled with pop culture references, impressions of people I’ve met along the way and loads of good-natured snark. I make comedy about culture clash, miscommunication and the experience of being a woman who’s larger than life in a world that wants us to play it small. In the end, I want my comedy to feel like a glitter bomb, a shot of whisky and a warm hug from a friend that just gets you.
What does it feel like to be going to Edinburgh Fringe for the first time?
I lived in Edinburgh for about 6 years and I’m no stranger to Fringe as an audience member, but it is a dream come true to come back as a performer. I am so insanely grateful for PBH’s Free Fringe for taking a chance on me and I am so excited for the world premiere of my show to go up at Pizza Geeks on Easter Road as part of a line-up of debut Fringe performers called Free Fringe Firsts!
What other projects are you working on?
Right now I’m collaborating on an all-femme sketch show that will go up in London this autumn. That’s all I can say right now. Watch this space!
Keep up to date with and follow Alyssa O here.
Tickets and information for Married to Myself can be found here!
